Chapter 93 You don't like him?

"Come on, tell me, what are your thoughts?"

In the courtyard, Song Jin stood loosely on the ground, her head tilted to the side and her legs draped over her hips.

Niu Tielan sat across from him at the table, with a small wooden box on his right containing scrolls of various materials: sheepskin, cloth, paper...

I don't even know what I wrote.

She held the ledger with her left hand and the brush in her right. She dipped the brush in ink, made a few light strokes on the paper, then put down the brush and waited for the ink to dry.

Song Jin peeked over and saw that they were all things like house decorations and business trip ornaments. She wondered why her mother wrote these things.

In response to Niu Tielan's question, she coughed lightly a few times to clear her throat, and said in a serious tone, "Our business is doing very well; we're sure to make money in the future."

Niu Tielan paused, then picked up the calligraphy brush and threw it at him.

Song Jin shifted her head, and with a slap, half her face was smeared with ink. She grinned, touched it, and her hand was covered in black ink. She complained, "Mother, what are you doing? This ink is so hard to wash off!"

Niu Tielan said calmly, "You're right, so you'll have to do your own laundry later."

Song Jin: "...It's just a tiny mark, it's not that difficult to get one."

Niu Tielan scoffed lightly and shook his head.

It's difficult to go from luxury to simplicity.

Her daughter used to occasionally wash clothes in town, but after moving to the Song family home, she didn't even touch a single sock, let alone wash clothes.

Every day, all the clothes and hairpins she wore were made of the finest materials, each one perfectly ironed and neatly arranged, presented to her for her to choose from, requiring absolutely no effort on her part.

Having grown accustomed to such good days, who would think that the days before were good?

Niu Tielan sighed softly and asked, "Have you looked at all the shops? Really nothing to say?"

Song Jin strolled up behind her, pinched her shoulders, and grinned, "What's there to say? The shop's fine, everyone's fine, why think so much? Life's just one day at a time. Thinking too much will make you old, Mother."

Niu Tielan slapped her hand irritably: "What, is your mother getting old?"

Song Jin continued laughing, "No way! My mother is as beautiful as a flower, and her youth lasts forever. How could she possibly grow old?"

Niu Tielan was annoyed with her: "She's always so unserious, I can't trust her at all."

Song Jin paused, lowered her eyes, and smiled, "Then you just watch closely. They say children are debts, do you really want to run away from your debts halfway through?"

Niu Tielan didn't speak. She looked at the dried ink stains on the table, patted the seat next to her, gesturing for someone to come and sit down, and then said in a slow voice...

"These are your future dowry, the courage."

Song Jin pursed her lips: "I'm not getting married."

Niu Tielan ignored her and began sorting through the items for her, one by one: "These are our things in Linxi Town: our estate, fields, tea gardens, mulberry orchards, and some small pieces of jewelry and clothing fabric. They may not seem like much, but all together they can fetch twenty or thirty thousand taels of silver."

"Linxi Town has a good location, and Mayor Lin is a kind and honest man. We've lived there for so many years, we know the town and the county well, and the back mountain is Huanghuang's territory. If anything happens in the future, we can go back and rise again. No matter how deep the waters are in Yong'an City, his hands can't reach there."

Song Jin remained silent.

Niu Tielan continued, "We've filed records for everything in Linxi Town. You know the area well, and everyone around can testify. If things are lost, so be it; you can just go back and get replacements. But everything in the boxes here needs to be carefully stored. There are eighteen rolls of documents in total: six rolls of sheepskin, twelve rolls of silk, covering fields, mountains, estates, jewelry, furniture, trunks, gold, silver..."

Everything was categorized and recorded on the scroll, each stroke written in Niu Tielanjuan's elegant handwriting.

There can't be any mistakes on this kind of form; writing it down is very time-consuming.

Song Jin's exact value is unclear, but roughly speaking, converted from silver and gold, it's worth thirty to fifty thousand, and the total value is definitely no less than a million.

She pressed down on the silk roll in her hand, her face turning serious: "Mother, what do you mean? You're entrusting your child to someone else?"

Niu Tielan's eyes trembled slightly, and she said softly, "It's better to be prepared."

Song Jin was annoyed: "There's no need for this preparation. It's just practicing Gu. You've been raising it for over ten years. Are you afraid of this little thing?"

