Hundreds of elite cavalry from Lingzhou escorted the three carriages into Liangzhou City. The person at the front was Lingzhou Deputy General Han Laoshan. Looking at his armor, he was also one of the most powerful officers in Beiliang. This made the commoners who saw this scene click their tongues in wonder. They did not know who or what it was that made the Lingzhou military mobilize so many people, emptying half of the military officers in Lingzhou in an instant. Among the group of horses, there was one person who stood out. More accurately, he was like a chicken standing out from a flock of cranes. Among the large group of horses, cold swords, armor, and sharp spears, only this person was wearing the uniform of a civil official. He was escorting the carriage at the front. From time to time, he would glance at the window. His eyes were filled with pride, which was exactly what Xu Weixiong had said when he was young. He was the head of the Golden Weaving Bureau, Wang Lvting. This time, he rushed to Beiliang Palace not because of the Weaving Bureau, but because this young family head of the Purple Gold Wang family had done a beautiful job. He was worthy of Lingzhou Deputy General Han Laoshan being at his beck and call. Inside the three carriages, there was no gold or silver, nor was there any auspicious sign to pay tribute to Qing Liang Mountain. There were only three pieces of clothing.
After the Golden Weaving Bureau changed owners, Wang Lvting focused on this matter. In the other territories of the Liyang Dynasty, the position of weaving officer was just a secret agent with a rank. They were the eyes and ears of the emperor. They had the privilege of sending a secret letter to the imperial study. Wang Lvting was a weaving official who was promoted by Northern Liang after Li Xifeng retired and returned to his hometown. She had nothing to do with the talented and resourceful son of the Zhao family. Wang Lvting, other than closely monitoring the jianghu factions in Lingzhou, especially the rise of the Fish Dragon Gang, he was more of a weaving officer, doing the work of mending clothes.
In the front carriage, there were three women. The oldest woman was not more than 30 years old. There was a small purple sandalwood box in the carriage. The youngest woman had a graceful figure and an outstanding appearance. Although she was wearing a woman's uniform made of ice, the details showed her thoughts. Her face was painted with a suitable shade of yumei, and the stone used to draw her eyebrows was purchased from Xiniang Zhai, which was known as Lingzhou's women's money-squandering brothel. On her wrist was a disc-shaped carved fish jade pendant that symbolized good luck. At first glance, this woman could tell that she came from a wealthy family. Compared to the other two women with few accessories, she was worlds apart. However, this rich woman always talked and laughed with the older woman, but she made things difficult for the woman with the surname Xu. Of course, these tricks were all under the table and would not be disliked by others. The young woman did not know why she was so hostile towards the poor widow. No matter how she looked at her, she did not feel comfortable. Perhaps it was because the Xu family's woman's chest was even more "bumpy" than hers. Or perhaps it was because she was clearly a country bumpkin with a son, but she was more popular with men than she was in the Golden Weaving Bureau. It was just like one of the weaving officer's confidants who was blind and fell in love with this woman at first sight. It was as if he had been bewitched. He even rejected the marriage that his family had agreed on, saying that he would not marry anyone other than the Xu family's woman. He even said that as long as the woman nodded, he was willing to marry her officially. He did not mind her past and would even treat her son as his own. It was not just this scholar who had wasted 20 years of studying. There was also a general in Lingzhou who was about to become a military officer in his early thirties. His future was bright, and his guests were either county governors or generals. What kind of good match could he not find? He was also shocked. This made the young woman in the carriage angry at the injustice of the world. The vixen with the surname Xu had a rustic aura. Although her appearance was outstanding, it was not all that stunning. Could it be that she was a spirit that had walked out of the deep mountains and forests? Otherwise, why would all those men go crazy for her?
She glanced at the woman who was silently criticizing the vixen Xu. Then she smiled at the older woman and said, "Sister Song, when I was young, I heard my father say that he had once gone to Mount Qing Liang. At that time, he was going hand in hand with County Governor Liu to participate in our little prince's birthday celebration. My father also said that the general had personally come down from his seat and drank a cup of Green Ant Wine with them."
The older woman smiled and agreed, "Zao 'er, who doesn't know that your father is the God of Wealth in Lingzhou? It is a good thing for him to go to the prince's estate. Zao 'er, your literary talent is good. This time, if you go to Mount Qing Liang with Official Wang, you might catch the prince's eye and accidentally become one of the popular female scholars in Wutongin. When that time comes, don't forget about sister Song. "
The young woman who was nicknamed Zao 'er covered her mouth and smiled, "Borrowing sister's auspicious words, the female scholar really does not dare to have extravagant hopes. It would be a great fortune for Zao' er to be that prince's maidservant."
