She felt both heartache and grievance, and overwhelmed with sorrow, she couldn't help but cry out.
The wooden door of the house creaked open at that moment, and when Zhao Qianlan looked up, she saw Song Juncai, dressed in official robes, stepping over the threshold with a weary expression.
Seeing his appearance, Zhao Qianlan could tell he had been busy at the government office, and her grievances subsided somewhat.
"You're back so late. I made you some soup myself, and it's keeping warm in the small kitchen. I'll have someone bring it to you now."
Song Juncai nodded, about to speak, when he saw Zhao Qianlan's red-rimmed eyes: "What's wrong with you? Why are you crying?"
Zhao Qianlan finally couldn't hold back anymore: "You don't care at all about how badly our daughter has been beaten. When I saw it today, my heart was torn apart."
Upon hearing this, Song Juncai was startled. After Zhao Qianlan finished explaining what had happened that day, he sighed heavily again.
"It's all because of this Fengshan ceremony that I'm so stressed out. As an official of the Ministry of Rites, everyone else is on duty at the yamen until midnight, so I didn't know about Ruo'an's situation."
"If I knew, I would definitely go to the Marquis's residence with you to get to the bottom of this!"
Zhao Qianlan shook her head: "It's a good thing you didn't go. If you had gone and there had been another argument, He Yunce might have really divorced Ruo'an!"
Song Juncai felt bad listening to this, but after thinking it over, he also felt that Song Ruoan was in the wrong.
"Don't even mention his anger. I can't even go on living like this now. The first time she said she had medical skills, she caused trouble for the wife of the Minister of Rites. Now I'm caught between two sides in the government office. You have no idea how difficult my life is."
"Now, the second time, thinking it was a good business deal, they invested half of the Song family's fortune, causing all of the Song family's cash to go down the drain!"
Hearing Song Juncai's increasingly loud voice, Zhao Qianlan swallowed hard, but dared not mention the matter of selling the Song family's property to pay off He Yunce's debts.
She was afraid that Song Juncai might go out and find someone else out of disappointment, or even adopt a son from the first wife's family and give all the family's possessions to the first wife's family.
So she hurriedly said, "She is my own daughter after all, there's nothing I can do about it."
“However, He Yunce has now become a discarded son of the Marquis’s family. If we help him, we will be like half parents. If An gives birth to a few sons in the future, we can raise one of them under our care. It would be much better than having a child from the eldest son’s family adopted.”
Upon hearing this, Song Juncai sighed: "It just so happens that the Ministry of Rites is in charge of the Fengshan Ceremony. His Majesty attaches great importance to this Fengshan Ceremony, and many officials who want to attend have to cultivate relationships with the Ministry of Rites."
"I'll go and see if there are any officials who can help me or get things done for He Yunze."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Qianlan's eyes flickered as if she had thought of something: "What kind of officials will be going?"
Song Juncai thought she was just curious: "Officials of the third rank or above will definitely go, such as the ministers of the six ministries. As for the others, it depends on the specific arrangements."
Zhao Qianlan lowered her eyes: "Then... the one currently in power in the Zhao family is the Minister of Works, Zhao Qingshu, who is also the elder brother of Consort Liang and the maternal uncle of Prince Yu..."
“You are also related to him by marriage. If you cultivate a good relationship with Zhao Qingshu, you can transfer to the Ministry of Works in the future. If you have a good relationship, you can ask him to put in a good word for you with Prince Yu. Wouldn’t that smooth things over with Yun Ce as well?”
Song Juncai waved his hand: "It's a completely unrelated relationship. I've thought about this path before. I tried it a few years ago, but let alone being treated with courtesy, he gave me a lot of cold looks. His attitude towards me was worse than that of ordinary officials. He has never liked to use connections."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Qianlan's expression changed: "He actually gave you the cold shoulder from the very beginning?"
Song Juncai was used to it and didn't take it seriously: "There are plenty of things like this in officialdom. He's Prince Yu's maternal uncle, so who knows what might happen in the future... It's normal for him to be arrogant."
After he finished speaking, Zhao Qianlan did not reply. She remained silent, and it was unclear what she was thinking.
Song Juncai turned to look at her: "Why did you suddenly stop talking?"
Zhao Qianlan suddenly looked up, gritted her teeth, and said, "My husband, I want to go to the Fengshan ceremony with you."
The flickering candlelight added a touch of charm to Zhao Qianlan's well-maintained face.
Even in middle age, the two remained deeply in love, and Song Juncai had virtually no concubines in his harem, which was undoubtedly due to Zhao Qianlan's abilities.
Song Juncai was somewhat intoxicated, yet also puzzled: "What are you going to do?"
Without hesitation, Zhao Qianlan replied, "This time, the Empress Dowager and other imperial concubines will be attending the Fengshan ceremony. If I go, I can build a good relationship with Consort Liang, and your days in the government office won't be so difficult."
Upon hearing this, Song Juncai was suddenly moved, realizing that Zhao Qianlan had truly sacrificed a great deal for the Song family.
She couldn't have a son. She had been tormented by the mean and difficult old lady at home for half her life. After finally separating from the family, the old lady was given to the second wife to take care of. And then this happened to her daughter.
Song Juncai stared at Zhao Qianlan without moving, then suddenly became distracted: "If you want to go, then go. I'll make the arrangements for you."
As he spoke, he slowly touched Zhao Qianlan's face again, his expression becoming ambiguous.
Zhao Qianlan pressed her advantage, saying, "Let's also arrange for Ruo'an and Yun Ce to participate in this Fengchan ceremony. Yun Ce is quick-witted, and he might get a chance to make a contribution this time, which would solve the current problem."
Song Juncai took off his official robes and pounced on them, saying, "Fine, whatever you say! Let them all go!"
"You damned bastard Song Xizhi, you're not allowed to go!" Zhao Qianlan said coquettishly.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