Niu Tielan sighed, reaching out to stroke Song Jin's head. Her almond-shaped eyes softened gradually as she whispered, "Seeing so much, that's all you could think of?"

Song Jin retorted angrily, "Otherwise what? You don't want me anymore, so what else do I have to think about?"

Niu Tielan touched her forehead, then slapped her hard.

Song Jin cried out, covering her head, and looked at her mother accusingly: "You don't want me anymore, and you even hit me?"

Niu Tielan said quietly, "I not only want to hit you, I also want to rip your pig brain out and wash it with water."

With so much stuff, doesn't this brat even ask where it came from?

Song Jin covered her head, her eyes wide: "What if you flatten my round head?"

Niu Tielan was amused by her and reached out to touch the back of her head: "Let me see how round it is."

Song Jin proudly declared, "Just like a ball!"

Niu Tielan chuckled and patted her round head. Song Jin nestled into her arms, the tension between mother and daughter vanishing without a trace, and they simply cuddled together quietly.

After a while

Song Jin hugged Niu Tielan's waist, her voice soft yet resolute: "Mother, you will definitely succeed tomorrow."

Niu Tielan gave a soft "hmm," her face still betraying her melancholy.

Tomorrow we succeed, but what about the day after? And what about the future?

The practice of cultivating Gu poison can take anywhere from six months to a year.

Niu Tielan couldn't guarantee that she could persevere, so she could only try her best to make arrangements for Song Jin's future.

These dowry items were gradually compiled by her over this period of time, and most of them were from the Song family's inventory.

In the past, unaware that Qu Maoze was a Song merchant, she naturally wouldn't have accepted these things. Even in the past, she had kept records of some expenses.

Now that we know Song Jin is Song Shang's legitimate biological daughter, and that she has a share in this vast fortune, she naturally deserves her due share.

Niu Tielan has been organizing these things for the past few days.

While she's still here, and while Qu Maoze is also here, let's settle all these things.

She didn't care about the heartlessness he described.

If she hadn't been ruthless, she wouldn't have survived until now.

...

There are too many orders.

The mother and daughter talked until it was time for dinner.

At this time of day, Song Xingzhi and his brothers would usually come back to have dinner with their mother and daughter.

But it probably won't happen today.

Hou Qiaohe was found, confirming the British Duke's Mansion's involvement in the attack on the Song merchants.

Now it's time to interrogate the other accomplices.

The Song brothers, of course, wouldn't just stand by and watch. Several of them hadn't returned since yesterday, presumably having interrogated the suspects throughout the night, hoping to uncover the truth as quickly as possible.

The Dowager Lady, the Duke, the Duchess, and the Heir Apparent of the British Duke's Mansion...

These key figures are undoubtedly involved.

The sooner they identify the remaining individuals, the sooner they can find them and prevent them from trying to escape.

The Song residence was very quiet at the moment. The mother and daughter were not in a hurry to eat, but sat there quietly looking at the list.

Until Xiaomei and Xiaoer came back

"Madam, Miss, we're back."

"Madam, Miss, hurry, I must tell you!"

Xiao Mei, dressed in a light blue dress with bamboo leaf patterns, walked slowly behind, her every smile and gesture exuding elegance and composure.

The little ears bounced and hopped, like fluttering butterflies, full of lively energy.

However, upon closer inspection, one will notice that the distance of her skipping steps is similar, her shoulders and back are straight, and she is lively without being overly energetic.

Little Ear ran up to her, her round face flushed like an apple, and her eyes shining.

"Didn't we say yesterday that if we didn't close the city gates, those people would run away as soon as they heard the news?"

Song Jin had been in prison for so long, and had just been released yesterday. The group of people, like a floodgate opened, talked non-stop, one after another, until well past midnight.

One of the topics was whether those involved would take the opportunity to escape after the British Duke's mansion was arrested.

After all, with the British Duke's Mansion as the mastermind arrested, how could those thorny bastards behind it still hide?

It's just a matter of how long it takes.

After looking at the list all afternoon, Song Jin's head was almost spinning, but she immediately perked up. She got up, ran back to the side, grabbed a stool, and quickly poured two cups of fruit tea for them.

"Tell me quickly, what's the situation with the city gate?"

Xiao Er took a big gulp of tea, his eyes shining: "They arrested people! They arrested people outside the city gates, and they brought back a whole cart full of prison carts. Those people were carrying all sorts of bags and packages, and lots of jewelry!"

