sjar Chapter 894 The Scholar Who Abandoned His Husband and Children 4
Chapter 894 The Scholar Who Abandoned His Husband and Children 4
As for why they used oxcarts, it's because ordinary people weren't allowed to keep horses. Horses were strictly controlled; they were either warhorses or post horses. Also, there were carriage rental companies that rented carriages from the original owner, which were actually affiliated with the official carriage companies.
So all those people with oxcarts belong to their own families. The original owner of this body did have oxen, and more than one. It's just that the original owner didn't want to travel by himself. Even if he brought servants, it wouldn't be much different from traveling by himself. None of them had ever traveled far before.
Although it was relatively peaceful at this time, there were still bandits and highwaymen. Rather than being completely clueless, it was better to find an official carriage company.
They were all seasoned veterans, having traveled this route dozens of times every year. They knew where to rest and where not to stop, so the original owner had already decided to rent a carriage and travel directly.
The original owner of this body was not from a wealthy family. There was only an elderly couple serving her. They were bought when her grandmother was still alive. The reason for buying the couple was that if they had children, they would have a home to raise.
That's how it was at that time; if someone sold themselves into slavery and didn't leave the slave register, the children they had would also be servants of their master.
Unless the owner himself proposes to remove the child from the household registration or the owner's family grants mercy by returning the indenture, and then the child goes to the government office to change the household registration.
Unexpectedly, the couple couldn't have children and never had any, but they were in good health. They are now over fifty and still quite robust, so they have served three generations of people. Now they are in charge of both the internal and external affairs of the family. The woman manages the external affairs, and the man manages the internal affairs.
As for farming, most people hire people from their clan or surrounding villages to do short-term work, paying them a few copper coins a day. Heavy tasks like plowing and pulling the plow are done using the family's oxen.
It was only because of those two old people that the original owner of this body went to the capital to take the imperial examination alone; otherwise, she wouldn't have felt at ease leaving her husband and son at home.
I just don't know what happened to those two people in the previous life. When the original soul went back, it didn't see them. I don't know if they were released from slavery by the clan or if they were sold off directly.
It's impossible to kill them outright. Even if they are slaves bound by a death contract, it's still illegal for the master to beat or kill them without cause. Moreover, the master they have in the records at the government office is the original owner's mother.
Of course, this is what's on the surface. In the shadows, which of those powerful families hasn't killed off a few servants? Since no one dares to offend them, no one cares. At that time, the principle was that if the people don't complain, the officials won't investigate.
With counterfeit letters, it was easy for them to release or sell people. The clan still held considerable power in this regard, and government orders still did not reach the county level.
In most villages, each family is essentially a clan, and any issues are resolved internally. That's why the imposter was able to so easily control the Xiao clan. As long as they don't pursue the matter, she won't be exposed.
……
As soon as the carriage entered the courtyard, Li Gui, who was sitting on the carriage shaft, jumped down. While taking down the bench hanging on the shaft for Xiao Yun to step onto, she called out towards the house, "Is Madam Zheng home? Come out and greet the guests!"
Xiao Yun, who was about to get off the bus, almost missed a step and couldn't help but roll her eyes. Why did this sound so awkward? If it weren't for her serious tone, she would have thought she had come to a brothel.
Xiao Yun steadied himself, tightened the cotton cloak he had just put on, and then stepped off the carriage using a stool.
The carriage was fairly well-covered, with blankets and hot water bottles, so it didn't feel too bad. But once we stepped outside, a gust of wind blew in, and it got really chilly.
I need to take a health-strengthening pill later. The original owner's body is really not good. Of course, I also need to prepare some strength pills. There is still no spiritual energy in this world, so I can't cultivate. If I want to quickly improve my martial arts and physical fitness, I can only rely on pills.
As she stepped off the carriage, the cotton curtain of the main room was lifted from the inside, and a middle-aged woman with a decent appearance walked out.
Xiao Yun's eyes flickered slightly; this was Zheng Zhuo, the real mother of the imposter Zheng Yujin.
In the original owner's memories, Zheng Yujin had never appeared in front of her. It was Zheng Zhuo who first had that idea when he saw the original owner's appearance and the mole on her wrist.
While tidying up the house and preparing dinner, he chatted with the original owner for a while and extracted a lot of information. Then, that night, he drugged the original owner and Li Gui and found that the descriptions in the documents matched. That's when he switched the identities.
Otherwise, Li Gui wouldn't have been able to be fooled later. Firstly, she had no idea that the Zheng family had a woman who looked so much like the original owner of this body. Zheng Yujin didn't look like Zheng Zhuo, but rather like her father. It's normal for a daughter to resemble her father.
In addition, although Li Gui and the original owner had spent more than ten days together, one was in the carriage and the other was outside driving. In the cold weather, they couldn't talk much because they would be exposed to the wind.
When they stopped to rest and stayed at inns or other lodgings, they slept separately and didn't really have much contact with each other. So Li Gui didn't notice when the person changed.
