Chapter 395

Miss Zhen San smiled slightly when she heard Liu Linjiang Xian's words, and a look of mockery seemed to appear at the corner of her mouth.

She said: "I will blow the wind to the Old Lady in advance, letting the Old Lady also know that the Xinchun Hao we cooperate with is actually Jia Cong.

The mistress has already spoken to the Old Lady many times, praising the Jia family's Count Lord Weiyuan to the heavens and the earth, just wanting to marry me off early so that I don't stay in the boudoir and get in the way.

Now the Old Lady has a very good impression of this young Count of the Jia family.

A few days ago at Rongyu Hall, the mistress also said that Jia Cong was handling official business in Jin Ling and that the Lady Rongguo Jia family would definitely come to pay birthday respects for the Old Lady's birthday, which was a return of courtesy.

The mistress is eager to add fuel to the fire and get the good thing done early!

Now that we are using the reason of cooperating with Xinchun Hao to allocate silver from various shops, the Old Lady and the mistress know it, and the Old Lady will definitely not say anything more.

The mistress herself used Jia Cong as a pretext, which can be considered as her own undoing, so she can't say anything about this matter, so the third brother's opinion is not worth worrying about."

Liu Linjiang Xian's face showed admiration. This Third Miss was truly a person with a crystal heart, planning strategies and calculating everything to the point, making people unable to find any flaws.

A shop opened on a whim, a small contract that was insignificant, was actually hidden with such a back-up plan by the Third Miss.

How could the mistress and the Cong Sanye of the first branch be the Third Miss's opponents? If it weren't for the Third Miss being a woman, how would it be their turn to stir up trouble?

But Liu Linjiang Xian was still unclear about one thing and asked again: "Since the Third Miss had planned this matter long ago, why didn't she take the opportunity to sign a large order with Xinchun Hao?

Merely selling twenty bottles of top-grade perfume per month is a bit too thin, isn't it?"

Miss Zhen San said: "Shopkeeper Qu and Miss Qin of Xinchun Hao are both shrewd and cautious people. They have been able to independently support Xinchun Hao in Jin Ling and make the business so prosperous.

These two people are not easy to deal with. If I had used the sale of the farm to coerce them into signing a large contract, they would definitely have been disgusted and suspicious, and it would definitely not have been successful.

You know, behind them stands that famous Count Lord Weiyuan of Jiangnan. I really don't need to ruin the feelings between old family friends because of this matter.

Therefore, I sold the farm at a fair price and signed this small contract with them, which made it very easy for them to accept.

What I wanted was a topic that could be spoken to others.

Outsiders find it difficult to know the true content of this contract, and Shopkeeper Qu and Miss Qin are both shrewd people, so naturally they won't take it out to talk about it.

Even my opening of this Xiouwen Pavilion is just a compromise and a bridge."

Liu Linjiang Xian was suddenly enlightened and asked: "Is the Third Miss worried that the third brother of the first branch will act aggressively and ruin the business of those few shops?

So she opened a new shop to find a way to withdraw the silver flow, to prevent it before it happens?"

Miss Zhen San sighed slightly and said: "Although I have racked my brains to protect the business left by my father.

But I did this not only because I was worried that the third brother would ruin the business...

When my father was still alive, he had a long-term vision and had long prepared the Zhen family fleet, allowing the Zhen family to catch up with the good time when the Emperor pushed for maritime administration.

Over the years, the Zhen family has earned a lot of silver flow by relying on maritime trade, and outsiders now call our Zhen family Zhen Half-City.

In terms of gold, silver, and wealth alone, the Zhen family is already above the four great families of Jin Ling.

But in terms of family foundation and official power, the Zhen family is much weaker than the other four families.

The Shi family of Jin Ling has two marquises in one family, and the Marquis Zhongjing Marquis Shi Ding is a minister who followed the current Emperor to power. The Shi family has received imperial favor for generations, and its glory has never ceased.

