Chapter 296 Minister Lin hasn't come for several days.

Minglu was being clever when, in a moment of realization, he found that Second Master had already left.

He quickly followed.

Zhan Xingzhuo went to the flower hall for a meal.

But all I saw was the cloth-making weaver Yun.

Zhan Xingzhuo frowned slightly and asked, "Where is Zhining?"

Zhiyun said, "The young lady is feeling unwell and has gone back to her room to rest."

Zhan Xingzhuo frowned even more deeply, and turned to leave before even sitting down.

Inside Zhou Zhining's room, she saw a figure flash by outside the window and deliberately took off her clothes slowly.

Zhan Xingzhuo knocked on her door, but she didn't answer. Zhan Xingzhuo got anxious and pushed the door open. He saw that Zhou Zhining's snow-white body was covered with bruises.

The woman had her back to him and was sobbing softly.

It gives the impression that she silently endured the humiliation, unwilling to let anyone see it.

Zhan Xingzhuo walked over: "Zhi Ning..."

"Brother Xingzhuo, don't say anything." She sniffed. "I'm fine. It's just that my clothes are dirty, so I need to change into a clean one."

She picked up the clothes prepared on the shelf and put them on one by one.

Zhan Xingzhuo just stared at her, but finally couldn't bear it any longer. He walked up to Zhou Zhining, lowered his head, and slowly tied a knot in the belt around her waist with both hands.

He swallowed hard and said in a low voice, "Zhi Ning, give me some more time, and I will definitely marry you."

He looked up at Zhou Zhining.

Zhou Zhining sobbed, her eyes turning even redder.

She threw herself into Xingzhuo's arms, hugging him tightly: "Brother Xingzhuo..."

From an angle unseen by Zhan Xingzhuo, the woman curled her lips into a smile, her eyes revealing a triumphant gleam.

...

Yao Qingling has been very busy; these days can be described as "working day and night".

After the shop reopens, Yao Qingling needs to make adjustments quickly. She needs to clear out the goods that she didn't have time to sell during the Spring Festival and put new spring goods on the shelves to make the next wave of money.

When selling secondhand goods, you should try not to lose money, or at least not too much; when selling new goods, you have to compete with other shops, so you can't sell them at too high a price.

Yao Qingling frantically scribbled away on the abacus, sparks practically flying out of her eyes.

She handed the calculated prices of each item to Xia Chan: "It can't be lower than this number, and it can't be higher than this number..."

She gave a detailed explanation.

Turning back to Lou Yue, he said, "Oh right, I told you I was going to let you open a restaurant."

Lou Yue hurriedly waved her hand: "Miss, we're short on money right now, let's wait a bit longer. Didn't we say we were going to open a few more rice shops?"

Qingling waved her hand: "The rice shop must open, and the restaurant must open too."

Rice shops earn money from ordinary people, but that doesn't bring in much profit. However, if she wants to open more rice shops so that ordinary people can afford rice, she needs a lot of money.

Money must be earned from influential people.

A restaurant is a lucrative business. Her estate already produces fine wine, and by opening a restaurant, she can sell the wine, which will generate a significant amount of money.

Xia Chan looked at the account book for a while, then looked up and asked, "But Miss, haven't we received the signboard for our rice shop yet?"

She added, "We've offended a powerful person, and we've lost many regular customers these days. It's not easy to make money now."

Qingling, who was burning with excitement, felt as if she had been doused with cold water.

Yes, ever since she became a Lady of the Imperial Decree, some powerful and influential people have disliked her, and rumors have spread that she is heartless, selfish, and cold-blooded.

She exposed a corruption case in the palace, which offended certain interest groups, and now she has to bear the consequences.

Yao Qingling rubbed her temples, feeling utterly exhausted.

She hasn't even gotten through the current difficulties, yet she's thinking about opening restaurants and more shops. Where's the money?

Xia Chan glanced at Lou Yue and said she wanted to eat peach blossom cakes, thus sending Lou Yue away.

Xia Chan poured a cup of tea and handed it to Yao Qingling: "Miss, something's wrong with you."

Qingling took the tea and glared at her: "What's wrong with me?"

Xia Chan said, "Minister Lin hasn't come for several days."

Yao Qingling was bringing the teacup to her lips when she heard the sound, and her lips went numb from the heat.

Xia Chan pressed, "Did you two have a fight?"

