Union

Chapter 188 Go there in person

Before the head steward left the capital, he knew everything he needed to know about Yunying.

He knew exactly what the villagers were saying, so he naturally didn't show any surprise.

But regarding the two issues he cares about most:
Firstly, the question remains unanswered: where did Xu Shaotian actually find Yunying—whether he picked her up in the wild or someone else rescued her and then gave her to him?

In their memory, Xu Shaotian had only gone on a long trip, and when he returned, he had a frail baby girl in his arms. The baby girl was beautiful, but she looked to be only a month old.

Xu Shaotian told the public that the child was his biological child. His wife, perhaps in agreement with him, also told the public that the child was Xu Shaotian's daughter.

It was Xu Shaotian's child, but not hers. When his wife's family heard the news, they rushed over and beat Xu Shaotian severely. Begging for mercy, Xu Shaotian let slip that Yunying wasn't his daughter.

The uncle pressed him, asking whether he had picked up the girl or stolen her.

Xu Shaotian denied it all, saying it was entrusted to him by someone else.

He insisted on this point and begged the villagers to keep it a secret.

He and his wife had never had any children, and he said that this girl would be his biological child.

The villagers were all kind-hearted, and they also thought that in those days, everyone's life was hard, and girls were considered to have a lowly fate. It was common for families to give away their newborn babies if they didn't want to raise them.

Everyone agreed to the matter and kept the secret for them for many years to come.

The head steward inquired carefully but didn't get any more useful information. He then asked everyone carefully if anyone really knew where Xu Shaotian had moved to and if there was absolutely no clue.

The villagers all said, "No, that bastard is very vicious and has cut ties with everyone in the village."

"The main concern is that if word gets out that he sold Yunying, it will delay his son's chances of becoming the top scholar. Tsk, Xu Shaotian isn't much, but his son is quite good. He has a good memory and a talent for studying; who knows, he might really amount to something in the future."

The head steward questioned them carefully several times, and everyone gave the same answer. He tried to bribe them with benefits, but they couldn't come up with anything more useful.

With regret, the head steward could only turn around and lead everyone back to the county town.

But just as they were about to leave the village, someone caught up with them from behind.

"My lord, my lord, I've remembered something, but I don't know if it's of any use."

The head butler hurriedly said, "Speak quickly."

This man was over fifty years old and had been on good terms with Sanzhuzi, a distant cousin of Xu Shaotian, in his younger days.

He was honest and simple, but Xu Shaotian's uncle was quite clever. In addition, Sanzhuzi was handsome, and he was soon chosen by a family in the county town to become their son-in-law.

Perhaps because he felt the matter was unpleasant to hear, Sanzhuzi never returned to the village after that.

The only time he contacted the village was six years ago when he summoned Xu Shaotian. It was said that his only son had died unexpectedly, and he intended to have Xu Shaotian adopted into his own family.

After receiving the letter, Xu Shaotian went out for a while, and upon returning, he sold all his possessions and went to live with his cousin. Perhaps his cousin had given him some instructions, because when asked where he was going or how to contact him in the future, Xu Shaotian hesitated and refused to give a specific address.

The old man said he roughly knew where the family Sanzhu had married into earlier was, but after so many years, he wasn't sure if they had moved. However, the chances were higher, because there had been a flood in the area a few years ago, and many people had gone to other places to make a living.

But it shouldn't be a big problem. Who knows, Sanzhu might still be in contact with his former neighbors after he moved away. If he asks around the neighborhood, he might find out his new address.

This information is extremely useful to the head housekeeper.

The head steward immediately had someone give the old man a purse, and then led people to the address the old man had given him to find the person.

The old man happily clutched his purse, and finally asked, "Are you Yunying's parents or relatives, or are you here on behalf of Yunying's parents or relatives to find her?"

The head steward smiled upon hearing this, "I am but a servant, and I am not worthy of being called the elder of the young lady. Miss Yunying... she may be the lost legitimate daughter of my master's family."

The old man was dumbfounded. After the steward and his entourage left, he stomped his feet and ran back to the village.

"Good heavens! That brat Shaotian stole a girl from the Duke's mansion! He's utterly heartless. He stole a girl and didn't treat her well. He even sold her off as a maid. That boy is black-hearted."

As for why it's called "stealing," well, what's wrong with that? She's a daughter of the Duke's mansion. Who would have the guts to give you a daughter of the Duke's mansion?

