Chapter 157 Being Eyed
The other was Lady Bai, the wife of the Duke of Li. She had no prior dealings with Lady Bai, but when the family divided their property, the Duke of Li personally came to their door to support them. Although the Duke of Li was considering the face of his in-law, the Earl of Nanping, their General's Mansion still owed them this favor.
So they arranged a day for the two to welcome their distinguished guest.
After exchanging pleasantries, Madam Ning asked directly, "I wonder what brings you two here today?"
The old lady of the Zhenbei Marquis's mansion smiled kindly: "Can't I come to see you if there's nothing else? Our two families have always had a good relationship, and since we haven't seen each other for so long, I thought I'd come and visit you."
The old lady of the Marquis of Zhenbei was rather reserved, while the lady of the Duke of Li's mansion was straightforward. Seeing that the old lady of the Marquis of Zhenbei was taking a conciliatory approach, she became somewhat impatient and directly stated her purpose:
"To be honest, besides visiting the old lady today, I do have something else I'd like to discuss with the young mistress. I wonder if I could meet with her?"
Madam Ning: "This—"
She thought to herself that her daughter-in-law had guessed right. These two people who came to visit really wanted to see her. It was hard for them to have spent so much time showing concern for her.
Madam Ning smiled gently: "I'm so sorry, my son Yunqi's birthday is in a few days. I asked the master of Taijue Temple to do a divination. The master said that if a family member can pray for him in seclusion for a month, it will be better to help his soul pass on to the afterlife."
My daughter-in-law is virtuous; she immediately began praying behind closed doors, and it has only been seven days since then—"
Old Madam Ning looked troubled, and Madam Bai and the Old Madam of Zhenbei were somewhat taken aback by the outcome.
However, both of them were skilled at social interaction within the inner quarters, and after a moment's thought, they understood what was going on.
The Baiyeqing wine was selling like hotcakes outside, and many people wanted to get a piece of the pie. It was said that countless people had sent invitations to visit, but the General's Mansion had turned them all away under the pretext of the mourning period.
The fact that the two of them are sitting here now is because they used to have some relationship with each other.
However, the two women were not annoyed. Although they could not see the young mistress, the fact that they were allowed to come and bother them showed that the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had already remembered their two families. If someone were to get involved in this business in the future, they would at least consider their two families.
Unless, in the end, someone even families like theirs would have to avoid, then that person is a true benefactor.
It's unlikely that such a situation would occur. Although this wine sells extremely well, it's still not comparable to the famous wines supplied to the emperor. Those nobles wouldn't be interested in this kind of business.
However, since they had come all this way, it was inappropriate to leave right after finishing their conversation. The three of them were of similar age and naturally had a lot to talk about, so they sat for a while longer, chatting about gossip and other family matters, before the two ladies finally headed home.
After everyone left, Old Madam Ning immediately ordered someone to summon Yu Qingci and asked her with concern:
"Won't we offend them by making excuses like this? If that happens, it won't be good. Our General's Mansion is now just an empty shell without any men to support it. How can we withstand even a single word from these powerful families?"
Seeing her mother-in-law's worried expression, Yu Qingci advised:
"Mother is overthinking it. The two people who came to visit today are both highly respected elders. They would never have any bad impression of us because of this. Besides, business deals can't be finalized in one fell swoop. We need to think about it."
Madam Ning felt slightly relieved.
Two days later, after leaving his post, the Earl of Nanping came to visit his daughter.
After finishing a cup of tea, the Earl of Nanping sighed deeply, his words tinged with unease, before he could even speak.
Seeing this, Yu Qingci took the initiative to ask, "Father, why did you come to visit so suddenly today? Did something bother you?"
The Earl of Nanping glared at him: "What do you think?"
Yu Qingci smiled slightly: "Is it about the brewing recipe?"
The Earl of Nanping nodded irritably: "You guessed right, daughter. It was fine when you sold Xia Guang Jin before; those who were envious could just go south to buy it. But this Bai Ye Qing is a recipe you obtained yourself. Now that the wine is selling so well, it's natural that people are eyeing it."
These days, many of my colleagues in the court have come to me to inquire about this matter, implying that they want to get involved and get a share of the profits.
Upon hearing this, Yu Qingci became less anxious and listened obediently as her father finished speaking.
Nanping Bo continued, "When you told me before that you wanted to build a winery, I thought it was just ordinary yellow wine on the market. I even wanted to advise you not to bother. Who would have thought that you could make such a big fuss? I didn't know you had this ability?"
Yu Qingci's heart tightened, and she was about to say the words she had prepared when her father continued speaking to himself:
"Do you know who's been coming to me? I won't go into details, but going back a few years, the Left Prime Minister and the Marquis of Zhongxin's families have both tried to get close to me."
The Left Chancellor is from the Empress's maternal family, and the Marquis of Zhongxin is the Consort's father. Both are powerful figures and cannot be offended. Even someone as noble as the Earl of Nanping said that the pressure was immense.
Seeing her father's sighing expression, Yu Qingci almost burst out laughing. She quickly pretended to cough and covered half of her face with a handkerchief.
But Nanping Bo still noticed this little action and glared at his daughter, saying:
"You're still laughing? It's all because of you that I've gotten into trouble. Do you know that even Prince Yue took the initiative to catch up with me today?"
"Girl, these are people your father can't afford to offend. Tell me, what should we do?"
It's no wonder that the Earl of Nanping is worried. The people he mentioned, whether it's the Left Chancellor, the Marquis of Zhongxin, or Prince Yue, the current emperor's cousin and the late emperor's half-brother, are all people that the Earl of Nanping cannot refuse.
"The yellow wine passed down from our ancestors for so many years has suddenly become clear in your hands. Who wouldn't be curious? Even your father is extremely curious. It's fortunate that your father's status is still reliable, so these people haven't pounced on us directly. If your father hadn't been more capable, and our Earl's Mansion had declined more, you wouldn't have been able to keep your winery."
Yu Qingci stood up, her hem swaying gracefully: "Father, you've worked hard."
Uncle Nanping waved his hand dismissively, saying he would just complain to his daughter, but in his heart he was secretly proud. As a father, he could shelter his children from the wind and rain and protect them from being bullied. Not everyone could do that.
Currently, no male members of the General's Mansion are out socializing. Given that the General and his son have just sacrificed their lives for the country, and even the Emperor has taken care of their widows, no one dares to openly cause trouble for the General's Mansion in the short term. However, things may change over time.
My daughter was lucky to be able to buy such a good prescription; I guess it must have cost a lot of money.
Ren Nanping couldn't figure out that Bai Yeqing's prescription was Yu Qingyan's memory from her previous life, so he naturally assumed that his daughter had bought the prescription with her own money.
However, this prescription was so coveted that people couldn't get in touch with the daughter herself, so naturally many people set their sights on the Earl of Nanping.
These days, the number of people inviting the Earl of Nanping to drink and party after court sessions has suddenly increased, and even the brothers of the Empress and the Imperial Concubine in the palace have taken the initiative to greet him with smiles.
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