"Wow, I've loaded a whole truck with that! That's enough to buy a hundred, no, a thousand, ten thousand of me..."

Country girls aren't expensive, and Xiao Er was missing half an ear. She was thin and small back then, and Song Jin only spent eight taels of silver to buy her.

It's not even comparable to the cost of a single meal for many wealthy families.

Song Jin patted Xiao Er's head and leaned closer: "Isn't that just three thousand little eyebrows?"

Xiao Mei's eyebrows give her a composed demeanor; even at such a young age, she's clearly a beauty in the making, and her worth is three times that of Xiao Er.

"I think it's more than that; those gold bars alone must be worth at least a thousand taels."

Xiao Mei walked over unhurriedly, lightly dabbing the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief. She sipped her tea and exclaimed with great admiration, "This is the first time I've ever seen so much gold. The people below are green with envy. If it weren't for the large number of people transporting the prison carts, who knows, some of them might have been blinded by the treasure and rushed to rob it."

Song Jin, who had just casually counted a million-dollar fortune, was taken aback: "So much?"

Is it because money is too easy to make now, or are the people of Yong'an City just too rich?

Why is silver now measured in units of 100,000?

Xiao Mei exclaimed, "That's all there is! Who would have thought?"

Song Jin chewed on dried fruit; "Do you know which family it's from?"

Xiao Mei thought carefully: "I don't really know the specifics, but I heard that there were the youngest son and mistress of the Minister of Revenue, the family of the Vice Minister of Justice, and the Imperial City Guard Commander. They were all well-known figures in the capital. I heard all this from the common people."

These days, most common people fear officials, but there's never a shortage of the bold, especially near the capital. The current emperor is lenient, so officials dare not be too presumptuous.

Many ordinary people enjoyed joining in the fun, and having seen the people involved, they chatted amongst themselves, eventually revealing the true identities of those who had been disguising themselves.

Xiao Er whispered from the side, "The gates of Yong'an are now sealed off, the curfew has been moved up, and there are soldiers everywhere. Their imposing presence clearly indicates they're not ordinary soldiers."

Song Jin also lowered her voice, "Those must be the Emperor's personal guards? I saw them last time, they definitely had some skill."

Xiao Er hissed, "It should be."

...

The two started acting suspiciously as they talked, as if they were worried about being overheard and reported in such a large place.

Niu Tielan sighed

That's just how her daughter is; she's not low-key when she should be, but when she can be flamboyant, she acts like a thief. It's worrying just thinking about it.

As they talked, their conversation drifted towards the prisoners' clothing and the gossip behind their backs.

Niu Tielan's lips twitched as she interrupted them: "The Minister of Revenue, I remember he's the Third Prince's father-in-law?"

Song Jin quickly added, "Yes, yes, his daughter is a concubine."

Niu Tielan: "Who is the principal wife?"

Zheng, the female official, had mentioned all of this in class. Song Jin thought for a moment and said, "It seems she is the legitimate daughter of the Imperial Academy's director. It is said that she is extremely beautiful. The marriage was arranged by the Emperor after the Third Prince offended someone while drunk."

Generally speaking, marriage involves two families, and the focus is on family matters, specifically the father's official rank and title, with less emphasis on whether the marriage is between legitimate and illegitimate children.

Therefore, the daughter of the Imperial Academy Supervisor was the legitimate daughter. At the time, the Third Prince was unwilling and wanted to take her as a concubine, but the Emperor directly bestowed the marriage upon him, and he had no choice but to comply.

This resulted in the illegitimate daughter of the Minister of Revenue, whom they had been privately negotiating with, becoming a concubine.

The Minister of Revenue has made a mistake.

Song Jin sighed, "The Third Prince must be very happy. The Emperor has such discerning eyes! It's a good thing she wasn't the principal wife back then."

Niu Tielan choked on his tea, and his bright eyes darted sideways, filled with murderous intent.

Song Jin sheepishly changed her tune: "I was just saying."

She's not stupid; she knows perfectly well that whether it's a principal wife, a concubine, or a maid, the Third Prince must be in a complete mess right now.

It would be fine if he hadn't participated, but if he had...

Song Jin clicked his tongue: "The Duke of Ying's mansion pulled in the Second Prince, and the Minister of Revenue pulled in the Third Prince. Aren't those two doomed? Qi Zheng is just sitting at home and winning without lifting a finger."

What's this called?

