Chapter 37 Chapter 37 The Prince is acting more and more recklessly...
The child's thin figure knelt at his feet. Zhao Qingyi couldn't help but recall everything in his previous life. He suddenly felt relaxed and his smile became more genuine.
"Brother Jun, get up quickly."
In this life, she wants to be a loving mother, and she wants Jun Ge to feel her "mother's love".
Watching this scene happen, Zhao Manyi felt as if a knife was stabbing into her internal organs and stirring her flesh violently. The pain made her eyes swell and tears flow.
She was still sobbing, and even after she fell into the carriage, her body was still struggling. Finally, while struggling with the servant, she accidentally hit her head and fainted.
The carriage went farther and farther away, Zhao Manyi's sobs disappeared from his ears, and Junger's crying also gradually stopped. Looking at his stepmother with a kind face in front of him, he was in a trance for a moment.
It seemed as if I had seen this face somewhere before, but I couldn't remember where.
Only Luo and Li Che were satisfied, with expressions of relief on their faces.
If they had known that driving Zhao Manyi away would allow Zhao Qingyi to recognize Jun Ge'er, they should have done so earlier.
Mrs. Luo rubbed her hands together and said, "Qingyi, this child has not yet been included in the family tree. What do you think..."
"The child is still young, there's no rush." Zhao Qingyi deliberately evaded.
Mrs. Luo was anxious. "Oh no, this won't work. Jun isn't a child anymore. He should be starting school next year. It's too shameless to let him stay like this..."
Zhao Qingyi sighed, "It's a pity that I already have a legitimate son. Why not register the child under Aunt Zhao's name and tell everyone that Aunt Zhao has passed away. It won't have any impact on the child."
Anyway, this was what Luo had planned before.
"No." Luo refused this time. "That lowly concubine plotted to murder the master. She has a long and treacherous record. How can she be the mother of Jun'er? In my opinion, it's better to register her under your name."
Zhao Qingyi's smile faded.
After being repeatedly humiliated by her, Luo had no choice but to give in, "...Forget it, let's discuss this matter later." Finally, she turned around and went back to Qionghua Hall, cursing under her breath on the way.
—
In Cuizhuxuan, Li Heng was about to wake up when he felt a sharp pain at the back of his head. He covered his head and sat up. It took him a long time to recall the cause and effect of the incident, and his face suddenly changed.
What did he...what did he do to my sister-in-law?
No, no, no, it must be a dream.
Li Heng got down to the bed and planned to drink some water to calm himself down, but he was horrified to find something in his palm. He opened his hand and saw that it was a bright red ruby.
He had only seen this kind of gem on Zhao Qingyi.
The image of him holding onto Zhao Qingyi and refusing to let go flashed through Li Heng's mind, and he lowered his head in frustration.
It wasn't a dream, he really did something stupid.
For a period of time afterwards, Li Heng tried to apologize to Zhao Qingyi in person, but unfortunately, due to some coincidences, the two of them never met. He also realized that it was probably Zhao Qingyi who was deliberately avoiding him.
Overnight, the relationship between uncle and sister-in-law reached a deadlock.
Li Heng knew that he was at fault first and did not dare to bother her any further. He could only put the ruby into the box, thinking that he would return it when he had the chance in the future.
To Zhao Qingyi, it was just a loss of an embroidered decoration on her clothes. She did not take it to heart. However, she had learned a lesson once and wanted to avoid suspicion and did not want to cause trouble again.
Apart from secretly sending people to the Prince of Pingxi's Mansion to deliver gifts, Zhao Qingyi spent most of his time going out early and returning late, managing the shop outside, occasionally attending social events, and meeting with Zhang Wanyan to inquire about important events in the capital from her.
However, in the past month or so, everything seemed very peaceful both inside and outside the court.
This kind of calmness made Zhao Qingyi feel vaguely uneasy, as if it was a sign of impending storm.
Zhang Wanyan finished her last cup of tea, stood up and said goodbye to her, "If there is any news, I will come again."
The two exchanged courtesies, and Zhao Qingyi watched her leave.
When I pushed the door open, a cold wind came in through the gap. The room was warm because of the floor heating. The combination of cold and hot forced the tightly closed window to creak and open a gap.
Two maids took Zhang Wanyan downstairs, and Zhao Qingyi had to go and close the window by herself. When she looked up, a touch of pure white suddenly fell in the dark night sky. A north wind whistled past, blowing the tassels of her hairpins and rolling up the snowflakes all over the sky.
It's snowing?
This is the first snow since the beginning of winter this year.
