054

There was a light snow in Sheng'an last night.

Song Jin had just returned from Suizhou, and his body had not yet adapted to the coldness of Sheng'an.

I have already wrapped myself in a thick cloak.

Qing Wu came in rubbing her red fingertips, "Madam, Steward Zhao just said that the eldest prince sent a visiting card yesterday, saying that he wanted to come and thank you."

Song Jin was puzzled for a moment, then remembered the deal he made with Xu Changyi. It seemed that he came here for that matter.

After a while, a servant led a couple through the Moon Cave Gate.

Xu Changyi held the woman carefully.

Looking at the woman's complexion, there seemed to be a hint of illness that had not yet faded, and her cheeks were slightly flushed.

Song Jin observed the two of them silently.

I think this woman is the eldest prince's wife, Zhao, who has never appeared in public.

Zhao was weak and could not stand the slightest bit of cold wind, but in order to show her sincerity, she insisted on making the trip in person no matter how Xu Changyi persuaded her.

"This must be the Lord of Junning County."

Zhao smiled softly, brushed away Xu Changyi's hand, and walked straight to Song Jin.

Song Jin gave her the soup prepared by Qing Wu.

Zhao's eyes changed for a moment, and she said nonchalantly, "I heard from His Highness that the county lord is willing to give us the Soul Evening Flower. I think it's a pity that the cooperation with Zhaiyue Tower ends here. I wonder if the county lord is willing to cooperate with us again?"

Song Jin pretended to be embarrassed: "The eldest prince's wife should know that I can't be the master of Zhaiyue Tower."

The remaining eyes looked at Xu Changyi who was silent beside him.

How come the eldest prince didn't react at all when it was Zhao who spoke?

Zhao noticed her gaze and pursed her lips slightly. "Others don't know the relationship between the county lord and Zhaiyue Tower, but we two can guess a little. The prince must have come to you for this matter a few months ago. I won't make it difficult for the county lord. I just want a chance to cooperate with Zhaiyue Tower for a long time."

With just a few words, Song Jin could discern many different meanings from her.

The eldest prince's wife, who was bedridden, was not as stupid as imagined.

During a few conversations, he pointed out her and Zhaiyue Tower's identities, and used the prince to put pressure on her. He was really smart.

Song Jin raised his hand to pour tea, and said calmly: "The eldest prince's wife is really a surprise. Even if you two use this to threaten me, if I surrender obediently, you two will look down on me. Merchants value profit. As long as it is profitable, there is no cooperation that cannot be done."

Push the hot tea with bare hands.

The slowly rising heat was dissipated by the wind.

Zhao lowered her eyes.

After a long pause, she raised her eyes and gave a firm answer: "All the businesses under my name can be transferred to Zhaiyue Tower."

“No!”

Xu Changyi rebuked her and turned to stare at her. "The cooperation is between us. Don't drag her into it."

Zhao's maternal family was not powerful, and she married him because she was in love with him. The dowry was the foundation of her future life and could not be given away easily.

Xu Changyi knew very well how many innocent people would die after the fight for succession began.

He couldn't bear to see the Zhao family suffer because of him.

Song Jin looked at the two of them with interest, "What if I insist on having what the eldest prince's wife mentioned?"

Xu Changyi was about to object immediately, but was stopped by Zhao.

She took a deep breath and said, "Okay, County Lord, I will present these to you in three days. Please remember to cooperate with me as promised."

This cooperation is no longer a simple business cooperation.

The future of Zhaiyue Tower is destined to be closely intertwined with the royal family.

Song Jin curled his lips: "It's a deal."

After seeing the two off, Qing Wu began to clean up the table.

Thinking back to what I just heard, I couldn't help but feel confused.

"Madam, why do so many people want to cooperate with Zhaiyue Tower?"

In her eyes, Zhaiyue Tower was just a bigger business, and it was far more than enough to attract the attention of the princes.

On this point, Song Jin knew more than her.

She said, "Of course it's because I, your wife, have played a role in connecting the Moon-Picking Tower with the Imperial Merchants. The Moon-Picking Tower is now completely different from what it was before."

Qing Wu was puzzled: "Won't they be jealous of me?"

That is indeed the case, and that is why there is such an agreement.

Song Jin smiled but said nothing, and turned to talk about other things: "Okay, it's time to go see the eldest princess later."

Qing Wu nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

She believes in her wife.

*

Xu Li'er is much smarter than Song Jin imagined.

Some things can be learned immediately, which saves her a lot of effort.

In order to thank her, Xu Lier invited her to have dinner at her house.

Song Jin refused in vain, so he agreed to her request.

"Speaking of which, does the county lord still remember Zhao Wuan?" Xu Li'er suddenly mentioned a person, "It was the county lord who recommended him at the beginning. The prince consort told me that this colleague of his is amazing. He has already become the assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue at a young age."

Song Jin was shocked.

Is Zhao Wuan already the Minister of Rites?

As expected of the Prime Minister in the previous life, his career advancement is so rapid.

Seeing her calm expression, Xu Lian'er said in surprise, "Isn't the county lord surprised? In all these years in the Yu Dynasty, there has been no one like him. I'm afraid the young ladies in Sheng'an are trying their best to win his favor."

A rising tide lifts all boats.

Song Jin understood this principle.

Zhao Wuan has become the focus of much attention, but I wonder how Xu Nanheng feels now.

Song Jin's lips curled up unconsciously, and he looked at the crowd with a pause, "Of course I was surprised, but compared to Zhao Wuan, I was more surprised by the princess's husband."

Xu Li'er didn't understand what was going on, so she followed her gaze and said, "Prince Consort? Prince Consort, why is that—"

The voice stopped abruptly.