Good fortune is coming?

Has all the bad luck he's had over the years finally given him good fortune?

Song Jin rubbed her hands together: "I should be more polite to him in the future."

So that no one will make things difficult for her later.

Looking at her beaming face, Niu Tielan sighed softly, "The situation is settled. At the latest, His Majesty will definitely establish a crown prince by January."

Qi Ye has never hidden his favoritism towards Qi Ye.

However, Qi Zheng's knowledge was considerably lacking before, so directly establishing him as crown prince wasn't impossible, but it would inevitably provoke a lot of resistance.

Even if Qi Zheng became the crown prince, he would still be subject to all sorts of criticism, which would be detrimental to the country and to him in the long run.

Now, thanks to the Song merchant incident, the Second and Third Princes are in dire straits and have directly lost their competitive edge.

The eldest prince is unremarkable and can't cause any trouble.

More importantly, with a bunch of old faces stepping down and new ones taking over, the balance of power in the court has been disrupted.

Those newcomers wouldn't be so tactless as to oppose the emperor so soon after taking office.

Qi Zheng himself is an upright and virtuous person with extensive knowledge and experience.

Day by day, it's like boiling a frog in lukewarm water.

His position as crown prince is secure.

Niu Tielan recalled their first meeting, the silent and stubborn little boy in the rain, and remembered his upright and stern demeanor in Linxi Town. He reached out and touched Song Jin's eyebrows and eyes, whispering...

"His marriage will definitely be brought up then."

Qi Ye only has this one child. If a crown prince is established, others, whether for the sake of the country or for their own personal interests, will...

The selection of a concubine will surely follow closely.

Song Jin was taken aback for a moment, then pouted and said, "Choose him, anyway. Sooner or later you'll have a harem of concubines and countless beauties, the sooner you marry, the sooner you can enjoy it."

Niu Tielan asked softly, "Then what will you do?"

Song Jin glared at him: "What does this have to do with me?"

Niu Tielan stroked his daughter's brow. The girl was only fifteen years old, but she had already grown up and her face showed little trace of childishness.

She was stronger than I imagined, and more stubborn than that.

Niu Tielan has had few choices in her life, constantly missing out, and she doesn't want her children to miss out on opportunities for various reasons as well.

When it comes to fate, a slight miscalculation can lead to a completely different outcome.

Just like her, how could she have imagined that the imagined separation of life and death would ultimately just result in sixteen years of missed opportunities?

It's hard to say whether I should be happy or sad.

A hint of melancholy flashed in Niu Tielan's eyes, then she looked at her daughter's lively expression and chuckled, "You don't like him?"

Song Jin's eyes were wide open, her bright pupils like black gemstones, pure and clear.

She slammed her hand heavily on the small table, and with a crack, the table split open, scattering the fruits and vegetables all over the floor.

She exclaimed in surprise, "How could I like him?"

Niu Tielan didn't speak, but just watched her quietly with a smile in her eyes.

Xiao Mei and Xiao Er beside her glanced at her, but remained silent, observing her closely.

Niu Tielan said he didn't like it.

Why did she subconsciously say she liked it?

Song Jin's fierce aura gradually dissipated. Then, her shoulders slumped, and she plopped down on the ground. Without caring about the dirt, she picked up some dried fruit and stuffed it into her mouth, soon filling it with fruit.

She chewed, puffing out her cheeks and wrinkling her nose: "It's just... just a little bit."

Niu Tielan chuckled and pinched her cheek: "Even a little bit is liking someone. What, don't you have any thoughts? You're a grown woman now, your mother won't stop you from finding a partner."

Song Jin pouted: "Not suitable."

Niu Tie looked at her tenderly, as if she were his greatest treasure: "What's wrong with her? My daughter is a princess, highly skilled in martial arts, chivalrous, and has a fortune of millions. What's wrong with her?"

Song Jin almost choked on the dried fruit. She picked up the teapot next to her and poured water into her mouth, finally managing to swallow it.

She looked at her mother with a troubled expression: "Mother, you're just praising him like a peddler. I've already said he'll be the crown prince someday. Do you think I'm suitable? I can't stand all those complicated schemes. Besides, he'll definitely have other people in the future. I can't bear that kind of humiliation. What if he commits regicide in the middle of the night? That would be terrible!"

Niu Tielan's eyes softened: "Do you remember what he said last time? He only needs to find one person."

