He Beisheng shook his head and forced a smile, "I just want to pray for my second brother. I also want to accompany you. I also want to... be quiet for a while."

Mrs. He was silent for a moment and said flatly: "You don't have to come. I know you are worried about your second brother's case. Don't worry. I still have a handle on the Shen family. If the case is unfair, I will beat the drum and complain. Sue the Shen family."

He Beisheng was stunned for a moment. Although his mother had always shown a certain attitude towards his second brother's case, she had never categorically said that she would win, and she had never revealed the slightest clue about the Shen family.

He Beisheng was a little confused, and suddenly he remembered what his eldest brother had said before. His mother mentioned an old incident of the Shen family fifty or sixty years ago. I wonder if it was this one.

I just heard Mrs. He saying to herself over there: "Don't worry, it's just that we haven't had the time to tell you yet. Now that the three departments are conducting a secret trial, we don't know the outcome. If we mention it rashly, it will only arouse suspicion and ruin things. Just wait and see Let’s wait until the final verdict is made. The He family will never suffer this injustice.”

He Beisheng stopped asking and nodded.

Mrs. He looked at Yao'er lovingly and waved her hand, "Go ahead, you don't have to feel too bad. Your second brother also acted inappropriately. This time is his disaster. After passing this hurdle, he will not be too uncomfortable." It’s not a bad thing if you can change your mind.”

However, He Beisheng did not respond and just bowed silently and left.

Deep down in his heart, he still believed that his imperial examination had brought trouble to his second brother.

There is cause and effect. If the second brother had not been forced to buy questions, there would not have been all kinds of illegal things in the future, let alone...the eldest brother used all kinds of harsh methods.

But he forgot how He Nansheng plotted against the Shen family, and how He Dongsheng insisted on wiping out He Pingsheng.

He forgot that his two brothers were so ruthless in nature.

Mrs. He slowly drank the fragrant tea, walked slowly back to the Buddhist hall, knelt on the futon with Buddhist beads, and silently recited scriptures.

Lord Buddha, if my son has any sins or retribution, it will all come to me, an old woman who failed to teach my son well. May the Lord Buddha bless my son in peace.

*

Suburbs, Shenjiazhuang

Sure enough, as the first batch of victims said, they were not the only ones to escape. Later, more victims arrived in the capital one after another, but the number in each batch varied.

Some people come from an independent village, with no more than forty or fifty people; some people come from multiple villages together, with as many as three to two hundred people.

After all, there are several thousand people here and there.

It's freezing cold, and Xiyuan can't start large-scale construction, so there is no need for so many people to work for relief.

Shen Rui secretly discussed the road construction plan again, pointing out that Xiyuan will become a lively and prosperous place in the future, and the surrounding roads must be smooth to allow more tourists to come.

Building roads was also a hard job. Recruiting civilians affected farming and caused a burden to the people. Food, grass and money were also a huge expense for the imperial court.

Allowing disaster victims to build roads can not only provide relief through work, but also greatly alleviate the above-mentioned problems.

The little emperor was satisfied, so he concealed Shen Rui's name and invited the cabinet to consult with the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Household Affairs. He also made it clear that part of the money could be used for the project from the internal treasury, and it was quickly approved.

Later, the imperial court conducted a thorough investigation of Nanhai County Jun Yibin, returned the land to the victims, distributed food supplies, exempted and exempted taxes, etc. News also spread among the victims.

Many victims had the desire to return to their hometowns. However, it was winter and the road was difficult to travel, so they had to stay in the suburbs of Beijing.

People will start leaving as soon as spring starts, which also solves the problem of resettling the victims after the project is completed.

As for the current resettlement of the victims, although the imperial court has responded by setting up porridge sheds and temporary resettlement sites, the British Crown Prince, the Prince Consort Cai Zhen and other dignitaries have all written letters expressing their willingness to use Zhuangzi on the outskirts of their city as a disaster victim outside the city.

A temporary settlement was made, where the victims were resettled for a few days, taught the rules, checked for epidemics, and then sent into the city in batches to arrange construction projects.

Without exception, these noble families all have children who serve in the royal guards and work as servants for the young emperor.

Such a collective voice of nobles and nobles made it clear that the little emperor acquiesced or even instigated it. The cabinet was also happy to see that the little emperor could think more about the people. This matter was passed faster than building roads, and it became a permanent rule.

Zhuangzi of Shen Rui's family also continued to take in and transport the victims, but it became more and more low-key, being inconspicuous among the houses of many distinguished people.

However, the chief disciples sent by various families for training, such as Zhang Hui, Cai Liang, etc., all knew that Shen Rui had received the emperor's recognition, and they all came to Shen Rui to learn from him. The resettlement of the victims was implicitly led by Shen Rui, who received the most victims.

It also belongs to Shenjiazhuang.

Shen Rui did not shy away from this errand, not only because he wanted to gain favor from the little emperor, but also because he wanted to do something real.

In addition, it is an unexpected joy to be able to make such good friends with a group of distinguished disciples. Although after joining the officialdom, civil servants and military officers formed their own systems and may not necessarily overlap with each other, but in the same circle in the capital, multiple friends always have multiple paths.

