Divorced woman with child travels through time

They put the fabrics and accessories on the street below, along with a grain and dried goods shop, furniture and trinkets, mainly to attract customers.

Next to the shopping mall, there was a huge parking lot for the convenience of horse-drawn carriages. The fee was not high, and those with horse-drawn carriages didn't mind the small amount of money. This time, someone finally discovered a business opportunity and rented a large plot of land next to the parking lot to buy and sell cattle and sheep. It's just unknown who the owner is.

While Chen Wenfang and Ayue were in their fourth-floor office calculating the total, and discovered that they had already recouped one-fifth of their investment, Jieminfang was already crowded with onlookers.

The usually empty square of Jieminfang was crowded with people watching from the outside. Ren Mu and Yu Long also came, accompanied by Wang Shan.

Yu Long looked at Xi Lu on the stage without feeling sad or happy. His nightmare had ended the moment he met General Wang.

Xilu was somewhat bewildered. Even now, he still couldn't accept it. Why was he going to be beheaded? He looked around in a panic.

"What are you looking at? Behave yourself, it's almost time!" the executioner scolded him impatiently.

Wan Changlu knelt there, half-dead. He had barely eaten anything for the past few days. Xi Lu took pity on him and fed him some rice gruel, keeping him afloat. Now he was barely breathing, his eyes gazing weakly at the sky, lost in thought.

The thugs, however, were fearless and knelt down without flinching.

Only a few corrupt officials in Kaochi kept crying out for their innocence, making a huge fuss.

Unable to bear the noise any longer, Ouyang Junyan spoke up, "Gao Sheng, what's wrong with you? You embezzled so much money, you deserve to die three times over. Not to mention, your family can't even pay back the money you embezzled, which only makes your crime more serious."

"Ouyang Junyan, we are officials in the same court, yet you sentenced me to such a severe punishment. Aren't you afraid of being implicated by someone else in the future?" Gao Sheng said indignantly. Why? So many people were corrupt in the past and were only sentenced to exile. Why was he beheaded?

"I am not afraid, as long as I have a clear conscience." Ouyang Junyan sat on the throne, his official robes neat and dignified.

"Yes, you have the Jiang family backing you, so you don't have to worry about money. But have you ever thought about us? We spent half our fortune to get to this position. If I don't covet it, what is my family fortune?" Gao Sheng struggled, his face turning from blue to red, then red to blue, as the executioner pressed him to the ground.

"Wow~" The crowd below erupted in an uproar.

"Oh~" Ouyang Junyan laughed instead, "So, Prefect Gao bought his position~"

"So what if it is!" Gao Sheng finally realized that he was going to die anyway, so what was there to be afraid of?

“Then the crime will be compounded! But since you’re going to be beheaded anyway, if you confess who you bought your official position from, I can guarantee that your family will be released. As for the money you owe, you’ll still have to pay it back.” Ouyang Junyan coaxed patiently, “I’m sure you can trust my character.”

"This~" Gao Sheng was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized, "Right, I can report someone to gain merit, maybe I can even avoid death?" "I trust you, I'll report! But I want to talk to you alone."

“Alright!” Ouyang Junyan stood up and threw down the token. “Execute him when the time comes. I’ll go talk to him first.”

"Yes, sir!"

Several soldiers immediately rushed forward and dragged Gao Sheng away. Seeing this, several of his corrupt accomplices shouted, "I also have a report! I have one too! Your Honor, spare our lives!"

Ouyang Junyan paused. "Bring them along too, let's see if we can dig out anything useful."

Quanzhou is too big a city; it needs to be properly managed.

Amidst cheers from afar, Wan Changlu's sinful life came to an end.

Meanwhile, the canal gangs.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Wang Feng led a few people dressed in plain clothes and swaggered into the canal gang.

Cheng Xiang was arguing about freight with the chaotic gang members. He was thick-skinned and had never been good at handling these kinds of details, so he was having a headache.

"Second Master, the personal guards of that general from last time have arrived!" The errand boy panted as he went in to report.

"who!"

"How dare they come back!"

"Just a few people?"

"Grab your weapons!" The gang members were in chaos, each with their own ideas.

"Stop! Calm down! There's probably something to talk about. Don't panic!" Cheng Xiang glared and stood up. This man was rough but shrewd, and very good at assessing situations.

With someone to lead the way, everyone stopped. Although the Canal Gang had tens of thousands of members, the management circle actually consisted of only a few hundred. A group of them had died last time, and recently they had been dividing up the territory. However, the second-in-command was still alive, so everyone still wanted to get a share.

"Oh, it's Chu Yi! What brings you here today?" Cheng Xiang chuckled and glanced at Wang Feng standing next to him.

"Lord Wang has arrived as well. What brings you here?"

Chu Yi smiled and naturally found a seat. "I'm here to discuss a business deal with the second-in-command. I wonder if you'd be interested?"

Cheng Xiang looked at the first-year students sitting calmly in front of him, full of vigor and with proper demeanor, and couldn't help but sigh, "Heroes really do emerge from among the young. I'm getting old."

He then sat down to the side, politely clasped his hands in a fist and smiled, "Master Chu, you're too kind. Your Chenji Department Store is such a big business, how could you possibly be interested in us poor boatmen? If you can help us make money, we would be extremely grateful."

Chu Yi smiled and said, "I used to be a porter too. I carried dozens of kilograms of rice and grain all day, and I only earned twenty copper coins. Don't you want to find a stable job for your men?"

Upon hearing this, a cacophony of voices and whispers gradually quieted down the hall.

Cheng Xiang glanced at his underlings squatting beside him, watching him expectantly, and pondered. He was a rough man, and over the years, he hadn't made much money. Most of it had been handed over to the gang. Although he was called the second gang leader, he wasn't actually living a very comfortable life, let alone his underlings.

I heard that Chen's helpers get paid one tael of silver a month, including meals and clothes. The Quanzhou branch has only been open for a few days, so I don't know if they've paid wages yet. But the workshops in Huian pay wages on time every month. Some of the villagers say it's true. If they joined the government, at the very least, being able to get food and money like Chen's would be a way out for these guys.

"Hey, Brother Chu Yi! Um, could you let us talk this over for a bit? The gang leader just left, and we haven't finished yet!" Cheng Xiang said with a grin. He was a grown man, yet he didn't feel inferior to a young boy when he clasped his hands in greeting.

"Okay!" Chu Yi stood up. "Then I'll go outside and enjoy the sea breeze while I wait for you guys."

"Hey, good! Thanks, brother!" Cheng Xiang grinned and automatically tried to get closer to him. Wang Feng, who was standing to the side, wanted to suppress his laughter when he saw him like that.

After the group left, Wang Feng asked, "Do you really think he'll listen?"

"Of course, he is loyal and treats his subordinates very well. With the reputation of our Chen's Company, cooperation would only benefit his people, so he would naturally agree."

The first-year student was confident and prepared.