Zhao Qingyi stretched out her hand, and goose-feather-like snowflakes fluttered down, covering her palms and sleeves. She squeezed them lightly, and the snowflakes melted in her still-warm palms. The long-ago, hazy memories gradually became clear...
—
Heavy snow fell all night, covering almost half of Daliang's territory. Tongxiang was no exception. Overnight, this poor and remote village was engulfed in white snow.
The mournful cries were torn apart by the north wind and scattered in a thatched hut at the easternmost part of Tongxiang.
The room was bare; all the tables, chairs, and benches had been taken away, leaving only a roll of tattered straw mat on the kang. A seventy-year-old man lay on his back, his wrinkled, gray face reflected in the half-burnt candlelight. One could vaguely see that his forehead and cheekbones were covered with purple bruises, and there was a hint of dark brown at the corners of his dry mouth.
I don't know if it's medicine residue or blood.
Liu Dashan stared at the crumbling roof, and let out a hoarse chuckle from his throat, as if he wanted to say something, but his body was already at the end of its strength, and he had been beaten so badly that his internal organs were all injured. After a while, he stared unwillingly and held his breath.
"father!"
A young couple knelt beside the kang, holding Liu Dashan's cold hands and howling uncontrollably. Huaisheng banged his head on the ground and kowtowed three times. His eyes were filled with overwhelming hatred. "Dad, don't worry, your son will definitely avenge you!"
His wife Agui knelt beside him, crying inconsolably with her round belly sticking out.
We can't live like this anymore.
The Liu family was originally a tenant farmer. They were poor and relied on farming to make a living. Until half a year ago, when she became pregnant and it was rent payment time, the family's livelihood became even more difficult. Her father-in-law had no choice but to pawn his old things in exchange for some silver, but was instigated by the owner of the Luo family pawnshop to borrow money at high interest.
They originally thought that they would pay back the money after the autumn harvest, but with the interest compounding, they originally borrowed five taels of silver, but now they are required to pay back fifty taels. The father-in-law was so angry that he went to the pawnshop to argue with the owner. As a result, the other party not only moved up the repayment date, but also brought a group of thugs to their door, seized the family’s property, and occupied their ancestral property to pay off the debt.
The father-in-law was unwilling, so he went to file a complaint with the county magistrate. The case was complicated and dragged on for a long time. Until today, the magistrate openly favored the Luo family in court. Not only did he use the ancestral property to pay off the debt, but he also asked them to repay the debt double.
My father-in-law was dissatisfied with the official's decision, so he was beaten with a stick in court. He was so seriously injured that he finally passed away in the winter of that year without closing his eyes.
All that was left was this empty thatched hut and a pile of debts.
Agui was just a weak pregnant woman, and she really didn't know how she would live in the future.
Thinking of this, Agui cried even harder. She tugged at her husband's sleeve and said, "Huaisheng, let's run. If we don't run, tomorrow morning those people will come to collect the debt again. How can we pay them back? The lady next door owes money to the Luo family, and some time ago her daughter was kidnapped to pay off the debt. You can't let me..."
Ah Gui's cheeks trembled with fear, and the rest of his words turned into sad sobs.
Huaisheng wiped his tears and pounded his fist on the ground. "Luo Gui has relied on his nephew, an official in Beijing, to bully people in Tongxiang and abuse his power for years. If he doesn't die, where is justice?"
The Luo family has lost countless lives. They are not the first and will definitely not be the last.
Huaisheng made up his mind, helped his wife up, and said through gritted teeth, "I've made up my mind. The officials here are useless. Let's go to the capital..."
That night, Mrs. Luo woke up from a nightmare. It was freezing cold and she would break out in a cold sweat even if she took a nap on the table.
Mother Luo came forward to serve her tea.
After finishing her drink, Mrs. Luo looked at the sky. It was pitch black outside the window, with only the sound of snow foam hitting the window frame. She rubbed her forehead and lowered her head to think again.
New Year's Eve was approaching, and after the New Year, it would be time to send Li Susu off to get married, but she was still short of more than ten thousand taels of dowry.
"Why hasn't Luo Gui come yet?"
Last time, Luo Gui secretly wrote to say that someone was following him. Luo was afraid that the matter would be exposed, so now the two of them met in the middle of the night.
"I'll go to the corner gate and take a look."
Mother Luo put down the teacup, went out, and carefully closed the doors and windows. Not long after, she came back with a sneaky figure in a black cloak.
Luo Gui first handed over the silver note, then said that someone had been following him recently, and then talked about Liu Dashan's family.
