Chapter 69 Chapter 69 The next few days...

The next few days were incredibly busy for Jiang Wan. After taking over Yuwanlou, he had to quickly familiarize himself with the business, transition staff, integrate it with the Jiang family's businesses, and rename it. Furthermore, the competition had made Jiang Wan's name well-known throughout the celadon industry, leading to a rapid increase in Jiang's sales and the acquisition of several more shops.

To this end, Jiang Wan and his sister, along with their three apprentices, worked hard for seven or eight days, and also recruited a lot of shopkeepers and accountants before they were able to handle all the affairs, big and small.

She raised her head from the pile of account books and leaned back in the recliner. Just then, Jiang An pushed the door open and came in, his eyes cold.

"I got a response to the request you made to the county governor last time," Jiang An said. "He said that Liu Guang has a huge influence behind him and we can't afford to offend him. He looked like he had said enough, so I didn't dare ask any more questions. "Little sister, we didn't provoke any big shots, did we?"

Jiang Wan's face darkened when he heard this, and his fingers unconsciously drew circles on his clothes while he was thinking.

After a moment, she raised her head, her face serious. "Brother, do you remember if there's any important person in Lin'an who likes to use bergamot spices?"

"Bergamot? This spice is very common. Many scholars in Lin'an like to use bergamot." Jiang An asked, "Why are you asking this suddenly?"

Jiang Wan pointed to the invitation on the table and said, "I will go to Beijing on the tenth day of May."

"Well, Uncle Wenyuan's antique appreciation banquet is very famous. If you want to go, just go. I'm in charge of the shop." Jiang An rubbed his sister's head.

"I didn't come to Beijing just for fun this time." Jiang Wan looked at him seriously and told him in detail about the He family's unjust case, everything he encountered in the Western Regions, including the actions of the spies in the He family, Wen Shen's identity, the death of Princess Qingrong, etc.

"Wanrong is determined to overturn the verdict, and I've been planning to help her for a long time. Qingjiangju has a branch in the capital, and with this invitation, it's a natural progression for me to go there," Jiang Wan analyzed. "I just didn't expect the forces in the capital to intervene so soon. Liu Guang's sudden embarrassment to us earlier suggests that the people behind him had been planning this for a month. If this is the case in remote Dunhuang Prefecture, it's probably even more difficult for Wanrong in the capital."

As Jiang An listened, his face darkened and he tried hard to digest this information.

"So, someone else is colluding with the Xiongnu, and the murderer is pinning the blame on the Duke?" He suppressed his anger. "No wonder Wanrong was so depressed before leaving for the capital. She refused to speak even when asked. It turns out she's afraid of implicating me."

He knocked Jiang Wan's head with anger and heartache: "You too, I'm your brother, and you're hiding it from me. No, you can't go alone, I have to accompany you."

Jiang Wan reluctantly pulled his claws off. "Boss Jiang, what will happen to the shop if you run away? Qingjiangju is all over the country now, and all the shops depend on you to be in charge."

"Your two apprentices are quite good, let them take care of it. At worst, you can find a few more managers. Anyway, we are not short of money now," Jiang An muttered, "I don't care. I have to follow you, otherwise you are not allowed to go."

"Okay, okay." Jiang Wan looked at his brother acting like a child and had no choice but to agree.

"I want to go too!" Perhaps Jiang An's spoiled words were heard by Chen Xi outside the door. The little girl knocked on the door and shouted that she wanted to go to Beijing together.

"Come in," Jiang Wan glared at her brother. "We have important things to do, and this trip is full of dangers. You little kid, stay here and learn embroidery. Don't act like your uncle and cheat."

Jiang An lowered his head guiltily and quietly walked to the door, but was blocked by Chen Xi who had just entered. He laughed at him, "Master, a grown man in his twenties, is cheating, so why can't I?"

"Ahem, that..." Jiang An's eyes wandered, "You still have to listen to Master... The noodles in the pot are about to get mushy. I'll go check it out."

Chen Xi looked at his hurriedly fleeing figure and said with a smile: "No noodles, we're eating rice today——"

After closing the door, she put away her playful expression and said seriously, "Master, I really want to go to Lin'an. Have you heard that there was an embroiderer named Su in Lin'an fourteen years ago?"

Jiang Wan searched through the original owner's memories and nodded, "Yes, there was such a person. I was still young at the time, but Su Xiu Niang's embroidery workshop was famous all over the country, and wealthy families were proud to wear clothes embroidered by her. But then she suddenly disappeared, and no one knew where she went."

Chen Xi took out a thin piece of paper and handed it to Jiang Wan.

The paper was yellowed, looking quite old. On it was a letter written in blood, written fourteen years earlier by a Su embroidery lady. The letter said she had encountered an inescapable predicament and had no choice but to place her newborn baby girl in a wooden barrel and throw it into the river, hoping that a kind-hearted person would raise the baby.

Chen Xi is exactly fourteen years old this year.

Jiang Wan looked up at her and understood what she meant without asking.

"Is your biological father still alive?" Jiang Wan sighed and gently touched her pigtails.

Chen Xi shook her head. "I always thought I was my parents' biological child. It wasn't until after I sold my first piece of embroidery that I overheard Mom saying to Dad that it was true that the son inherited the mother's business. After repeated inquiries, I finally learned my life story. My parents only knew this blood letter; they knew nothing else."

"Master, I really want to know what kind of inescapable predicament caused my mother to abandon me." She shook Jiang Wan's arm pleadingly, "Just take me with you. I won't disturb you from doing your work."