The Wang family of Jin Ling was sheltered by the Jia family in its early years and produced Wang Wang Ziteng, who served as the Commander of the Capital Battalion with a Grade 1 rank. Although it was an expedient measure in the palace, it was enough to protect the Wang family.

The Jia family of the Love Shenjing showed signs of decline in previous years, and the descendants only inherited idle titles and empty official positions. But in the past few years, Jia Cong, the Count Lord Weiyuan, has emerged, with hidden potential and a boundless future.

Although the Xue family of Jin Ling has declined, it still has a lot of family wealth, and now it has moved to take shelter in the Jia family, which may not be a wise way to protect itself.

Comparing the two, our Zhen family is lacking in family style and power.

The head of the Tiren Academy held by the eldest master is just an empty title without real power, and it is not useful at critical moments.

The biggest reliance of the Zhen family at the moment is the Old Empress Dowager who is honored in the palace.

But the Old Empress Dowager is already over seventy, and her life is nearing eighty.

This time I went to the Love Shenjing to pay respects to the Old Empress Dowager, and her body was already not doing well...

If one day the Old Empress Dowager ascends to immortality, besides a room full of gold and silver, what else does the Jin Ling Zhen family have that makes people fear?

Facing this situation, the Zhen family descendants should hide their light and keep their actions without leaks in order to protect themselves and plan for the long term.

But the eldest master and the mistress still feel that the Zhen family is in its prime, and their thoughts on money and power are very hot.

They always feel that the second sister marrying a prince is the first proud thing, and they can rely on the Beijing Prince's Mansion as a reliance for the Zhen family after the Old Empress Dowager.

But I have been in the palace for many years and know deeply that the current Emperor has a deep estrangement from the old nobles of the four kings and eight dukes.

The Beijing Prince's lineage has had two generations of princes who have achieved nothing, and they are already showing signs of setting sun.

That second brother-in-law, although he is a prince, is ambitious but lacks talent and has no extraordinary ability, and is not liked by the current Emperor.

At the beginning, in order to compete for the position of the Nine Provinces Commander, he made a fool of himself and was ridiculed and humiliated by the current Emperor.

In the eyes of the Emperor, he didn't take Shui Rong, the Prince of Beijing, as a matter at all. The estrangement and alienation were already obvious.

But the eldest master and the mistress couldn't see this layer and admired this prince son-in-law very much.

The third brother also often communicates with Shui Rong through letters, and they communicate very closely without interruption.

Such things can be hidden from others, but they cannot be hidden from the Emperor's eyes and ears.

I heard in the palace that the Emperor has the internal yamen Central Vehicle Office, which is pervasive...

Now with the protection of the Old Empress Dowager in the palace, the Emperor will not show anything. Once the Old Empress Dowager ascends to immortality, the Emperor will have fewer concerns, so what kind of good face will he have for the Zhen family?

Moreover, the third brother's behavior has been rebellious and out of line over the past two years. Not only has he privately transported firearms several times, but he also brought an Englishman with an obscure identity from Nanyue to Jin Ling.

Among them, it also involves Liu Qiu Xuan, who accompanied his father out to sea and has been missing for a long time.

Although I cannot understand the root cause, the appearance of so many hidden worries always makes people feel uneasy, and I have to guard against it.

We should make preparations early so that we can be prepared for danger, so that when things happen, it won't be too late..."

Miss Zhen San's words made Liu Linjiang Xian clear in his heart. The Third Miss was worried that the first branch would be eager for quick success and instant benefits, causing changes and involvement. In order to protect the second branch's family business, she had to prevent it before it happened.

He was the great steward of the second branch, his wife was a steward woman of the second branch, and even his only daughter was a maid by the second mistress's side.

Liu Linjiang Xian's family and the second branch had long been prosperous and disgraced together. He naturally didn't want the second branch's industry to be ruined and damaged one day because of the first branch.

Since the Third Miss had already set up the stage and made full preparations, he naturally had to plan and find a way to withdraw the silver flow from those five shops as soon as possible.