Mrs. Luo was busy counting money, not paying attention to what he said. Her heart skipped a beat when he mentioned that Liu Dashan had been beaten to death. "Is this matter settled? Don't leave any room for anyone to use."
"Sister, you can rest assured. Neither the village head nor the county government will take away my benefits. What's more, I have a good nephew who is an official in Beijing. They can't curry favor with me all the time. I don't need to do anything this time, they will take the initiative." He made a gesture and smiled cruelly.
Luo Shi breathed a sigh of relief, "That's better."
They had been doing this for more than three years and rarely made any mistakes, so the Luo family didn't take Liu Dashan's matter to heart, thinking it was just a tenant farmer who died.
After counting the money, Luo's face was long, "Why is it still not enough?"
Luo Gui's flattering smile froze, and he said awkwardly, "Sister, I did my best..."
"Aren't there still some debts that haven't been collected? Hurry up, otherwise you won't be able to make it in time for Susu's wedding. If you delay Susu, I'll skin you alive!" Even though she was facing her only brother, Luo didn't hesitate when talking about money.
Luo Gui hurriedly agreed and quietly left the house with Luo Mama.
Little did he know that his comings and goings were all seen by the housekeeper.
Soon, a maid came out of Qionghua Hall and reported the content of the conversation between the Luo siblings to the housekeeper. The housekeeper was frightened and immediately went to knock on the gate of Lanyue Pavilion.
This was the power Zhao Qingyi gave her. She could report any disturbance without worrying about the time.
It just so happened that Zhao Qingyi had just returned from Qingyun Teahouse and had not yet rested. After listening to what the housekeeper said, she gave the tip as usual.
After everyone left, Zhao Qingyi turned and looked out the window.
She had already remembered that in the winter of the ninth year of Dingxi, heavy snow would continue for several months and would bring disaster to the people of Daliang.
In the face of natural disasters, which affected tens of thousands of people, Zhao Qingyi had no time to think too much. She could only put aside the dispute between the Luo siblings and Liu Dashan for the time being, and instead picked up her pen to quickly write a letter.
In the letter, Zhao Qingyi asked her father to pay attention to Shandong, Zhejiang, Nanzhili and other places in advance, so that when the disaster broke out, he could report it to the court in time for intervention to prevent the accumulated snow from becoming a disaster, which would then cause famine and displacement. At the end of the letter, she also attached "Three Strategies for Famine Relief" just in case.
This was a plan she had carefully considered in her previous life based on the disaster and considered feasible. Later, she told Li Che her plan for famine relief, and Li Che wrote it into "Three Strategies for Famine Relief" and submitted it to the emperor.
That year, the emperor implemented his memorial and successfully controlled the disaster. Li Che was rewarded by the court and rose to prominence, becoming closer to the center of power in the court.
But in this life, she didn't want to give Li Che an advantage, nor did she want to delay the disaster, so the best option was to offer this famine relief plan to her father.
After Zhao Qingyi dried her brush and ink, she asked Tan Yue to go there in person. When she came back, she should go to Meng Jiawen and ask him to borrow some people. Some of them would go to Tongxiang to protect Liu Dashan's son and daughter-in-law, and the other part would cooperate with her in performing the big show.
It's time to catch the big fish, Luo Shi.
These days, Luo has been worrying about Li Susu's dowry. Seeing that she can't rely on her son and daughter-in-law, and the amount her brother can contribute is just barely enough, she must find a way to make some more money before the end of the year.
During lunch, when Li Susu saw her still discussing dowry with Luo's mother, she curled her lips impatiently and said, "At worst, I won't get married. I'll just stay at home and be an old maid for the rest of my life."
Originally, she was somewhat reluctant to get married, but ever since she was plotted against by the Bo's family, Li Susu had become disheartened. The handsome Thirteenth Lang had no family background or achievements, while the Thirteenth Lang, who had a family background, was a cripple and could not inherit the title, and he had to pay for her. She felt resistant just thinking about it.
Seeing her depressed look, Mrs. Luo was furious. "You can be an old maid forever, but what about your brother?"
Luo cursed again, "The family is in misfortune." Nothing had gone well in the past year. Her daughter's marriage was a disaster, and her son's career suffered setbacks one after another. It was all thanks to her that they were struggling to support him.
She has such a miserable life. What would happen to her children if she were gone?
"Thirty thousand taels, bite your teeth and pay it, just as a guarantee for your brother's smooth career. If he lives well, then we can have a good life. When you marry into the uncle's house, your parents-in-law will not dare to look down on you."
