The village chief's words were not meant as a scare tactic, but these villagers had been poor for too long and would never leak such a good opportunity.
They all teased the village chief, "Don't worry about that, none of us are fools. Why would we turn our backs on money!"
Although they said this, the village chief still warned them in advance, just in case these people did something foolish, said something they shouldn't, or did something they shouldn't, and regretted it later!
After speaking, everyone started to feast.
This was the first time they had eaten a dish where the vegetables and rice were cooked together. Especially since this dish had more meat chunks and less cabbage and vermicelli.
Everyone ate with such gusto that even the four or five-year-old children ate by themselves, bite by bite, their little mouths glistening with grease.
The fluffy, steamed buns, swirled with green onions, were made of refined flour. The villagers couldn't remember how long it had been since they had eaten like this; they wouldn't dare to eat like this even during the New Year.
The meal was delicious. One of the four large pots of food remained untouched, but the steamed buns were gone. Seeing this, the village chief instructed each household to take a basin of buns home and, on top of that, gave each household a pound of white flour.
This was fortunate as they had bought a lot of flour that day. Seeing their pitiful appearances, the village chief was not stingy and knew that Fan Zehao and Zhao Jiaqi would support him in doing this, which was why he dared to distribute things this way.
For the twenty or so households, after receiving the vegetables, they also received white flour. When they returned home, they would pack the vegetables and bury them in the snow so they wouldn't have to buy vegetables for the New Year; they would have fresh ones ready.
As soon as the villagers left, the courtyard was tidied up, and the remaining people returned to their rooms.
Zhao Jiaqi looked at their reluctant faces and smiled, "Everyone, don't be like this, or else my husband and I won't be able to leave with peace of mind!"
Uncle Wang and Uncle Meng, who had only learned about it today, were naturally a little upset.
The village chief lowered his head, smoking his large pipe, lost in thought. After a moment, he exhaled a puff of thick smoke and said, "Alas, our little mountain village cannot keep the golden phoenix. You should go. Remember to visit often!"
"Alright!"
A simple "alright" ended the topic for the evening. When they were leaving, Fan Zehao distributed the game he had hunted among them.
They were leaving tomorrow, and the prince's manor would not be lacking in these, so they couldn't take them away. Thus, giving them to the aunts was the best option.
The couple stood at the doorway, watching their receding figures with a hint of sadness.
That night, the small courtyard was empty. The people were gone, but they left the carriage behind, which was for the village chief to use for his errands. The carriage was quite useful compared to walking.
On the morning of the twenty-fifth of the twelfth lunar month, the village chief and others came to see the couple off. However, they saw that the outer gate was open, the carriage was tied up in the front yard, and the house was empty, with the prepared cotton-padded clothes also missing.
Only six hundred taels of silver notes were left on the kang, along with a letter.
After reading the letter, the village chief's tears streamed down his face. He said to the person beside him, "This money is left for our workshop to use as seed capital. The carriage is left for me to make my errands more convenient!"
At this, they all fell silent. They had never encountered people with such magnanimity before. They respected this couple from the bottom of their hearts.
In the morning, the workshop officially started work. The village chief set off firecrackers. Because there were many people, and some had experience, those with experience led those without. The finished products were quite good. In just three days, they had made over thirty sets, varying in size, quality, and price.
This town was not like Hexinzhou, so the prices were naturally not as high. According to the advice given by Madam Fan before she left, they all discounted their prices by half.
As soon as the shop opened, it attracted many people. However, most of the customers were ordinary folk who naturally couldn't afford the large, high-quality, expensive cloth dolls. But the cheaper ones, of poorer quality and smaller size, could be bought for one or two taels of silver if they were determined.
As the shop became a sensation, the steward sent by Chu Lian saw everything. Following Miss Chu's instructions, the steward turned around and went straight to the county yamen, accusing the villagers of Nanlan Village of stealing their mansion's blueprints, demanding the return of the blueprints and compensation.
The county yamen saw that the steward was from the Chu mansion in Hexinzhou. His mind paused for a moment before he belatedly realized that this family was the maternal family of a favored concubine in the current dynasty.
Upon hearing this, the county yamen immediately ordered all yamen runners to bring the mansion guards and arrest them.
The secretary was also stunned. "Does it take so many people to arrest a village chief?"
"Didn't the steward say that the villagers stole the blueprints? How would I know which villager stole them, so... arrest them all for questioning!"
The county yamen's yamen runners and mansion guards all set out, heading towards Nanlan Village in a grand procession. The steward, seeing this situation, couldn't help but curl his lips, a hint of smugness in his heart. Finally, he did not forget to give the county magistrate a little benefit.
"Your Honor, you have worked hard. After this matter is settled, your position as county magistrate should be elevated. It is truly beneath you to be placed in this position."
The county magistrate, upon seeing the five thousand taels of silver notes, felt his seat beneath him shift. He was immediately overjoyed and said with a smile, "Miss Chu's matters are my matters. Please rest assured, steward. After I have found the blueprints, I will immediately send someone to deliver them to Miss!"
The steward waved his hand, smiling, "No need to trouble yourself. I will bring them back personally then."
The county magistrate was not foolish. Without a formal seal, he secretly guessed what was drawn on these blueprints that Miss Chu valued so highly!
When Fan Zehao learned this news from Little Song, he sneered.
The shop had just opened, and the Chu mansion was already so impatient, sending a steward to keep watch beforehand. He hadn't expected the fish to take the bait so quickly!
"Wife, it seems you were right. This matter probably won't be resolved after the New Year!"
Zhao Jiaqi stretched lazily and said, "I didn't plan to deal with it after the New Year anyway!"
After the New Year, she still had to sort out the disreputable and snobbish people in her restaurant. She wouldn't have time to deal with someone with powerful backing.
"The Chu mansion has a noble consort, but she is a noble consort of Yun Country. She has nothing to do with our Inner City. I don't know who gave their Chu mansion such great face that our local officials have to serve them so cautiously!"
These words made Fan Zehao feel utterly embarrassed.
"I must question them thoroughly about this!" he said through gritted teeth.
Zhao Jiaqi chuckled, "Why bother? If you ask me, just pack them all up and send them to Yun Country, to Huangfu Xi!"
What his wife said wasn't a bad idea, but before they left, they had to investigate thoroughly. If there were corrupt officials, their homes would be confiscated, which would also contribute something to the local people!
Thinking this way, they would act accordingly. Ultimately, it shouldn't benefit Huangfu Xi for free.
"By calculations, these yamen runners and mansion guards will arrive at Nanlan Village in about half an hour. What should we do next?"
Zhao Jiaqi had only been staying at this inn for a few days, and she hadn't even settled in yet, and now they had to leave. Sigh!
"Then, we'll reluctantly take a trip!"
Fan Zehao smiled and nodded, "Alright, I'll listen to you!"
Looking at his wife's languid demeanor, she must have been exhausted lately. "You rest for a while. I'll go out for a bit!"
She nodded, leaned against the pillow, and as soon as she turned over, she fell asleep!
Outside the door, Twelve reported, "Master, General Xiao Ce has arrived with his men. They are stationed outside Jinchang County, waiting for the Prince's orders."
"Mmm, I know!"
As time ticked by, soon Nanlan Village was rounded up by the officials like candied haw berries on a stick, tied together and lined up.
The village chief, completely bewildered, asked the yamen runners who had come to arrest them, "We are all commoners, we haven't broken any laws, why are you arresting us!"
Arresting an entire village like this made no sense to them!