On the side of the official road in the east of Jin Ling City, a carriage stopped under a lush banyan tree.

Jiang Liu was leaning against the carriage shaft for a nap, and the horse pulling the carriage was leisurely eating the green grass on the ground.

Jia Cong looked at the flat and spacious official road through the carriage window.

There seemed to be many more people coming and going on the official road today than usual.

Among them, many were in groups of three or five. Some were peddlers, some were horse teams escorting goods, there were even students carrying book boxes, and even women riding donkeys to visit their maiden families.

These people gathered from all directions to the official road, some in front and some behind, sparsely stepping on the journey.

But their direction of travel was almost the same, all heading east along the official road toward Changzhou.

In the carriage with Jia Cong was Zou Min'er, who wore a white dark-patterned satin cross-collar jacket, a light snow-blue thin silk inner garment, and a solid-colored pleated skirt. Her skin was fragrant, and her breath was like an orchid.

Jia Cong moved his gaze back from the window. The carriage space was not large. When he turned his head, he saw that on Zou Min'er's dark and shiny temples, a white jade hairpin flower was inserted. Her posture was glistening, and she was more beautiful than the flower.

His gaze couldn't help but linger on that white, delicate, and beautiful jade hairpin flower for a moment, and his peripheral vision also looked at the white and greasy skin on her neck behind her ears.

Zou Min'er seemed to feel Jia Cong's gaze, and a trace of pink appeared on her earlobes, but she deliberately pretended not to notice his gaze, and an unusual atmosphere flowed in the air.

She said softly, with a tenderness that was hard to detect in her voice: "The four people I selected this time are all old people from the Central Vehicle Office in Jin Ling, proficient in investigation, espionage, and hiding tracks.

I have already instructed them to teach your people the necessary skills, so that they can act effectively along the way."

Jia Cong replied: "That's very good. Fifty people familiar with investigation and espionage, divided into groups to search in the states along the river, maybe it won't take long to get the information we want.

Yesterday, I communicated with the Jin Ling Embroidered Uniform Guard Thousand-Household Office about official business. The Love Shenjing Embroidered Uniform Guard Command has already issued an edict to the Embroidered Uniform Guard Thousand-Household Offices in various states along the river to pay close attention to the movements of personnel at various state ports.

According to the information reported by the Embroidered Uniform Guard Thousand-Household Offices in various states, there is currently no sign of Zhou Zhou Zhengyang going to sea. This person must still be hiding somewhere."

Jia Cong didn't ask Zou Min'er about the names and identities of the four Central Vehicle Office spies she selected.

Zou Min'er also never asked Jia Cong about the origin of the fifty people from beginning to end, and she even instructed the four Central Vehicle Office spies she sent out not to inquire about the other party's background.

There seemed to be a strange tacit understanding between the two.

Jia Cong was sent to Jin Ling to investigate a major case and needed to borrow the power of the Central Vehicle Office, which did not mean he wanted to have too much involvement with the Central Vehicle Office.

For the internal yamen organization directly controlled by the Emperor, maintaining necessary awe and distance was not a bad thing.

As for Zou Min'er, she always had a knot in her heart that was hard to eliminate toward Jia Cong. She was often in a contradictory state of wanting to approach him but also resisting and staying away from him.

She wanted to know everything about him, but was afraid of knowing too much.

Because of the duty and identity of the Central Vehicle Office, and that knot in her throat.

The sharpness and resentment hidden deep in her heart might one day turn all the known into unpredictable danger.

Therefore, as long as it was not very necessary, she would rather know less about Jia Cong's affairs.

And the strange tacit understanding between the two was, in the final analysis, not a good thing.

It was because the encounters between each other, in the grinding and splitting, in the hatred and intimacy, circling back and forth, caused a chasm that was very difficult to cross.

Jia Cong looked out the carriage window again. At a fork in the road to the east, there was a gentle slope.