"Okay," Jiang Wan hugged her lovingly and patted her back gently.

"But Master has three requirements. First, you must prioritize your own safety and tell me if you encounter any difficulties. Second, you must report to me wherever you go, except to the shop and your own residence. Third, you must obey Master. If I ask you to leave Lin'an, you must leave immediately. Remember?"

The trip to Lin'an was thus finalized. All matters at Qingjiang Residence were temporarily handed over to Wang Da and Wang Er. On April 28th, the three Jiang family members, along with Chen Xi, set out from Dunhuang, heading for the capital after six months away.

At noon on May 8th, the four of them entered Lin'an City in a carriage.

It was a beautiful sunny day, with shimmering water. The river and the lake were bustling with people, and the girls selling cosmetics and round fans along the lakeside had laughter like silver bells. Taverns and inns were found every few miles.

A sense of homecoming washed over Jiang Wan. As he lifted the curtains of his carriage, every object and scene seemed incredibly familiar, yet it felt like a long, long time had passed. He didn't know if it was because the climate and scenery of his hometown in his previous life were so similar to this place, or if it was influenced by the original owner's memories.

A quarter of an hour later, the carriage stopped at the door of an inn.

Fulai Inn is a well-known high-end chain inn in Lin'an. It has four floors, and in addition to the restaurant on the first floor, the second, third, and fourth floors are all guest rooms.

When they entered the inn, they found tables, chairs, bowls and chopsticks all neatly arranged. The waiter came up to them warmly and asked them whether they wanted to have a meal or stay overnight.

The Fulai Inn was booming, so Jiang Wan asked Hua Qingzhi to reserve a room for three days in advance to avoid being unable to book a good room at the last minute. After paying, the four of them returned to their rooms to pack their luggage.

Since they might be staying in Lin'an for several months, they had quite a lot of luggage, so they booked three large guest rooms, one for Jiang Wan and one for Jiang An, and one for Jiang's mother and Chen Xi. The three rooms were next to each other and all on the third floor.

Jiang Wan entered the house, carrying her luggage. The room was simply furnished, divided into two spaces by a screen. Near the door stood a table, a chair, and a bookcase. The fresh scent of sandalwood wafted through the table. Near the window stood a bed, a wardrobe, and a large bathtub. Opening the window, she could see the bustling crowd below.

After a quick cleanup, she went upstairs to order. Since the four of them didn't eat much and they had to hurry to prepare the antique appreciation feast, she ordered a few simple dishes.

"Dongpo pork, crystal shrimp, dried tofu with artemisia, hmm..." Jiang Wan flipped through his memory of his mother's favorite dishes and said to the waiter, "Bring me a serving of beef soup and a pot of Longjing tea."

"Okay! Is there anything else you need, sir?" the waiter asked as he poured her tea.

Jiang Wan shook her head and suddenly heard the voices of people ordering food from the next table: "Dongpo pork, four pieces, just the meat, no skin."

"Sir, the Dongpo pork in our store is all served with the skin. The fat is the essence of Dongpo pork." Another waiter explained with a bitter face.

The burly man who ordered the food waved his hand nonchalantly: "Alright, whatever you want."

Jiang Wan glanced at the burly man curiously and asked, "How many pieces of Dongpo pork is in a serving?"

The waiter beside him lowered his head, as if in a daze, and did not answer.

Jiang Wan waved the recipe in front of him: "Hello, hello?"

"Oh, sir, what did you order?"

Jiang Wan was speechless: "I'm asking you how many pieces of Dongpo pork are in a serving."

"Oh, oh, oh, a serving of Dongpo pork has six pieces of meat, sir." The waiter spoke faster, as if he had something urgent to do. After saying this, he hurried to the kitchen.

Although the Fulai Inn was packed with guests, filling up the first-floor restaurant, the food was served quickly. As soon as Jiang An finished moving his heavy luggage and sat down next to Jiang Wan, two dishes were served.

When Jiang's mother and Chen Xi came down, all four dishes had been served.

Seeing the beef soup in front of her, Jiang's mother's eyes lit up: "I haven't had beef soup in a long time. Wanwan really understands me."

After swallowing a spoonful of beef soup, she looked at the dishes on the table: "Wanwan, you always ordered squirrel fish whenever you went out to eat. Why didn't you order it this time?"

Recalling the taste of the squirrel mandarin fish he had only once in his previous life, Jiang Wan suppressed the discomfort in his stomach and smiled awkwardly, "I haven't had it in a while, so I don't crave it as much as I used to. Squirrel mandarin fish is complicated to make and difficult to eat, so I thought I'd keep it simple. I still have to go back and prepare the antique appreciation banquet."

"Indeed, it's customary for Lord Wenyuan to give each participating craftsman a valuable gift. So we must give Lord Wenyuan a work in exchange. The work that Lord Wenyuan likes will also be exhibited at the banquet." Jiang An said, "The Antique Appreciation Banquet is very famous. If we can stand out at the banquet, it will also impress those old friends of Yuwan Tower in Lin'an."

Jiang An picked up a piece of Dongpo pork and gave Jiang Wan a worried look while lowering his head.

Both of them knew that the greater significance of this banquet lay in Marquis Wenyuan. If they could establish a good relationship with him, they would have an additional layer of protection when investigating the injustice at the Duke's Mansion.

Jiang Wan met her brother's gaze and smiled gently.