Chapter 38 Chapter fifteen

After noon the next day, Mr. Di changed into an old blue robe and a square black woolen hat, got into a sedan chair, and went leisurely to Lin Fan's mansion. Lin Fan had been notified by Hong Canjun, and he was waiting outside the carved gate building neatly dressed. When Di Gong got off the sedan chair, Lin Fan hurriedly stepped forward to salute: "Master the governor came to the humble house, and the common people were terrified, and the etiquette was lax. Please forgive me." Duke Di bowed back, and seeing a black man with a horizontal face standing behind Lin Fan, he must have been the manager Tao Gan mentioned.

Lin Fan led Di Gong into the living room and divided the guests and hosts.The manager respectfully presented tea and candied fruit.Di Gong looked at Lin Fan carefully while sipping tea.Lin Fan was about fifty years old, with a clean body and a hale and hearty body, with a neat gray beard under his chin, and a few white hairs on his sideburns. ——The only light gray eyes flashed a kind of solemn and cold light, which often makes people shudder. Di Gong said a few words, put a piece of Qingjin fruit in his mouth, and said: "The shopkeeper Lin may have heard about it. An old woman named Liang Ouyang came to the Yamen to sue you. Although the former Mr. Feng has died Her pleading was rejected, and now she is in the hands of the lower officials. Not to mention what was written in her pleading. I saw her in a trance, suspected of being insane. It seems inappropriate to dismiss the pleading So I took the liberty to come to the house to visit, inquire about the house and discuss a proper disposal with shopkeeper Lin."

Lin Fan gave a bleak smile, sighed and said, "Master Di laughed at me. I'm ashamed to kill people. Then Liang Ouyang is Xiaomin's mother-in-law. In recent years, natural disasters and man-made disasters have caused her old man to suffer in every possible way and suffer all kinds of grievances. Xiaomin A broker, who cares too much about money, travels and travels, travels all over the world, travels endlessly for years, can't serve filial piety, until today. ——The old mother-in-law has sued her son-in-law, I can't argue, but I hope the master will forgive His heart is the most important thing. Although Xiaomin is punished, he will never complain. At this time, his heart is so sad that words are hard to express." He lowered his head, his expression was sad, and his face was full of sorrow.

Hearing this, Duke Di was secretly surprised, wondering what kind of medicine was in Lin Fan's gourd.Lin Fan's words had blocked his way forward, so he had no choice but to back off and find another way. "Shopkeeper Lin, as for how to arbitrate this case, the yamen has its own rules and regulations. However, I just want to ask, why did shopkeeper Lin leave Guangzhou and settle in Puyang?" Lin Fan sighed again and said: "It's just because my father left a last word before he died, asking me to buy a farm and mansion in Puyang for a hundred years. When my father was young, he traveled all over the world, and it was in Puyang that he married my mother. , so I have special affection for Puyang. It has been two years since I moved to Puyang, and I have nothing to do all day long. My business is all in Lingnan, so I often feel inconvenient. The master can also see that the house has been moved, and Xiaomin himself will go back soon. Guangzhou. I can’t be a filial son, and I feel uneasy, but I can’t do anything about it. Businessmen value profits over righteousness. This has been the case since ancient times, so please don’t laugh at me.”

Di Gong was stunned, speechless for a while. "Since the lord is here, why don't you take a look around in the courtyard. Most of the slaves have gone to Guangzhou, and the etiquette is not good enough. I hope the lord will forgive me." Di Gong waved his hand and politely declined, but Lin Fan had already stood up and tied Di Gong's sleeve with one hand, and led him to take a quick look around the empty and empty courtyard.Di Gong knew in his heart that Lin Fan wanted him to know that there was no hidden secret in Lin's house, so as to dispel the government's suspicion of him.

Di Gong never expected to be led by the nose by Lin Fan and turned around in a big circle.After hastily finished reading Lin's house, he felt that he should leave. ——Obviously Duke Di didn't win the first round, but it's no wonder.Maybe Lin Fan is really an innocent and serious businessman?Otherwise, it must be an extremely cunning villain. ——At least he didn't easily fall into Di Bu's trap.But Di Gong reflexively swallowed the bait. After Di Gong returned to the state office, he was depressed.Just sat in front of the desk and wanted to study Mrs. Liang's papers again, but saw the old housekeeper hastily entered the inner office with a very depressed expression on his face.Di Gong was shocked and asked, "What happened at home?"

The old housekeeper glanced at Di Gong uneasily, and said tremblingly, "Madam asked the master what it means that Juancheng County sent someone to send the two girls." Di Gong turned his worries into joy and said, "What's wrong with me? You go back to the mansion and tell your wife that Haosheng has taken care of these two women and settled them in the empty lotus courtyard in the west of the garden. The houses there are elegant and quiet. Each send a maidservant to serve the clothes, food, tea and water, so don't disturb the second and third wives." The old butler took the order and left suspiciously.

As soon as Di Gong returned to the mansion at night, he quietly went to Mrs. Di's room without disturbing the servants.After Madam Di knelt down and bowed, she sat silently on the side, her pink face pale, and her eyebrows frowned. Di Gongdao: "Those two women have settled down in the Lotus Fragrance Court?" Mrs. Di said "hmm" without even raising her head.After a while, he said, "I have sent two servant girls, Chunlan and Qiuju, to serve those two girls." Duke Di nodded in satisfaction. Mrs. Di pouted and said, "The master really wants to accept the young man, so he should discuss it with the three of us in advance."

Duke Di frowned, and said softly, "Madam, do you think I've chosen the wrong character?" Mrs. Di said: "Master's eyes, how can we females make judgments arbitrarily. It's just that I saw that the two girls were poor and humble, and they lived a normal life. I'm afraid they will defeat the master's interest. I don't know if they have read poetry or books, and if they will." Can do female red needlework." Di Gong stood up and said bluntly: "I'm going to entrust you with this matter. From now on, the two of them will be able to read and write, and the female red needlework will be supported and supervised by the wife. You remember their names, one is Huang Xing, and the other is Huang Xing. It's called Bitao."

Speaking of which, Duke Di took out an ingot of gold ingot and two ingots of silver ingot from his sleeve and handed them to Mrs. Di, saying: "Take this gold and buy them clothes, socks, and jewelry, powder and lead paste, and silver. Divide the envoy with them one by one." Mrs. Di knelt down to accept the order, and then retreated. Duke Di returned to the outer hall, thinking that the troubles were just the beginning.He quickly walked out of the courtyard, turned over the gate of Queyue on the first right, bypassed the flower beds and rockery, and faced a winding powder wall.The osmanthus outside the whitewashed wall and the osmanthus inside the whitewashed wall are so fragrant.There is a row of neat houses beside the lotus pond - there is the lotus fragrance courtyard.Di Gong saw Huang Xing and Bitao standing on a bridge, lingering to watch the moonlight in the lotus pond.Seeing Di Gong walk into the courtyard, they hurriedly knelt down.Di Gong helped them up kindly, and said, "You guys will stay here for a while. Chunlan and Qiuju will serve you in food and clothing, and your wife will teach you needlework and reading."

Huang Xing and Bi Tao nodded frequently, looking at Di Gong affectionately.Looking at the moonlight, Di Gong sighed, and said to himself: "Could it be that this drama is really overacted?"