Flowers in full bloom

Chapter 216 Lord Pei Sends a Gift

After Hua Lei and Liang Xiangyi had completed all the official procedures, it was May 26th and they only had to wait for their fleet to return to the capital.

The Ministry of Rites has already issued a notice that the first batch of books for the imperial examination will be sent out from Shangjing City on June 6, which means that the fleet must arrive in Shangjing City around the end of May.

Hualei began to wait impatiently for her fleet to return to the capital. However, before her fleet arrived, she received a great gift from Lord Pei of Mobei.

In Songhe Courtyard, Hua Lei was a little confused when she saw the thirty burly men standing in front of her. It was not quite right to say burly men because six of them were women. They were wearing black tights, had agile bodies, sharp eyes, and strong muscles. They should be guards who had undergone a long period of training.

Seeing that Hua Lei was a little dazed, Madam Pei waved her hand and asked the guards to go downstairs to wash up, settle down and have lunch first.

Then he pulled Hualei to sit beside him, handed over a stack of guards' indentures, and said, "These are the guards that Grandfather Jin'er trained for you. After receiving your grandfather's letter, Grandfather Jin'er began to recruit and train these people.

It's been two years, and this group of people can be used. Although there are not many of them, they are all very skilled, and they are all orphans left behind in the war, so they are also very loyal. Keep this indenture well, don't lose it. You can make arrangements for them later.

There are also a few placed in each shop and farm. When the fleet arrives, there are also a few placed on each boat. You can take them with you when you go out to do business. They are more useful than ordinary slaves.

"Grandma Pei, this..." Hua Lei choked up a little. She never expected that Lord Pei would give her such a great gift. Many aristocratic families would have guards to protect the safety of their families and property. But a commoner like herself would not dare to have the idea of ​​raising guards.

I had also specially asked Sifang Yahang to buy some stronger slaves to put on the farm, but I didn't buy many. I didn't have the ability to train guards, so this matter was delayed.

Fortunately, the public security in Shangjing City is relatively good, and the Marquis' Mansion is protecting her, so Hua Lei has not encountered any major problems in the past two years. When she really encounters problems, Old Madam Pei will also lend a hand. She didn't expect that Grandfather Pei had already trained guards for her two years ago.

There are more and more things to do on my farm, and there will be more and more business in the future. Such guards are just right for use. The fleet will arrive soon. When the ship goes out in the future, with these skilled guards watching, Hua Lei will feel more at ease. This gift is really what Hua Lei wants.

Hua Lei knelt down in front of Madam Pei and kowtowed respectfully before she stood up, took the guard's indenture and provided him with a place to stay.

Two people were placed in Qingyun Lane, one person was placed in Hua Qianbian Shop, three people were placed in Baihua Manor, and six people were placed in Yuanying Manor. Two female guards were placed beside him, and two people were placed beside Xiaoyuan. When the fleet arrives in Shangjing City, four people will be placed on each ship, leaving two people for flexibility. If there is an urgent need for people, these two people can be used.

Old Madam Pei looked at Hua Lei's arrangement and nodded secretly. It was a very good arrangement, not bad.

The fleet of three ships finally arrived at Shangjing City on May 28th and docked at Yuanying Village. There are two intersecting rivers here, and the river surface is wide, so it is very convenient to dock several ships. Hualei gave each of the three ships a meaningful name, "Hope", "Dream", and "Ideal". She just hoped that her dreams would come true, her ideals would be realized, and she would be a rich woman with money and leisure.

Hua Lei met the people on the fleet, arranged rooms for them, and let them rest first. She also arranged for the families of the crew members to stay on the farm, preparing to let them rest for a few days before assigning them tasks.

The twelve guards who were to be placed on the boat were already on standby at Yuanying Manor. They took advantage of these few days to get on board to familiarize themselves with the environment. Three of the twelve people could not swim, so Hua Lei asked the crew members who could swim to teach them. They were all young people and learned very quickly. After three or four days, those who could not swim could also do the doggy paddle in the water.

For safety reasons, Hua Lei had a few more small bamboo rafts put on the boat, making them into the shape of a square lifebuoy. The lifebuoy was tied with a rope and fastened to two iron rings at the bow and stern of the boat.

Hua Lei was very busy these days, busy arranging things for the shop and the farm. One by one, the urgent things to do and the things to do next were carefully listed on the list.

Then the lists were handed over to Uncle Zheng and Uncle Zhao for the Baihua Manor, and to brothers Tian Changmu and Tian Changshui for the Yuanying Manor. The matters in the shop were also handed over to Ping An and Aunt Song. A copy of all the lists was placed with Uncle Fu, and another copy was placed with Old Madam Pei. Uncle Fu was asked to be in charge, and when there was a problem that could not be solved, he would go to the Marquis' Mansion to ask Old Madam Pei for advice.

She packed her clothes, books, and some daily necessities, and prepared to personally take the ship to deliver the goods to Yongjia Prefecture. Mrs. Pei was shocked when she heard this. This is not okay. Why should you go with me? If you are really worried, you can let Pei Zhongsheng go with the ship. But Hua Lei did not agree.

She explained the details to Madam Pei. Because of the New Year, Ruyi had a very good understanding of the procedures of the bookstore, including what to purchase, what to pay attention to, and how to deal with the county school in the county town. Hualei had passed on her experience to Ruyi in detail and also gave her a detailed list. Ruyi could then purchase according to the list.

When we deliver the goods to them this time, we just need to follow the arrangements of the Ministry of Rites for the books for the Imperial Examination. They have a detailed list of which books for the Imperial Examination will be issued by each state. We just need to be careful and check it clearly and there will be no problem.

When the time comes to pack these books, Hua Lei has ordered the required amount of gridded practice paper for Ruyi from the printing house based on the content of Ruyi's letter and the contract signed with Gui Jijiu's printing house during the New Year. She can then send it over together with the books for engraving in the Imperial Examination Hall. In addition, she has also added some categories that a bookstore needs to sell. Basically, everything a bookstore needs is now complete, and she only needs to take a letter with her when she leaves.

But it was not possible for Yongjia Prefecture, because Pei Jingxuan's early preparations were not sufficient. According to the letter in late May, apart from finding a storefront and custom-making bookshelves and bookcases, many other tasks were not ready.

He had no experience in running a bookstore, and although he only obtained the agency rights for six states, the workload was six times that of Tang Yuancheng and Ruyi.