Zhu Ci asked in surprise, "What? The physician isn't seeing patients?"
Fu Chunsheng said, "Reporting to the Young Master, it's not that the physicians aren't making house calls, it's that they are overwhelmed with work; even the medicine boys can't spare a moment."
It turned out that the sudden drop in temperature over the past two days had caused many people to contract colds. The medical clinic was already overcrowded, even at the pharmacies, one had to rush to buy medicine. Fu Chunsheng truly could not find any physicians available for house calls, so in the end, he could only buy some medicinal ointments for bruises and injuries.
After hearing this, Zhu Ci said helplessly, "Then forget it, let me take a look at the two of you."
He actually had some experience in this regard; after all, getting beaten or giving beatings was a daily occurrence, even death was nothing special. Having spent a long time in there, he had gained a bit of a knack for it, much like how a long illness can turn someone into a physician.
Xi Ping and Xi Shan waved their hands repeatedly. "This.. how could we possibly trouble the Young Master?"
Zhu Ci couldn't be bothered with their nonsense, pointed a finger. "Xi Shan, you and Chunsheng, hold down your father."
After saying that, he turned to look at Fu Qiulu and said, "Go have some fun. There are only men here, so you don't need to serve us."
Fu Qiulu fell silent for a moment. She was originally a maidservant, so she didn't care much about the strict boundaries between men and women, but with the Young Master, she felt as if she were living like a young lady—provided she didn't try to play tricks on him.
Fu Qiulu bowed and withdrew, while Zhu Ci began to "treat the illness."
Fortunately, he and his son had only sustained superficial injuries. Although Xi Ping called him "old man" every few words, he was actually only forty years old this year; he just looked old.
Of course, in this era, a forty-year-old is already a grandfather, so calling him an old man doesn't seem incorrect.
After a simple examination, Zhu Ci could only make a preliminary judgment that neither of these two had suffered any severe internal injuries.
This could be considered a blessing in disguise.
Zhu Ci did not apply the medicine for them himself; he had wanted to, but it seemed the Xi father and son were somewhat unaccustomed to it. He simply left the matter to Fu Chunsheng and rushed to the study to continue drawing the maps.
Seeing him head toward the study, Fu Qiulu immediately followed him.
Zhu Ci had previously ordered that if he was not in the study, no one was allowed to enter; anyone who entered would die.
Only when he was present could anyone enter to serve and tidy up, though this did not include the desk.
After Zhu Ci left, Xi Ping looked at Fu Chunsheng and asked cautiously, "Young Master, um.. this old man must ask, how much money did it cost you to save me?"
Fu Chunsheng let out a huff. "Money? There's far too much to count."
"Huh?" Xi Ping and Xi Shan both stared with wide, surprised eyes.
Fu Chunsheng said, "In order to protect your Xialiang, the Young Master has given them a massive business deal!"
Fu Chunsheng was present at the time, but he had no part in the conversation; at most, he was merely serving tea and water.
However, he had heard everything that needed to be heard. Although he didn't know exactly how much profit that business generated, how could a business that even the dignified Crown Prince cared about yield little profit?
One had to realize that the Green Jade Wurtz Tree in the Crown Prince's study back then was already worth a fortune; how could he care about some ordinary, small-scale business?
Fu Chunsheng thought about it and felt it was unfair to the Crown Prince, but he didn't dare say anything. Now that the Xi father and son were asking, he naturally responded with irritation.
However, he also knew that this wasn't the fault of the Xi father and son; if anyone was to blame, it was the Water Dragon Society.
The Xi father and son exchanged glances, both appearing somewhat restless. After hesitating for a long while, they finally found a moment when Zhu Ci was free and asked in a low voice, "Young Master, that business.. can that business be taken back?"
After hearing this, Zhu Ci glanced at Fu Chunsheng, Fu Chunsheng immediately lowered his head.
Zhu Ci looked at the Xi father and son and said, "You don't need to concern yourselves with this matter."
Xi Ping said somewhat anxiously, "Our lives are worth nothing, we're just lowly people scraping a living from the soil. We aren't worth that much money. At worst.. at worst, we'll just scrape together some more money for the Water Dragon Society."
Zhu Ci said with some helplessness, "This business of mine indeed requires the help of local bigwigs. It's not just local bigwigs; if the business can succeed, I'm afraid the entire Xialiang will have to help. It just so happens that I have tasks to assign to you. Follow me to the study."