In the past, Luo had always used this rhetoric to persuade her daughter. Now, she was also trying to persuade herself. Li Che had gotten into trouble because of that concubine, and his reputation had gotten worse and worse. Their family could only pin their hopes on the Bo Mansion, hoping that this marriage could maintain Li Che's career.
"My sister-in-law's family background is so powerful, but you don't even look up to her." Li Susu lowered her head and picked at her rice bowl with no appetite.
Mrs. Luo was so angry that she slammed the table, but she couldn't bear to hit her, so she urged her to get out in annoyance.
Li Susu put down her bowl and chopsticks and went back to the house, and Mrs. Luo became more depressed.
Mother Luo stepped forward to pour tea and advised, "Don't worry, Madam. Perhaps my aunt is worried about you and doesn't want you to worry about the 30,000 taels of dowry."
Luo clutched her chest and sighed helplessly, "Don't worry about her. Go and ask around to see if there are any other ways to make money quickly."
"If you want to talk about making money quickly, you have to ask Luo Gui." Mother Luo looked around, dismissed the others, and whispered in his ear, "Every time he comes to the capital, he stays at Wanhua Tower for a few days. Why don't I go find him and ask him?"
Thinking that her younger brother actually had time to visit brothels, Luo's head ached. "I think he's too idle. I'll go find him and see if there's any other way to make money. If not, I'll just pretend I don't have this younger brother!"
Mother Luo responded quickly and soon after leaving the house, she brought back good news.
Due to a snowstorm, a merchant caravan that was anxious to go out to sea was trapped in Beijing. They were in urgent need of money and had been asking around at various banks, but unfortunately no one paid any attention.
In the face of natural disasters and man-made disasters, even the major banks that lend money privately choose to play it safe and dare not agree rashly, but Mother Luo feels that this may be their opportunity.
Luo Shi was indeed interested. After asking about the specific situation of the caravan, he asked Luo's mother to find a way to arrange a face-to-face talk with the people.
That night, the master and servant left the house in the dark and met each other in a secluded alley. Luo Gui was in the middle, nodding and bowing, and it was obvious that he was the one who acted as the middleman.
Without waiting for Luo to say anything, the leading merchant put forward the conditions and directly asked Luo to borrow 30,000 taels, promising to return the principal and interest in a month. As for the collateral, it was a batch of precious silk, and all the boxes were sealed with the Meng family's seal.
The silk produced by the Meng family is a hot commodity wherever it goes.
Luo suspected something was wrong and asked carefully about the reason.
It turned out that these merchants were frequent visitors to the Meng family. They bought silk at the lowest price by trading quantity, and then secretly shipped the silk out to sea to make a fortune in overseas countries. Unexpectedly, this blizzard came suddenly and trapped them and their group.
Although the new emperor opened the sea market after he ascended the throne, not every merchant could go out to sea. Unfortunately, they happened to be the group of people who had not been cleared by the government. If they were investigated, they would inevitably be sued.
The longer they stayed in Beijing, the greater the danger. The merchants thought it would be better to get rid of the property as soon as possible, so they went around looking for people to borrow money and leave Beijing to avoid disaster.
The other party's panic didn't seem fake. Luo nodded calmly, thinking she had something on him. "Thirty thousand taels is too much. This is the maximum."
The other party gritted his teeth and said, "Twenty thousand is twenty thousand!"
Luo succeeded in bargaining and felt that he had gotten a good deal, and he began to think about the deal in his mind.
It's not impossible to borrow money. Even if the person runs away after a month, I still have this batch of silk in my hands. I can sell it after the spring and get back the money I lent out.
Luo made a rough estimate and found that these dozen boxes of fine silk were worth thousands of gold coins, which was equivalent to at least tens of thousands of taels of silver. The other party was afraid that she would not agree, so he brought out two boxes. When they were opened, the jewels and treasures were overwhelming.
"These are all valuable jewels, but they're so heavy we can't take them with us, so we'll leave them as collateral. Is that enough now?"
The leading merchant was afraid that Luo would not believe him, so he took out the deeds and account books of the silk and jewelry purchases.
Luo was not someone who could sort out the accounts, but since she had come in person, it would be hard to let anyone see her true intentions, so she took it and pretended to flip through it.
The other party couldn't wait, "Madam, these are all bought with real silver, there is no adulteration."
Mother Luo glanced at the seal at the end of the deed, then nodded to indicate that it was indeed the Meng family seal. She then looked at the amount and realized that the purchase alone had cost more than 20,000 taels. If they resold it at the market price, they could also make a profit. Who knows, that might even make up for Li Susu's 30,000 taels dowry.