Her impression of Lin Shiyuan was from that day on the Lantern Festival. She remembered that Yao Qingling's mood was not quite right after Lin Shiyuan left.

She deliberately kept herself busy, never stopping for a moment.

Yao Qingling didn't know what to say.

Lin Shiyuan treated her very well; he couldn't bear to say a harsh word to her, so how could there be any talk of arguing?

They simply avoided the point that caused the conflict, making it seem as if nothing had happened and there was nothing to worry about.

But whenever Qingling stopped to rest, she couldn't help but feel panicked.

After the New Year, the court resumed its session. She was afraid that the emperor and empress, or some powerful figure, might suddenly decide to take Lin Shiyuan as their son-in-law.

Now, the various prefectures are beginning their New Year's Spring Festival banquets, and Lin Shiyuan, being a rising star in the court, must be receiving quite a few invitations...

Once Qingling calmed down, she couldn't help but let her mind wander.

Sometimes she even thought that becoming a Lady of the Imperial Decree was a bit of a disadvantage, since no one dared to marry her, while he was a popular choice for son-in-law.

So she could only keep herself busy, but this only made her more stressed.

There's a huge pile of things to do, and when you start doing any of them, you don't know where to begin, which just makes you feel flustered.

Qingling licked her numb lips, sighed, and shared some of her troubles.

Nie Yun, who was guarding outside the door, twitched her ears. Come to think of it, her master had indeed not come to see Madam Yao for five or six days.

Does this arranged marriage really have such a big impact?

But it hasn't happened yet, has it?

Nie Yun didn't understand Yao Qingling's anxiety. In her opinion, since they had decided on each other, they should just find a matchmaker, arrange a marriage, have a bridal sedan chair carried in, and spend the wedding night together. Wouldn't that settle things?

There's not that much to consider.

Nie Yun thought for a moment, glanced back, and then used her light-footed skill to leap over the railing and fly out.

Inside the room, Xia Chan was giving Qing Ling advice, acting like a military strategist.

The two chatted quietly for a while, then Qingling glanced at Xia Chan and said, "Why are you so cunning?"

She paused, then remembered something and looked at Xia Chan, saying, "I heard from Zhao Yin that the jailer gave you something?"

The jailer Qingling mentioned was the one Xia Chan sewed clothes for when they were imprisoned.

Xia Chan's face flushed instantly, and she said in embarrassment and annoyance, "You little girl, you're talking nonsense. Ge Cheng was just thanking me for mending his clothes, and he gave me some gifts as a token of his gratitude."

"Oh, really?" Yao Qingling said in a strange tone, "Didn't he give us storybooks to read? Why is he giving us a thank-you gift?"

"I'm not talking to you anymore." Xia Chan said shyly, puffing out her cheeks as she went back to look at the account book.

Qingling smiled and said, "That little jailer is not bad, but be careful and don't give your heart away too easily."

Xia Chan instinctively replied, "Don't worry, Miss, I won't—"

She stopped mid-sentence, realizing that Qingling was still trying to trick her into saying something, and immediately shut her mouth, pressing her lips tightly together and not saying another word.

Qingling then burst into laughter, opened the door, and went out.

Lou Yue brought over some peach blossom cakes and bumped into Qing Ling as she was leaving. She asked, "Miss, aren't you going to eat any cakes? Where are you going?"

Qingling said, "Let's go to the docks and try to make some more money."

Lou Yue accompanied her on her trip.

When we arrived at the dock, the warehouse was bustling with activity.

The river has thawed, and Shengda River is preparing its first cargo shipment of the spring.

His cargo was full of goods from the capital, which he sold to local merchants along the way. He also bought local goods and headed north to sell them to Yao Qingling.

Sheng Dahe tucked the corner of his clothes into his belt, personally carried the goods onto the ship, and waved to Yao Qingling from afar. He then turned around and gave a few instructions to his men before disembarking and walking towards Qingling.

"You've finally arrived. I heard you were in jail, and I almost led a group to break you out. Xiao Pingfeng came and told me not to go, saying you were safe." Sheng Dahe said, chugging a large jug of water and wiping his lips haphazardly.

Yao Qingling looked at the water droplets dripping onto the man's beard.

He no longer had the murderous aura of a bandit, and now he just looked like a boat captain, but Qing Ling still couldn't stand his beard.

She cautioned, "You can't keep that beard."