He did not say anything like "you only live once."
In this world, the lives of the poor are worthless; this is a consensus from top to bottom, also a deeply ingrained notion of theirs.
It was not just because they had been brainwashed, but also because living was simply too difficult.
The Baochang's family was doing well enough, being one of the wealthiest families in Xialiang, yet even they were trampled upon for failing to pay their offerings to the Dragon King on time.
In such circumstances, they might even feel that death is better than living when they encounter trouble themselves.
Only when food and clothing are sufficient and their lives are secured will they begin to cherish them.
Unfortunately, that day is still too far off.
Zhu Ci brought them to the study and said, "I will return with you this time. When the time comes, find someone with a tight mouth and reliable character to come over; I want him to make something."
In fact, Zhu Ci wanted to do it himself even more. If the formula were to be leaked, this business might no longer have anything to do with him.
His current state is essentially nothing more than borrowing someone else's prestige to intimidate others.
If nothing goes wrong, it is good for both of us, but once something does go wrong, he will be exposed in his true colors; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he is walking on a tightrope.
But coal is naturally dirty, honeycomb coal deals with mud; if he, a dignified young master of the Earl's Mansion, were to do such things himself, it would certainly arouse suspicion, so he could only find someone else to do it.
Upon hearing this, Xi Ping immediately said, "The old residence has also been repaired; the furnishings are a bit lacking, but it is still habitable."
Good!" Zhu Ci nodded and said, "Then let's go.
A day before, they had already purchased a donkey cart. Although it was a donkey cart, the carriage and everything else were no different from a horse carriage; it was simply pulled by a donkey.
There was no other way; using a carriage in this era was no different from driving a Ferrari in the future, horses were even more troublesome. These creatures were quite delicate; if they weren't cared for properly, they would simply die on you.
Zhu Ci didn't know much about horses; mules and donkeys were more suitable.
His explanation to the others was that he simply wanted to keep a low profile, fearing the unexpected, which sufficed to hoodwink them.
At the very least, it would be no problem to fool Xi Ping or even everyone in Xialiang.
After Zhu Ci returned, he took a stroll around the new house, feeling extremely satisfied.
The reason Xi Ping mentioned that the household items were a bit sparse was simply because the house was too large; the lack of furniture made it seem somewhat empty, but it still had all the basic necessities.
The main thing was that this old residence was much better than the small courtyard he rented in the county; the bricks used were quite thick and should have been filled with something in the middle, making the insulation much better.
The only drawback was probably that there were too many rooms and the courtyard was too large; with just him and the three members of the Fu siblings living here, there was a constant sense of insecurity, as they might not even notice if someone climbed over the wall.
Should we find some people to guard the house?
But thinking about it, it also felt a bit unsafe. What if these guards turned out to be murderers seeking profit?
The most important thing is that hiring people costs money. He has confidence in the honeycomb coal business, but not that much confidence; it might not be easy to make money from this thing in the short term.
If the weather in the south gets a bit colder, it might work, but it would be quite shameful to wish for cold weather just to make money.
Zhu Ci primarily wanted to trade with the north, which was why he had set his sights on the Canal Gang; if the Canal Gang could smuggle coal, they could certainly transport goods to the north.
For now, he could only gamble on the people of Xialiang being simple and honest; he just hoped it wasn't one of those desolate places filled with rogue elements.
As he was thinking about this, Fu Qiulu rushed over and said, "Young Master, Xi Ping has arrived with many people and is standing at the gate, saying they wish to pay their respects to you."
Many people? Didn't he say it would just be one person?
Zhu Ci stood up and said, "Let them in first."
Xi Ping did not lead those people toward the main hall either. As Zhu Ci stepped outside, he heard Xi Ping say, "We are all just peasants; we'll get the floor dirty, so we won't go in."
Zhu Ci had no choice but to walk out as well, he was stunned upon doing so; he suspected that Xi Ping had brought the entire population of Xialiang with him.
His large courtyard, spanning nearly a thousand square meters, was almost too crowded to stand in. There were also many people outside the gate; looking toward the entrance of the main hall, one could see a vast, surging crowd of heads.
Zhu Ci was somewhat bewildered. "Baochang, what are you.."
Xi Ping hurriedly said, "Quickly, quickly, quickly! Quickly kowtow and thank the benefactor."