This is utter nonsense.

It must be that brat Shaotian, he stole someone else's girl!
Putting aside the fact that the villagers were shocked to hear that Yunying might be a high-ranking official, but was stolen home by Xu Shaotian and turned into a mud monkey on the ground.

The steward followed the old man's directions to search for the family, and sure enough, the family had moved away long ago due to a flood a few years ago.

As for where they moved to, the surrounding neighbors are all newcomers and have little to do with their family, so it's hard to say.

The trail went completely cold here. Despite the head steward's repeated inquiries, he still couldn't find any information about Sanzhuzi.

They finally thought of the post stations for sending messages, hoping to find some clues there.

Unfortunately, the post station staff in this small town were negligent in their duties, and they didn't properly record the incoming and outgoing mail every day. Even if they wanted to investigate, they couldn't find anything.

The matter has reached a stalemate.

Left with no other choice, the head steward had to send a message by carrier pigeon to the masters of the Duke's mansion as soon as possible.

……

In the Duke of Xuan's mansion, Yun Ying was able to go out and walk around, and her symptoms of dizziness and vomiting had completely disappeared.

With her health improved and her mood lifted, coupled with the recent warmer weather and the growing warmth of spring, Yunying felt that everything she saw was beautiful.

One day, Yunying went to pay her respects to the old lady. She had just chatted with the old lady for a while when she heard from the servants that the general had arrived.

The general is her father.

Yunying quickly stood up.

As soon as Gu Wangchen entered the flower hall, Yunying hurriedly greeted him. When Gu Wangchen saw his daughter, his tense face instantly relaxed, and a smile visibly spread across his face.

"He'er is here too? Please have a seat."

Gu Wangchen didn't say anything about not needing to greet his father anymore. He had said it once before, but Yun Ying hadn't listened.

Gu Wangchen wasn't stupid; he immediately understood that his daughter was probably still somewhat distant from him.

But there's nothing that can be done about it; family ties can't be built in a day or two. He now only hopes to confirm He'er's identity as soon as possible. Only then can He'er lower her guard and accept this family and its members.

Once she truly accepts them, she won't be so distant.

Now, let's not rush things. Gu Wangchen came today to discuss a long trip with the old lady.

The old lady hurriedly asked, "Where are you going? Has His Majesty arranged some task for you?"

Gu Wangchen shook his head, "No, not at all."

He glanced at his mother, then at Yunying, and finally recounted the contents of the steward's letter. He concluded, "Uncle Qian has searched everywhere he could think of, but still can't find him. I want to go and see for myself."

Uncle Qian is the head housekeeper. When the old lady heard that, she straightened her back.

"Couldn't find them? Could they have gotten wind of it beforehand and packed up and left?"

The old lady didn't hesitate to assume the worst about this family.

They're absolutely wicked!

Otherwise, why didn't they sell their daughters to pay for their son's education? Why did they only sell their granddaughter?
It's because they're not their biological children; they don't care if they're sold off and mistreated.

The old lady was furious. "I bet they're hiding."

At this point, Yunying couldn't interrupt, so she could only silently clutch the handkerchief in her hand and listen to the two talking without making a sound.

Seeing his daughter's unhappiness, Gu Wangchen assumed that Yunying still had feelings for that family, which was unavoidable. After all, He'er had been with them until she was ten years old and had never known that she wasn't their biological child, always treating them as her own parents.

Gu Wangchen sighed, "Mother, please don't say anymore. They did raise He'er after all."

"So what if I raised her? I still sold He'er anyway. Once I raised her and sold her, the debt of gratitude was repaid. Why can't I speak ill of them?"

Gu Wangchen said, “What you said makes sense. But have you ever thought that if it wasn’t someone else who took He’er away and gave her to Xu Shaotian, but Xu Shaotian who carried He’er away in great difficulty, then he would have saved He’er’s life.”

How should we calculate this life-saving grace?
Upon hearing her son's words, the old lady fell silent and remained speechless.

Seeing his mother remain silent, Gu Wangchen quickly said, "I will go there myself. If necessary, I can contact the nearby county or prefectural governments." Even if he had to search through each government office, as long as Xu Shaotian had acquired property and changed his household registration information, he would definitely be able to find him.

Gu Wangchen said, "I've had nothing to do these past two months, so I'll take this opportunity to settle this old story. Mother, don't worry, I'll definitely be back in ten days to half a month, or at most a month."