No matter how you look at it, it's a sure-win deal.
Luo Gui and Luo's mother unpacked the boxes one by one and inspected the goods to make sure they were all genuine. Only then did Luo sign a receipt with the leading merchant. Of course, the receipt involved usury and could not be seen in public. In the past, Luo Gui had always done it, and this was the first time she had done it herself.
After signing and sealing the agreement, Luo's heart was still pounding. She put the receipt away, gave the money, and swallowed hard. "We agreed that the payment will be in a month. If you miss the deadline, I will take over the collateral."
"Thank you, ma'am." The merchant was so grateful that he asked his men to help carry the boxes and crates. "Where would you like to store this shipment of silk and jewelry? We brothers will help you deliver it on the way."
Mrs. Luo had not thought about this problem before she came. She immediately gave the address of the old house and asked Mrs. Luo to keep an eye on it personally to make sure that all the dozen or so boxes and cages were brought into the old house. Only then did she feel relieved.
It was past midnight when she finished all this. The Li family was quiet and no one noticed that she had gone out.
Luo thought she had done everything perfectly, but she didn't know that less than a quarter of an hour after she returned home, the news was delivered to Lanyue Pavilion.
As the year draws to a close, Zhao Qingyi becomes increasingly busy, often staying up until midnight to rest.
When Tan Yue came back with the news, she was calculating the profits of all the shops in the past six months. The dowry shop had made great profits without Luo's interference, and with the dividends she got from her cousin Meng Jiawen, she made a fortune.
Looking at the table full of accounts, Zhao Qingyi relaxed for a rare moment and stroked the last blank line of the account book with his fingers.
After the New Year, the 20,000 taels that Luo "lent" could be received.
Tonight should be a good dream.
After sending the maid away, Zhao Qingyi was about to blow out the lamp and go to bed when there was another knock on the door.
This was not Tan Yue Qiaoyue's habit. After a little thought, she guessed who the visitor was. Before she could put on her clothes and open the door, the tightly closed window on the other side opened and a dark shadow came in.
It was still snowing outside. Chu Yuanhe came in and took off his cloak, and snowflakes fell all over the ground.
Zhao Qingyi was helpless, "The prince is becoming more and more reckless."
He had come twice before quietly, but once she was sick and he came to take care of her, and once he was being plotted against and he came to clean up the mess. Zhao Qingyi had not yet emphasized this to him seriously.
"After all, I am a decent woman. I'm afraid it's inappropriate for you to come and go like this."
"Okay, I'll go then."
Chu Yuanhe spread his hands, took a few steps back, and sat on the windowsill. Under Zhao Qingyi's horrified gaze, he fell straight back.
"Prince!" Zhao Qingyi didn't have time to think, and walked forward barefoot to hold him, but saw Chu Yuanhe suddenly stand up and stand outside the window safely.
“…”
She immediately restrained her expression, and her eyes could kill.
Chu Yuanhe found it amusing and chuckled, "So Miss Zhao cares so much about me. But don't worry, you won't fall to your death from this height."
After saying that, he reached out to Zhao Qingyi again.
His palms were broad, his fingers were long, and his muscles and bones were clearly visible under his wheat-colored skin, all of which contained strength. It was obvious that he was a person who had practiced martial arts for many years.
The scabbed scar on his palm was particularly prominent.
In addition, there is an old scar on the palm of his hand, which was caused by him blocking an arrow for her when they first met in the northwest. Now it is all visible as if reminding her of her debt to Chu Yuanhe.
Zhao Qingyi's heart, as hard as stone, was touched for a moment, and the harsh and unpleasant words got stuck in his throat and he couldn't say them out.
She shifted her gaze to the ends of his snow-stained hair. It would be bad to let such a noble prince stand outside the window and get wet in the snow.
So Zhao Qingyi reached out to help him.
However, they were still in a state of being neither familiar nor unfamiliar, so she still kept a sense of propriety and only touched Chu Yuanhe's wrist.
Chu Yuanhe deliberately held her hand, and his rough fingertips touched her delicate skin, just like touching soft silk.
It turns out that Zhao Qingyi's hands are not only beautiful, but also nice to touch.
Chu Yuanhe smiled broadly, his tone joking, "I extended my hand to ask for a gift, are you... going to give yourself to me as a New Year's gift?"
Zhao Qingyi's ears suddenly turned red.
You are really asking for more!
All the feelings of being moved and being soft-hearted were thrown out of the window at this moment. Zhao Qingyi quickly pushed him away and pretended to close the window.
Chu Yuanhe quickly supported both sides and squeezed in with one long leg.
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