Of course, Zheng Yujin also made some disguises. For example, she used the excuse of catching a cold, covered her mouth and nose the next day, only revealing the upper half of her face, and deliberately used a nasal tone when she spoke.
In this way, not only Li Gui, but even the original owner's clansmen wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
Sure enough, Zheng Zhuo's eyes widened when he saw Xiao Yun's face, but he quickly returned to normal, looked her up and down without making a sound, and then greeted her with a smile.
"Oh dear, I was wondering why the magpies were chattering at the door so early in the morning. It turns out that Madam Li has come to patronize our business again. This lady must be a scholar who has come to the capital for the imperial examinations. Judging from her demeanor, she is clearly a learned and talented person. Please come in, please come in. It's cold outside, come inside and warm yourself by the fire."
Li Gui grinned from ear to ear at her flattery, "Madam Zheng, you really know how to talk. This is indeed Scholar Xiao, who is on his way to the capital for the imperial examination."
Xiao Yun nodded with a polite smile and greeted her, "Madam Zheng, I apologize for bothering you."
"Scholar Xiao, you're too kind. It's an honor for us to have you visit our humble abode. Please forgive us if we haven't been hospitable enough..."
As Zheng Zhuo spoke, he led the two into the main room, where a charcoal brazier was burning, making it warm and cozy. Zheng Zhuo then busied himself making tea and pouring water, but his eyes kept glancing at Xiao Yun out of the corner of his eye.
When Xiao Yun took the teacup from her hand, she slightly revealed her wrist, and Zheng Zhuo's eyes lit up instantly when he saw the mole on it.
Next, she had someone prepare dinner and tidy up the room. When she returned, she started chatting with Xiao Yun. Xiao Yun seemed oblivious, responding casually while secretly observing the Zheng family mansion with her divine sense.
The Zheng family's house is a two-courtyard house. They are currently in the front courtyard. Apart from this main room and a kitchen on the side, the other five rooms are guest rooms, all of which have ready-made beds and bedding.
There are already three people staying here. It looks like there are two scholars and a coachman. I don't know if the three of them are together or if one of the scholars is walking.
Of course, it wasn't a journey on foot to the capital. Rather, the person was a candidate for the imperial examinations from the surrounding area, or someone who had encountered trouble along the way, such as being robbed, and had to walk to the nearest county before taking a carriage.
Those who passed the imperial examination and became Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examination) were unlikely to walk to the capital for the examination like in the plays. Not only would their clans raise money, but wealthy merchants would also give them silver, and local officials would also provide some assistance. Therefore, there was only the saying of poor Xiucai (a poor scholar who passed the county-level imperial examination) and poor Juren.
The back courtyard should be where the Zheng family lives. Besides Zheng Zhuo, the Zheng family also includes her husband, her daughter Zheng Yujin, and her two sons.
At this moment, Zheng Yujin was reading in her room. She really loved reading; even though she knew she couldn't pass the imperial examinations, she still kept a book in her hand.
Upon seeing the other person, Xiao Yun was momentarily stunned. This person did indeed resemble the original owner of the body very much. Perhaps it was because they were both scholars, as their posture of looking down at a book was almost identical.
Zheng's two sons and husband were helping out in the front, while her husband and another middle-aged man were helping the cook in the kitchen, and her two sons were tidying up the rooms.
After talking for a while, Zheng Zhuo poured each of them a cup of hot tea. "Here, have another cup of hot tea to soothe your throats. The house should be almost ready. Go wash up first. The food will be brought to your room. You can rest well after eating. You must be exhausted from the long journey..."
Xiao Yun nodded and thanked them again, then took a sip of tea. He sensed the meaningful look in their eyes and knew that they had already made up their minds.
Just as Xiao Yun had thought, Zheng Zhuo had mistaken his daughter for someone who had gotten off a carriage when he first glanced at her from outside.
If she hadn't known her daughter lived in the backyard and didn't usually like going out, she might have mistaken her for someone else, but she quickly realized her mistake.
However, through conversation, not only did they look more and more alike, but their voices were also almost identical, and even the moles on their wrists were the same. This gave rise to an idea in my mind.
After escorting the two to their room, she immediately ran to the backyard.
Xiao Yun and Li Gui did not share a room; they lived separately. It was unclear whether Li Gui always did this or if it was for their own convenience at night.
She scanned the room with her divine sense, especially the tea and pastries, and found no medicine, indicating that the other party had not yet made a move.
The room wasn't big; it only had a bed and a set of table and chairs. There wasn't even a wardrobe, but there was a clothes rack for hanging clothes that you could take off.
After washing up with the warm water in the room, Xiao Yun sat down in a chair at the table and sent his spiritual sense directly to the backyard.
At this moment, Zheng Zhuo was already talking about her to Zheng Yujin, "I'm telling you the truth, that figure, that appearance and temperament, when I first saw her, I thought it was you, I almost mistook you for her."
The most unbelievable thing is that the mole on that person's wrist is exactly the same as yours. How could there be such a coincidence in this world, with people so similar? If I weren't certain that your father only had you, I would have thought you were twins.