Although the old lady was reluctant, she eventually nodded in agreement because it involved her granddaughter.

Seeing that the matter was settled, Yunying quickly said, "Father, I'd like to go with you. Is that alright?"

"Come with me?"

Gu Wangchen looked puzzled, while the old lady was on high alert, as if Yunying would never return.

Yunying nodded and explained, "I'll go back and take a look... just to put an end to it."

Gu Wangchen was reluctant, but this was the first time his daughter had made a request of him, and he didn't want to refuse her. In the end, he nodded in agreement and had the maid pack Yunying's belongings, preparing to depart early the next morning.

The old lady disagreed with this, and after Yunying returned home, she scolded her son.

Gu Wangchen was all smiles, showing no sign of annoyance. He kept reassuring his mother, "We're traveling together as father and daughter to build our relationship. Who knows, when we return to the manor, He'er will be willing to call me 'Father'."

The old lady: "..." So he could tell that his granddaughter was calling him "Dad" with great reluctance.

The old lady felt sorry for her son and had no choice but to forgive him. But she couldn't help but give him a lot of advice, telling him to take good care of his granddaughter on the way, as the wound on her forehead hadn't healed yet and she shouldn't suffer any more.

Gu Wangchen agreed to each of their requests.

The next day arrived quickly.

Yunying went out with her father, and Gu Yuanxi followed closely behind them.

Gu Yuanxi insisted on joining, and to prevent his father from disagreeing, he persuaded his grandmother and asked his superiors at the Hanlin Academy for leave in advance.

He made sure everything was in order before finding the father and daughter and asking if he could come along. Gu Wangchen was amused by his son's antics, kicked him, and finally agreed to let him come.

The three of them went out together, and because they needed to take care of Yunying, they decided to leave after breakfast. Once outside, the carriage did not travel very fast.

They slowly made their way to the city gate, where they met Chen Yanzhou, who was waiting for them.

Chen Yanzhou stepped forward to greet him, and Gu Wangchen stared at him and asked, "Nephew, what are you doing here? Are you returning to Lingnan Prefecture?"

Chen Yanzhou replied respectfully, "His Majesty has made other appointments for his nephew. A new official has been appointed as the magistrate of Yungui County."

Upon hearing this, Yunying, who was sitting in the carriage, couldn't help but lift the curtain and look over.

Her face was filled with anxiety.

Oh dear, how come Chen Yanzhou was transferred without a word?
With him gone, what are we going to do with all those things he left behind?
As for the gold mine, it belongs to the imperial court. Chen Yanzhou cannot embezzle it or take it away. As long as his successor can continue to develop it properly, there shouldn't be any major problems with the gold mine.

But what about the newly built reservoir?
The reservoir was built at the junction of three counties and serves three major functions: navigation, flood discharge, and irrigation.

However, due to the large scale of the project and the enormous cost, many people did not approve of its construction.

Even Prefect Zhang disagreed.

However, Chen Yanzhou was headstrong and stubborn. No matter how others tried to persuade or stop him, he insisted on recruiting laborers and building the reservoir on his own.

But a reservoir can't be built in just two or three years; from surveying to actual use, it takes at least five years. Currently, construction has only just begun, and only about one-fifth of the work is complete…

If a new county magistrate takes office and overturns this decree, wouldn't all the previous expenses be wasted? Wouldn't all of Chen Yanzhou's hard work be in vain?
There's also pearl farming, which has only just begun to show some results. I'm afraid that later generations might make unauthorized changes or send people to steal the credit, which would discourage Mr. Lu and others and prevent the project from being scaled up. Wouldn't that be a pity?

And there's her porcelain workshop.

The painting of the colored porcelain was all done by the exiled officials and their families in Yungui County, while she was in charge of marketing and distribution.

If Chen Yanzhou were no longer the magistrate of Yungui County, would she still be able to continue her porcelain business?

It's definitely not going to work out anymore.

She will definitely be pushed out.

At present, colored porcelain is the business that can bring her the greatest profit. The thought of not having so much money coming in again makes Yunying's heart bleed.

There's no worry about the terraced fields, since they've already reached a considerable scale. And with her title of "Anren" (a title for a high-ranking official), the new magistrate is sure to understand the higher-ups' intentions and will definitely continue to promote the terraced fields to increase the people's income.

(End of this chapter)