Song Jin scoffed: "Anyone can say nice things, do you really think that's possible?"

Niu Tielan gently stroked Song Jin's forehead: "What's impossible? Jin Jin, to judge a person, you have to look at the person. If he were truly a lustful man, with his looks and martial arts skills, he would surely have many female companions outside. Even in the six months since he returned to the capital, he should have someone in his harem."

Song Jin muttered, "The past is the past, and the future is the future."

Niu Tielan laughed: "When did you start caring about the future?"

Even if things change in the future, should we give up the joy we have now just for the sake of an imagined future?

After listening for a while, Xiao Er also found an opportunity to chime in, laughing: "That's right, Miss, when did you start thinking so much? I always did, I don't care about the future, as long as I'm happy!"

Xiao Mei smiled and said, "Isn't Miss the one who loves to live in the moment? Enjoy the present, and let the future you have the regrets."

Niu Tielan laughed: "Xiao Mei and Xiao Er are right. I also remember my daughter used to be fearless and would often say that she would snatch a live-in son-in-law. What's wrong with her now?"

Xiao Mei chimed in, "Miss hesitated because she cares."

Xiao Er covered her mouth and chuckled, "Miss seems to mind."

...

The three of them were making a ruckus, and Song Jin's face turned red from their teasing. She glared at them and said angrily, "So, you guys planned this, didn't you? What benefits did Qi Zheng give you?"

Xiao Er's voice was clear and crisp, like the tinkling of a little bell: "Greetings, Prince Qi! Last time I went out, I saw some纨绔 (playboys) harassing a beautiful woman. He stopped to help, but didn't even glance at her. He's very upright."

Xiao Mei also praised, "The other day I saw an old man fall and startle the carriage frame, but he wasn't angry. Instead, he had someone take him to the clinic. Prince Qi is kind-hearted."

Hearing this, Song Jin couldn't help but smile, then tried to suppress it, and scoffed, "So what? I do the same thing."

Looking at her like this, Niu Tielan smiled gently and said, "My son is kind, and the two of you together are also kind."

Song Jin pouted, turned to the side and hugged Niu Tielan's waist, burying her head and rubbing against him, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Does Mother really think he's capable?"

Niu Tielan's eyes were gentle: "If my daughter likes it, then it's fine."

As for whether it's right or wrong, or whether it changes or not

No one remains unchanged forever, but the positive values ​​and love ingrained in us from childhood will never fade.

Dragons trapped within palace walls become curious about the outside world, while dragons that swim back from the outside will only protect what they desire.

Niu Tielan lowered her head, looked at her daughter's unique hairstyle, smiled knowingly, and gently patted her back.

After a while, Song Jin finally suppressed her embarrassment, stood up and sat down, took Niu Tielan's hand, and beamed with joy.

"Mother is always right. I'll listen to you. You'll definitely help me with my wedding ceremony. We'll have two children in three years, and give you little granddaughters and grandsons to play with..."

Looking at Song Jin's beaming face, Niu Tielan recalled how she looked like a little dumpling when she was a child.

If she has children in the future, they will definitely be just like her, making so much noise that the house will shake apart.

Niu Tielan's lips curled up slightly, and she said softly, "Okay, Mother will name them then."

Song Jin's smile froze. Remembering her original name, she chuckled awkwardly, "Well, there's no rush. We'll see when the time comes."

Niu Tielan narrowed her eyes slightly and smiled: "What do you mean? You look down on your mother?"

Song Jin chuckled, shifted her weight backward, then leaped up to dodge the slap and ran off.

"Mother, you should know better."

Niu Tielan rolled up her sleeves, got up, and chased after him, gritting her teeth: "You know what you mean? You know what you mean? Stop right there! How dare you look down on your mother? You ungrateful little brat, don't you even think about how much your mother raised you?"

Song Jin complained, "With wet nurses and maids around, Mother, you haven't cooked a single meal in all these years, so let's not talk about that."

Niu Tielan recited each word carefully: "Song, Jin, Jin".

...

The mother and daughter then began to playfully frolic around the yard, their laughter echoing through the air, lighthearted and joyful, breaking the previous heavy and oppressive atmosphere.

Qu Maoze leaned against the outside wall, his face pale, his lips dark, and he reeked of blood.

He listened to the laughter behind the wall, watched the sunset on the horizon, and spoke softly.

"Tomorrow will definitely be a good day."