Moreover, Emperor Wuzong was involved in many wars, and Shen Rui also had a desire to serve his country, and he also intended to make friends with the children of military commanders.

He simply obtained Mrs. Xu's permission and moved to Zhuangzi for a short stay to avoid the time delay of traveling back and forth. He never stopped reviewing his homework while taking care of the victims.

On this day, an "uninvited guest" came to Shenjiazhuang.

Shen Rui looked at the man in front of him who was dressed in martial arts shorts and had a fierce temperament. However, because he presented himself as a servant of the British government in front of the door, Shen Rui only regarded him as a person who protects the hospital around Zhang Hui.

But when the other party cupped his fists as a salute, two fingers were missing from one hand. Shen Rui suddenly understood, smiled and returned the salute with his fists cupped, "Master Du Ba, you are well."

When Du Laoba saw Shen Rui returning the favor like a gangster, he was slightly startled, and then he grinned. There was a faint golden light flashing next to his strong white teeth, and there were actually two gold teeth inlaid, which set off his curly beard. , so outrageous.

"How dare Du dare to call Mr. Ba in front of Mr. Shen? Mr. Shen and Mr. Zhang are good friends, so it's enough to call him "Lao Du." Du said cheerfully.

Shen Ruixiao invited Du Laoba to take a seat and asked him nonchalantly what he was doing here.

Du Laoba was at the entrance of the village to announce that he was meeting on important matters. At this time, he did not go around in circles. He took the baggage from behind, took out a stack of papers and put it on the table. He pushed it towards Shen Rui and said: "This is what Fourth Master Shen has entrusted."

Shen Rui looked unmoved and did not go to pick him up. He only said: "Since my fourth uncle entrusted me, why didn't Lao Du go to my fourth uncle?"

Du Laoba raised his eyebrows and said: "If you don't tell secrets in front of people, Fourth Master Shen can't do anything for the master. Naturally, I will come to you. Master, there is no need to be suspicious of Du. Although I no longer eat with the eldest son, , But if the eldest son is asked to do anything, Du will go through fire and water without hesitation."

He pointed to the pile of crumpled papers and said, "I got these confessions by prying open the mouth of the nurse who dragged the corpse to the crematorium of the He family."

Although Shen Rui was moved, he still didn't pick up the pile of papers and asked instead: "I won't say anything secretly. This matter was originally entrusted to my uncle to handle with full authority. I don't know what you need, Lao Du, but you feel that Even my fourth uncle can’t make the decision? I’m afraid I can’t afford it either.”

Du Laoba did not expect Shen Rui to speak so bluntly, and then laughed and said: "How happy! If I had known that Mr. Shen was such a happy person, Lao Du would have come to pay homage to the mountain gate a long time ago."

He leaned forward and said: "A certain family wants to open a cloth shop, but there is no way to purchase goods. I would like to ask the Second Young Master to help me with the weaving factory in Songjiang."

Shen Rui had no idea that this was what he was asking for. This kind of business cooperation was so common that it made people suspicious, "Does Lao Du not know that my fourth uncle also has an industry in the south? He also owns a weaving factory. He is also used to doing business and knows what kind of cloth is easy to sell..."

Du Laoba narrowed his eyes and interrupted Shen Rui: "Second Young Master, a certain family wants the cloth produced in Second Young Master's weaving factory. In the capital, only one family specializes in it."

Shen Rui was completely stunned, and his mind was spinning for a moment.

What does Du Laoba mean by this? He insists on asking for the cloth from the weaving factory under his name Shen Rui. Is it for him, or... for the Songjiang cotton that may become tribute cloth in the future?!

At the Huanxi Sha Tea House, Shou Ge did say that Songjiang cotton would be used as tribute cloth, and he also specified that it was cotton produced by his Shen Rui weaving factory.

But this news has never been announced. Shen Rui thought that he would only announce it after the "Japanese Tong Japanese Case" was completely concluded and the He family was ordered to return the two textile factories that had embezzled the Sun family's dowry.

Where did Du Laobao know this? Could it be that Zhang Hui said it?

But he is a local ruffian who has a good business of collecting protection fees in restaurants. Why does he want to sell cloth? Even if this cloth is a tribute, it is not a profitable business. What does Du Lao Ba want?

Does Du Laoba represent himself or the British grandson behind him?

Since he is a tribute, he always has to deal with the palace...

Du Laoba stared at Shen Rui's face, and when he saw the change in his expression, he chuckled and said: "No matter how much I say, the Second Young Master will not believe it. But Second Young Master, think about it, in this capital, there is no one behind the prosperous business. Two noble men with a stake? One is a rough man, a straight-talking man, and a rough talker. Don't be upset, second son. I just said that the current Shen family can still protect a big business?"

Shen Rui smiled bitterly in his heart, but it was the truth. If Shen Cang was here, it would not matter what kind of shop the Shen family opened. Once Shen Cang left, the Shen family shrank a lot of business and switched to a more secure farm farther away.

Now that Shen Zhou has lost his official position, the Shen family's farm in the suburbs of Beijing is not sure whether it can be saved, so naturally it cannot do the prosperous business in the city.

