The fool has become a spirit, and she can speak

Shang Xi thought of the way she kept calling herself "sister". If it weren't for Yan Qilian, she would have done this job too. Who made her so soft-hearted?

"I can build it, but you can point me to a place where the school should be built."

Yan Qilian made a decision without thinking: "Let's build it in the city, let the children from the surrounding areas suffer a little and walk a few more miles to study. Those who can afford it can go to private schools, and those who can't afford it can come to the academy. What do you think?"

Shang Xi agreed with both hands. After all, there were not many teachers, and the schools were too scattered to find good teachers. It would be better to build a large school in the city so that those who wanted to study could come and study on their own.

"That's a good idea. Just pick a place and send someone to check it out for me."

Yan Qilian said, "Shang Xi, you can choose a place by yourself. Once you have chosen a place, just ask me for instructions. An important official from the imperial court will visit Fengying today, and I have to take people to greet him."

Shang Xi sighed in her heart. Besides being reasonable and fair, this man couldn't help her in any way and she had to rely on herself. However, she still agreed to the matter because Yan Qilian was an upright and honest person. The people all recognized him as an honest official. And he had a boss like Wan Lianxing, so it would be strange if he wasn't busy. Thinking of this, Shang Xi felt a little sympathy for Yan Qilian, but she herself was not much better off.

Shang Xi led the horse and wandered around Fengying City. She was already very familiar with this place, but Fengying City was too big, and it was not easy to choose a suitable place to build a school.

When she was thirsty or tired, she would sit down and drink a bowl of tea. If she was hungry, she would go to her family's noodle shop to eat a bowl of noodles. In short, she was determined to find a suitable place to build a school within two days. The burden fell on her shoulders, and it was her job. In the current situation, no one could help her or discuss with her. She could only make her own decisions on everything.

Just as Shang Xi was resting and drinking tea on the roadside, a team of carriages and horses appeared. Shang Xi thought it was Wan Lianxing who had returned. She stood up excitedly and wanted to greet him. But after she took two steps and looked carefully, she realized that these were not Wan Lianxing's men at all. Yan Qilian was also in the middle of the team, and there were many officials talking with him. Shang Xi thought about it and felt that this should be the official from the court who came to visit Fengying as Yan Qilian mentioned, but who was this person?

Shang Xi looked at the man's display, which was even more grand than Wan Lianxing's. Although Wan Lianxing was a marquis, he never made such a big show every time he went out. Wan Lianxing avoided people whenever possible and never made such a big show. Who could this man be? Shang Xi pondered in her heart. Judging from his clothes, he looked like a rich lord with gorgeous clothes. Judging from his face, he had a pair of squinting eyes, a long and pointed nose, and a not-so-long beard on his high chin. The beard was particularly black, shiny black, and the same as this man's hair. Shang Xi didn't think this man was a good person, but Yan Qilian was particularly respectful to him.

After this large group of troops had passed by, Shang Xi heard the people talking about it. It turned out that this man was the Censor Cao Bingxian. Shang Xi had forgotten about this man a long time ago. This man was sent by the court almost at the same time as Zou Sanduo. Several months had passed, and he had just arrived. Shang Xi thought that this man would not come, but he actually came.

Shang Xi thought about it and decided not to drink the tea, so she took the horse home.

When she got home, she asked the servants, "Where is the old housekeeper?"

"The old butler is in the dining hall."

Shang Xi went straight to the dining hall and found the old butler in the back kitchen. "Old butler, why are you giving orders in the kitchen?"

"Madam, come quickly. I asked someone to make some lotus cakes. They are fresh out of the pan and smell so good. Please try some."

Shang Xi didn't hesitate, reached out and picked up a piece, took a bite, "Mm, delicious."

When Shang Xi said it was delicious, the old housekeeper smiled until his eyes narrowed. He instructed his servants, "Pack all of these up, ten at a time, and don't break them."

Shang Xi said, "Old housekeeper, why are you wrapping this in oil paper instead of putting it on a plate? Are you planning to eat it during the New Year?"

The old housekeeper was delighted and said with a smile, "The Marquis wrote to me this morning, saying that he wanted to eat lotus cakes and asked me to make them. I didn't delay a moment after receiving the letter and asked the dining hall to prepare them. They made quite a lot. I will have someone send the cakes to the Marquis as fast as possible and let him eat them tomorrow."

Shang Xi thought it was absurd: "Do I need to write a letter home just to eat a lotus cake?"

The old housekeeper said, "How could it be possible? Madam, you don't know that the war on the Marquis' side is very difficult, and he can't even eat this kind of lotus cake."

Shang Xi didn't believe it, "He can't make himself suffer. If he did, he would have come back long ago."

The old housekeeper said, "You kid, you still don't believe it. What kind of place is that? It's an extremely poor place. Can you buy this on the street? The cooks they brought are all rough people. How can they cook? If you want to eat, you have to write a letter home. If he didn't think I was too old, I would have followed him this time to serve him personally."

Shang Xi said: "You'd better not go. If you go, he will have to send someone to send you back. Don't bother yourself. That place is not suitable for you to go."

"He feels sorry for me. Actually, I am still in good health. If I go, I can help the Marquis."

Shang Xi said, "Old housekeeper, we are already this old, so don't follow him around. No matter how far he goes, he will have to come back to the prefect's mansion in the end. You should make him lotus cakes. Whether he can eat the lotus cakes he likes depends on you, old housekeeper."

The old butler chuckled again.

Shang Xi asked: "What else did my uncle say he wanted to eat? He can't just want two bowls of lotus cakes, right?"

The old butler said, "If you want good wine, I have prepared a cart of vintage wines."

"Drinking during a war?"

"You don't understand, kid. Drinking is invigorating and warming. Wine is indispensable when going out to fight."

Shang Xi looked down and saw two buckets of crabs. "Isn't this crab going to be taken with me as well?"

The old butler nodded: "Yes, the Marquis likes this. He is very comfortable while smacking crabs and drinking a pot of warm wine."

Shang Xi asked, "Are we going out to fight?"

The old housekeeper said, "You don't understand. When you are away from home, you have to eat and drink well. Otherwise, how can you have the strength to fight? The Marquis is weak and picky. It's rare that he wants to eat something, so I have to prepare it for him."

Shang Xi said, "Then you can ask someone to pass on a message to my uncle. The censor Cao Bingxian who investigated him is here. He has made a bigger show than my uncle. No wonder he has been on the road for several months before coming. He must have been showing off along the way."

The old housekeeper chuckled and said, "I already know, and your uncle also knows, don't bother with Cao Bingxian, he can't do anything to the Marquis."