The slope was filled with shadows of trees, revealing a section of high walls, surrounding a large piece of land on the slope.

That was the farm that Xinchun Hao bought from the Zhen family.

He suddenly asked: "Miss Zou is a local of Jin Ling. Do you know if there was a noble family named Du in Jin Ling fifteen years ago? I heard they were very famous."

Zou Min'er frowned slightly and thought for a moment, then said: "I have heard of most of the noble families in Jin Ling, but there is no family named Du among them.

Also, why were they famous fifteen years ago, and why are they not famous now?"

Jia Cong replied: "I heard that fifteen years ago, this family named Du was involved in colluding with the Hidden Sect and plotting rebellion, so they were wiped out by the imperial court, so they have disappeared for a long time."

Zou Min'er felt a slight chill in her heart when she heard that this family named Du was involved in rebellion, and said: "Why would you suddenly ask about this family? Could it be related to Zhou Zhou Zhengyang's matter?"

Jia Cong looked at the farm on the slope and said: "It doesn't have much to do with it. I just chatted with someone a few days ago, and the other party mentioned this family, but I was just a bit curious."

Jin Ling, Xinglong Fang, the Jia family's old residence.

Jia Cong returned directly to the Xinglong Fang old residence after returning from the east of the city.

Just as he walked to the gate of his courtyard, he heard the sound of practicing singing inside, the tone was crisp and sonorous, but it was not Ling Qi Guan's soft and clear singing voice.

"The heroic spirit rushes straight to the Ox and Dipper, the homesickness hangs upside down in Yangzhou. There is no home in the four seas, and the common people have no eyes."

"Leaning on the hero's laughing mouth, accustomed to drinking in a wealthy family since childhood. The vast fireworks do not let go of sorrow, the courtyard locust tree blows the twilight autumn...!"

Jia Cong recognized that it was Dou Qi Guan's small flower-face singing segment. Listening to the crisp and energetic spirit, it also had a unique interest.

He pushed open the courtyard gate and saw Dou Qi Guan standing under a magnolia tree in the courtyard.

She wore a blue-flowered vest, thin cotton lantern pants, and a blue waist sweat towel that had been washed white. She was dressed in a crisp and pleasing way, singing loudly toward the magnolia branches.

At the window of the study on the east side, he saw Ling Qi Guan sitting at the desk, focusing on practicing calligraphy.

Dou Qi Guan was singing very devotedly toward the magnolia tree and didn't notice that Jia Cong had entered the courtyard.

Jia Cong didn't disturb her, entered the main room alone, and then turned into the east study.

Ling Qi Guan, who was practicing calligraphy, was too focused and didn't notice him entering the study.

Jia Cong saw her sitting at the desk, her slender waist wanting to break, her posture soft and charming. She wore a pink embroidered cross-collar vest, a pink-white inner garment, and a light purple-red long skirt. She was very delicate and lovely.

Jia Cong walked quietly behind her and found that Ling Qi Guan was writing very attentively and carefully.

Jia Cong hadn't taught Ling Qi Guan to write for long, but he had already seen her write quite decently. Although it was inevitably raw, it was the normal state of a beginner.

Reading and writing only require accumulation over time to grind away the raw air.

Ling Qi Guan was so attentive to reading and writing. For her, removing the raw brushwork was just a matter of time.

Jia Cong stood behind her, quietly watching her suspend her arm and move the brush, and praised: "You are really smart. You have only practiced for a few days, and you have already written quite decently."

Ling Qi Guan heard his voice, turned around with a smile and said: "I was too absorbed in writing just now and didn't see the young master return. You haven't been back to the residence for several days. Are you staying in the residence tonight?"

Jia Cong had been staying in Yumin Fang for the past few days. Seeing Ling Qi Guan looking at him quietly with her bright eyes, her gaze full of hope and softness.

He smiled and said: "I'll stay in the residence tonight and test you two to see if you have learned all the characters in the copybook." (End of chapter)