In the future, Songjiang cloth will become a tribute, and the Shen family can only claim the title of the place of origin. It is better to sell cloth in the south, but in Beijing, they can do nothing.

Just becoming such a business partner with Du Laoba... it really damages the image of the scholarly family of the Shen family. Once political enemies find out about it, they will inevitably be impeached by the censor.

Shen Rui hesitated for a moment and said: "I won't hide it from you. This fact cannot be decided by me alone. However, I am thinking of another business. Lao Du, do you want to consider it?"

There was no anger on Du Laoba's face, and he said with a smile: "It's right for the Second Young Master not to make an immediate decision on such a big matter. If the Second Young Master really agrees to a certain person now, a certain family will be scared." After saying this, he laughed, and then Make a gesture of invitation, "Second Young Master, what business can you take care of for a certain family?"

Shen Rui said: "Old Du must also know what Xiyuan will be like in the future. It will become a beautiful landscape and there will be no shortage of tourists. But with so many tourists, not everyone can afford a car."

Du Laoba shook his head and poured out a lot of business experience, "Dumou does have a business in a carriage and horse racing shop. But I am afraid that the second young master does not know the affairs of poor people. The small families in this city are reluctant to spend money to hire a carriage." , walking only on two legs. Outside the city, several families in the village often hire a bullock cart to go into the city and deliver it directly to the place..."

Shen Rui smiled and said: "Why don't Lao Du combine the two into one?"

Seeing that Du Laoba was puzzled, Shen Rui further explained: "If you enlarge the carriage, you can carry more people. Each person will be charged a few or more than ten cents according to the distance traveled. If the number of people in a carriage adds up to a large number, it will not matter. Loss." This was the prototype of the bus he had thought about.

Although Du Laoba was still smiling, his enthusiasm had lost.

Shen Rui knew that he thought it was just a small amount of money and didn't bother to do it, so he said: "In the beginning, we can only set up a point in Xiyuan. Once the business is spread, a bus point can be set up in every square. In the future, we can also set up points in various temples with great popularity. Old Du, you also know that there are millions of people in the capital. Once the people get used to spending a few bucks to take a bus when going out, it is fast and cheap. What kind of wealth will this gather?"

Only then did Du Laoba listen, and there was light in his eyes, but he still said: "Du just has some reputation in Xicheng. There are many gangs in Sijiu City, and I don't know how many carriages and horses..."

"Of course we can't occupy the whole city's horse and carriage shops." Shen Rui said, "I heard that the Hou'er wine in Baxianju is one of the best? There are so many restaurants selling wine in the capital, and Baxianju can't make a name for itself! All it takes is your car. Spacious and cleaner than other cars, more stable than other cars, more punctual than other cars - anything that is better than other cars is the reason why customers choose you. If you are better than others, you will earn more than others. "

Du Laoba chuckled twice.

Shen Rui's smile faded slightly and he said seriously: "Old Du, you are an expert, so I don't need to say more - if you can drive this horse and carriage all over the capital, I don't know how much more news you can get."

Du Laoba's eyes narrowed slightly again, and then he laughed heartily again. Not to mention the shining golden teeth, even the folds on his face shone with light, "After all, you are still scholars, you are just thicker than us. People see the long term! In this way, Du will thank the Second Young Master for this way of making money."

Du Laoba was originally one of Jin Yiwei's assistants, and he is still doing this inquiring business, otherwise Shen Lian would not have approached him. He knows the value of information best.

Shen Ruiyun chuckled lightly and said: "It turns out to be a scholar's humble opinion. Lao Du, you better not dislike it." After saying that, he reached out and took the pile of paper in his hand.

After carefully flipping through a few pages, Shen Rui's face became serious. The nursing home confessed the whole process of He Dongsheng's torture and the defection of the housekeeper He Xiang.

Shen Rui expected that He Nansheng framed the Shen family, but to his surprise, the reason why He Nansheng was controlled by Prince Ning was because someone from Prince Ning had previously sold 5,000 taels of silver to He Nansheng under the guise of a Nanjing noble. A set of Qiu Wei test questions.

As expected, He Beisheng won the title of Juren by virtue of the article he prepared in advance.

Fraud in the examination room. This is enough to ruin the career prospects of all the children of the He family. It is no wonder that He Nan Shenghui surrendered.

Shen Rui quickly recalled that He Dongsheng wanted to kill He Pingsheng. At that time, He Pingsheng did not hesitate to drag Shen Jin and even the entire second room of the Shen family into trouble to survive. Later, when Shen Jin went to visit He Pingsheng, He Beisheng and He Pingsheng ate and lived together. As if protecting him.

I'm afraid that He Pingsheng was trying to catch He Beisheng's Qiu Wei article, which might have led He Dongsheng to kill someone and silence him.

Shen Rui pondered for a moment, one piece of fraud in the examination room was enough to derail He Dongsheng, but this matter still needs to be dug deeper. How did that person from Prince Ning get the exam questions? How many officials in the Southern Zhili region had secretly taken refuge with Prince Ning?
To be continued...