The young woman who had left her home to join the Weaving Bureau, Xu Qing, had a faint expression. She did not want to participate in the conversation between the two women beside her. In reality, she still did not know how she had been chosen by the Youzhou government as a female embroiderer. She had been chosen along with a dozen other women who were clever and skilled in their hands. She had then gone to the rich and fertile Lingzhou, which had the reputation of being a little Jiangnan. She could only explain that she had been in her hometown at Tumbling Horse Pass when she had the time to sew some personal items for the women of the Youzhou government officials. That was how she had this inexplicable opportunity. In reality, she was not very willing to go to the distant Lingzhou at first. Her son, You Song, was still young. Although their family did not have much farmland, it could not be delayed. The countryside had always been like this. If there was less sweat, there would be less harvest. God's eyes were very sharp. However, the village's village chief said that this was a great honor for Zhao Village. As long as she went to the Lingzhou Weaving Bureau, not only would the village exempt You Song's tuition fees from the private school, they would also ask the neighbors to help take care of her family's crops. You Song could even stay with the teacher. This was a great thing. Even so, without any worries, Xu Qing still asked You Song. The child was sensible. Although he loved his mother, he patted his chest and said it was fine. His mother could go to Lingzhou and he could take care of himself. He also promised that when his mother came back, he would be able to recite the "three hundred thousand" by heart.
Thinking of her sensible child, Xu Qing 'er's heart warmed and the corners of her mouth curled up.
Zao 'er glanced at the woman's smile from the corner of her eyes and felt hatred in her heart. This Xu Qing' er's appearance was just like that, but it was this kind of silent charm that could seduce men. It was not that she did not want to learn, but she could not learn. In the end, she could only resentfully give up.
Out of sight, out of mind, Zao 'er said proudly to the average-looking Sister Song, "Sister Song, of the three python robes and phoenix robes that were made by the Weaving Bureau, the python robe is naturally for our prince to wear. The other two should be for the two wangfei. My father once drank and chatted merrily with a head steward of the Lu Family. At the beginning of the year, that steward privately said that the young miss of their family might not be able to become the main wife. However, one main wife and three side concubines have always been a long-standing rule in the Li Yang Sect. Even if the young miss of the Lu Family isn't the main wife, she would still be the first of the side concubines. The young miss of the Spring God Lake Wang Family is ranked behind her. Sister Song, it's fine if you've heard this before, but you can't tell anyone else. There will be big trouble. "
The older woman knew that no matter how small the matters of the 'imperial family' were, they were still more important than the monstrous matters of the common people. How could she dare to carelessly gossip about such a secret? Hearing this, she was startled and became even more respectful towards Zao 'er, who was technically her subordinate. She thought to herself that in the past, she would occasionally put on airs in front of Zao' er. On this trip to the prince's estate, shouldn't she be a little more careful to mend the pen after the sheep were lost? The specifications of the Golden Silk Weaving Bureau were roughly the same as the other major weaving bureaus of the Liyang Dynasty. Among the three major workshops, other than the silk machine room, the other two workshops were exactly the same. There were more than six hundred people in total, and more than four hundred looms, such as her, who were registered in the weaving bureau, and temporary residents like Xu Qing, who were recruited temporarily. The chief weaving official, Wang Lvting, was said to be the new Prince Liang's favorite. She didn't know whether this was true or not, but the local yamen of Lingzhou and the Fish Dragon Gang didn't dare to not give Lord Wang some face. As a result, the weaving bureau was able to obtain benefits from both sides. This made her, a small official in the silk workshop, feel honored. She was no longer like before, when Li Xifeng was in charge of the weaving bureau, where no one cared about him or loved him.
The reason why she didn't ostracize Xu Qing like Zao 'er was because she had a secret hidden in her heart. She had once seen Lord Wang reprimanding someone in a secluded place from afar. It had to be known that the person being reprimanded was a military officer who held half of the county's military power. The military officer's son, who had an excellent reputation, was slightly older than Lord Wang. At first, he wanted to retort, but after Lord Wang said something, she saw the military officer's expression change drastically. When the military officer, who usually walked with a swagger, left, she looked like a frosted eggplant. She felt like she had lost her soul. From then on, the military officer never came to the Golden Silk Weaving Bureau to pester the young widow, Xu Qing. She secretly guessed that the young woman, Xu Qing, was either a lucky woman who Wang Lvting himself kept as a mistress in a golden house, or she was the exclusive property of some great figure behind the scenes in Lingzhou. Otherwise, she really couldn't understand who had the ability to send a rural woman from the border of Youzhou to the popular Lingzhou Weaving Bureau and receive a unique double salary. The key was that Xu Qing still didn't know the truth. She always thought that she was treated the same as other female craftsmen.
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