The Prince Consort Wang Anlin, as they were calling him, was flirting with the Eighth Princess as they walked hand in hand into a private room of a restaurant.

Xu Lier couldn't believe it.

I subconsciously chased after him.

The eldest princess and her husband have been married for several months and have been living in harmony. Song Jin can also hear from her words that her husband is very gentle and caring towards her, and is slowly healing her inner wounds.

But what we are seeing now is hard to understand.

Xu Li'er doesn't have much affection for her sisters except Xu Muqing.

There is still some superficial sisterhood.

Xu Lier had no idea which room Wang Anlin and the others entered.

"Princess, maybe it's a misunderstanding?"

Xu Li'er clenched her palms, a flash of pain in her eyes, "Misunderstanding... Yes, maybe it's a misunderstanding..."

She lowered her chin and muttered to herself in a low voice.

She didn't want to believe that her husband had betrayed her.

There must be something hidden!

Xu Lier pulled herself together and said, "I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, but I'm afraid I won't be able to have dinner with you tonight."

Song Jin understood: "Don't be sad, Princess. Seeing is not necessarily believing."

*

At night, the stars shine brightly.

When Wang Anlin came back from his shift, the servants said that the eldest princess had not eaten all day and was in a low mood after returning home. She stayed in the room by herself and didn't see anyone.

When they first got married, Xu Li'er also locked herself up in the room like this.

Wang Anlin took it as a normal thing, took the lantern from the servant, and went to look for her alone.

Xu Liner's yard was brightly lit with candles.

Knowing that she was not asleep, Wang Anlin knocked on the door, "Lian'er, I brought your favorite red oil wonton. It won't taste good if you eat it late."

No one in the house responded.

"Didn't you go to study with the Lord of Junning County today? Why are you unhappy after coming back? Did you not learn well?"

"It doesn't matter if I really can't continue studying. I will work hard to get promoted and win the favor of His Majesty..."

Before he could finish his words, the door slowly opened.

Xu Li'er's eyes were red and she was only wearing thin clothes. The cold wind from outside blew in suddenly, making her shiver.

Wang Anlin hurriedly closed the door, took off his cloak and put it on her.

The tone is accusatory.

"I told you not to wear so little when it's cold. Your palms will get cold."

He put down the red oil wonton, held Xu Lier's hand in his palm, lowered his head to blow out the hot air, and then put it against his chest.

"Why are you unhappy? Tell me."

Xu Li'er sniffed and said in a low voice, "An Lin, will you dislike me... dislike me for not being able to bring you power?"

After all, she was the least favored among the princesses by the emperor.

Wang Anlin did not get tired of repeating the words he had said several times, "I, Wang Anlin, am not a snobbish person. It is my blessing to marry the princess. Princess, please do not belittle yourself."

"In my heart, the princess has always been dazzling."

Xu Li'er thought of the scene she saw during the day, and felt sad. "There are so many people who are more dazzling than me. How can you be sure that they won't win your heart? Having three wives and four concubines is common..."

"The wonton is getting cold." Wang Anlin lowered his eyes to interrupt her, and took her to sit down, "Lian'er, come and try it. I waited in line for a long time to buy it."

Xu Li'er was stunned. He didn't even want to listen to her finish her words?

She smiled silently and lowered her head to eat the wontons with red oil.

"Is it delicious?" Wang Anlin asked.

"tasty."

Xu Lier blinked, and a tear fell into the red oil, disappearing in an instant.

*

At the same time, the Hou Mansion.

He also came back from his shift and heard Song Jin waiting for him.

Cui Huaiji's face was visibly filled with joy.

Shi An wanted to hold the lamp for him, but he was urged to go back and rest.

He carried a lamp and went to Song Jin's yard.

"Why don't you rest yet?"

Song Jin's house is equipped with floor heating.

As soon as he stepped in, Cui Huaiji felt as if he was wrapped in a ball of fire and immediately untied his cloak.

Song Jin tilted his head and stared at him, "The eldest prince came to see me this morning, you should know about this, right? I want to ask you what the current situation of Sheng'an is, so that I can be more stable in the future."

[Is it because of this?]

Cui Huaiji was obviously disappointed. "All you have to do is not help anyone and just take care of the business of Zhaiyue Tower."

After a pause, he sighed.

[Your Majesty's health is deteriorating. My sister suspects someone has poisoned him. It is better not to let Meimei know about this.]

"There is one more thing. The prince wants me to investigate the matter of Yang Chaoxue's miscarriage. What do you think I should do?"

Song Jin was still immersed in what he said about the emperor being poisoned.

[Your Majesty has been poisoned. The murderer is estimated to be among the princes. The struggle for the succession to the throne in the previous life was fierce. This incident was recorded in history books. It seems that it was revealed by Xu Nanheng...]

"Ming-Ming?"

Cui Huaiji's eyes flickered slightly.

How did she know that His Majesty was poisoned...

Song Jin came back to his senses, thinking quickly, "If the prince wants to investigate, then the Marquis will investigate. The prince should also know whose child Yang Chaoxue is pregnant with, and maybe the Marquis can help the prince identify the person next to her."

Without Xu Guanlin's favor, Yang Chaoxue's status in the East Palace would plummet.

The more Cui Huaiji thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong.

He never mentioned that His Majesty was poisoned. Even if Song Jin was very capable of foreseeing the future, he would not know what he was thinking.

He raised his eyes nonchalantly and looked at someone who was in a trance again.

Cui Huaiji narrowed his eyes slightly.

[Who do you think was responsible for His Majesty's poisoning?]