After he finished speaking, the people at the entrance all knelt down in a rush, shouting, "Thank you, Benefactor."
Zhu Ci was startled, looking at those white-haired old men who were kowtowing incessantly. He felt as if he couldn't decide which one to help up and could only act in a frantic rush: "Get up, get up, everyone get up! What are you doing?"
He directly pulled Xi Ping up and said irritably, "What are you doing this time?"
Xi Ping said, "I just told the villagers, when they heard that even the Water Dragon Society wouldn't come to collect the Dragon King's incense, they all said they wanted to kowtow to you, benefactor."
He finished speaking, an old woman beside him wiped her tears and said, "If it weren't for you, benefactor, when they come to collect the Dragon King's incense next month, I'm afraid my little granddaughter wouldn't be able to be saved."
“That's right, that's right. Even my newborn son was almost sold.”
Zhu Ci was stunned for a moment. He knew the Water Dragon Society oppressed the common people, but he truly had not expected it to reach such a tragic level that they had to sell their children.
He sighed and said, "Alright, everyone go back. This is nothing to me. Go on."
The old woman bent over, clutching her cane with both hands, asked tremblingly, "Then.. can you please not leave?"
Nonsense!" Xi Ping interrupted irritably, "I sent you here to kowtow, not to act unruly! The Young Master is the son of the Earl's Mansion and a resident of the Capital; how could he not return?
What a coincidence, I really won't be returning for a short while.
Zhu Ci pondered for a long while before saying, "I cannot guarantee that I won't leave, but I will stay for three to five months. Rest assured, even if I do leave, I will make arrangements in advance so that the Water Dragon Society does not continue to oppress you."
Given the current situation, there are only three possibilities for his departure: first, that his identity is discovered and he is taken back; second, that the Qing Army attacks; and third, that Zuo Liangyu rebels.
However, he was already aware of the plot; he knew exactly when the Qing Army would advance southward, he knew that Zuo Liangyu's rebellion wouldn't happen until after March next year, so he certainly had to be prepared before then.
Only then did the crowd slowly disperse. Xi Ping was suffering in silence; he looked at Zhu Ci and said, "Young Master, I.. I really didn't.."
Zhu Ci raised his hand and said, "There is no need to say anything, I understand clearly."
He also understood these villagers very well; if he had encountered such a protector, he wouldn't want them to leave either.
Zhu Ci looked at a.. youth following by Xi Ping's side; he must be a youth, right?
This person had a tall stature, likely standing over 1.8 meters, though he appeared rather gaunt and bony. He looked quite lanky, with a hint of youthfulness still lingering on his face.
His family circumstances must have been very poor; not only was he dressed very thinly in the middle of winter, but his clothes also didn't fit well. His wrists and ankles were exposed and frozen bright red, making Zhu Ci feel cold just looking at him.
Xi Ping noticed Zhu Ci's gaze and hurriedly said, "Young Master, this is the person I found for you. His name is Xi Ya. Don't let his small and thin appearance fool you; he is very quick with his work and possesses considerable strength."
Xi Ya bowed very cautiously toward Zhu Ci, looking as if he didn't quite know how to perform the proper salutations.
Zhu Ci was very satisfied with his build and nodded, saying, "Not bad. According to market rates here, it's one tael of silver a month. But there is one thing: you must not tell anyone about the task I've given you. Do you understand?"
Xi Ya pointed to his own mouth, shook his head, then nodded frantically.
Xi Ping said from the side, "Rest assured, Young Master. This mute boy was born unable to speak and is illiterate; he won't leak any information."
Zhu Ci froze for a moment, unable to help but glance at Xi Ping, thinking to himself that the man was truly a talent.
To actually find someone like this, he truly does meet the requirements.
Zhu Ci asked, "Even so, he cannot simply go home when working for me; he can have leave at most once a month. Does his family know?"
Xi Ping sighed and said, "He is the only one left in his family."
Xi Ya was also an unfortunate child. He was only thirteen years old this year. His grandparents passed away when he was three, his parents passed away when he was six. Later, he lived with his uncle and aunt, but they also passed away when he was seven, leaving no children behind. Consequently, the child was branded with the reputation of a jinx, the people from his mother's side of the family refused to adopt him no matter what.
The others in the village neither dared nor had the means to adopt him. Fortunately, his family had left behind a dilapidated house, which provided him with a meager place to stay, kind-hearted villagers would occasionally give him a morsel of food.