Chapter 139 Unjust Humiliation
Logically speaking, for such a big event, with wedding invitations already sent out, even if the Lu family didn't value this illegitimate daughter, they wouldn't have made any changes without making a sound.
"I was also puzzled by this, so I asked a few of my girlfriends that I usually chat with. That's when I found out that the tea merchant was going to take a concubine tomorrow, but he said it would clash with Miss Mingzhu's birth chart, so he postponed it by a day."
Chun Tao's tone was already tinged with anger as she spoke.
Although the tea merchant had some family business, he was known for favoring his concubine, so the position of his principal wife was just an empty formality.
Now that this whole mess has happened, if Mingzhu really marries into that family, she'll be bullied terribly by those concubines.
For Lu Mingzhu, getting married was like jumping from one fire pit into another abyss; otherwise, there was really no difference.
Using "collision" as an excuse is just a casual form of mockery directed at others.
"Outrageous! This is outrageous!"
Yu Nian rarely gets truly angry, but the Lu family really went too far this time.
In this era, women's status was already low, and the huge difference between legitimate and illegitimate children was already suffocating Mingzhu. Now she also had to suffer oppression from a bunch of concubines.
Mingzhu was humiliated by these people for no reason before she was even married.
"Miss, what do we do now? Should we change the plan?"
Yu Nian pursed her lips and pondered for a moment.
Making changes now might be too late, and there might not be enough time to notify Yu Jing in time.
"It's alright, everything will proceed as planned tomorrow night."
Since Lu Baishi has pulled this stunt, Yu Nian might as well play along.
As night fell, Yu Nian tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep despite her exhaustion, because she was worried about Lu Mingzhu's matter the next day.
I really hope everything goes smoothly tomorrow and that I can successfully rescue Mingzhu from this misery.
After an unknown amount of time, Yu Nian drifted into a light sleep, only to be awakened by the sound of pages turning.
Hmm... Could it be that Chun Tao forgot to close the window and the wind blew in?
Yu Nian sat up groggily, lifted the bed curtain, and found that the lights were still on in the room!
Chunyu Han sat behind his desk, with a large stack of thick booklets beside him.
Seriously? What time is it? You're still reading here...
"Did I disturb you?"
Chunyu Han looked up at Yu Nian, whose hair was messy from sleeping and whose clothes were loose.
She usually sleeps like a log, so why are her ears so pointed today?
"No, I'm thirsty, I'm getting up to get some water."
Yu Nian smiled with narrowed eyes. This contestant, who was living under someone else's roof, dared to say it?
It's so late, and instead of reading in his spacious Honeysuckle Pavilion study, he's come to her room to read.
Chunyu Han lowered his head and said something in a very casual tone.
"The noodles tasted alright."
Yu Nian raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, surprised that he had actually eaten the longevity noodles after returning.
The fact that her carefully prepared items were appreciated made Yu Nian feel much better after being woken up.
She stood by the round table and poured Chunyu Han a glass of water as well.
The effects of the cake seemed to have worn off by now, and Yu Nian no longer felt like she was being sucked in.
"It's so late, is my husband still looking at the account books?"
With the lights so dim and the ledger filled with tiny characters, Yu Nian was a little worried that Chunyu Han might become nearsighted in the future.
"Yes, business has been suffering some losses lately."
Chunyu Han remembered Yu Nian's blind box business, so he talked to her for a while.
"Who's the person selling those blind boxes at your stall?"
That person seems to have a knack for business; if we can win him over, he might be able to put up a fight against Yu Sheng.
Yu Nian was taken aback. Her drowsiness had dissipated considerably, and her heart was in her throat. But then she thought that if Chunyu Han really recognized her, he probably wouldn't be so calm.
So he put his mind at ease and calmly answered.
"You mean him? He's a cousin from a branch of the Yu family, and he's on good terms with my third brother, so he came to help out."
This isn't really my blind box business; I was just coming up with an idea to help out my family.
Yu Nian tried her best to distance herself from the blind box business, as this was her life savings for the future. Who knew what would happen in the future? Saving money was the only way to survive.
The Yu family is large and powerful, with numerous branches and countless distant and cousin relatives. Even if you were to investigate, you might not be able to find out everything.
Chunyu Han tentatively believed Yu Nian's words, but his eyes dimmed. Since this person had a close relationship with Yu Sheng, he could not be used by him.
Moreover, Yu Nian's words about helping out her family sounded inexplicably jarring to him, and a chill suddenly ran through him.
Her heart was only for those few people in the Prime Minister's mansion.
One second they're having a nice chat, the next their aura changes drastically.
Looking at Chunyu Han's expression, Yu Nian realized that he must have really lost a lot, otherwise why would he be so angry for no reason?
Yu Nian used her gold bar identity to cooperate with Li Mingjin. Although it was arguably taking advantage of him, Li Mingjin's net worth would definitely increase dramatically in the future.
In order to balance these interests, we certainly cannot allow him to have a monopoly.
"Husband, how about I come up with an idea to help you out?"
Yu Niancan's eyes, as bright as stars, shimmered in the candlelight, and a smile curved her pink lips, revealing a cunning air.
Tell me about it.
Chunyu Han put down the ledger. Since Yu Nian could come up with such a novel idea as blind boxes, perhaps she had some good way to turn around his losses.
"Then my husband must promise me that if this idea is feasible, you will do me a small favor."
Chunyu Han knew that she wasn't one to suffer a loss; if she had a tail, it would be wagging it happily right now.
"Can."
Chunyu Han nodded in agreement, and Yu Nian picked up the pen that Chunyu Han had used and wrote four large characters on the paper.
Welfare lottery tickets.
In Chunyu Han's eyes, this word was extremely contradictory.
Gambling is a shady and unacceptable activity, yet it is presented as something that benefits the people.
Chunyu Han raised his eyes, waiting for Yu Nian to explain.
"If we want to quickly solve our current financial difficulties, we need to take a shortcut. Although it is gambling, we can use a portion of the proceeds to benefit the country and avoid giving others cause for criticism."
Yu Nian gave Chunyu Han a simple example, and given Chunyu Han's quick thinking, he would understand as long as Yu Nian gave a general explanation.
“Use numbers as lottery numbers, either in groups of five or seven, and print them on lottery tickets for sale. Assuming the prize pool is five thousand taels of silver, the draw will be held the next day. The numbers will be engraved on small balls and drawn publicly. Whoever matches all the numbers will win the five thousand taels of silver in the prize pool.”
Lottery tickets do exist in the Great Zhao Kingdom. Yu Nian saw them at the Mid-Autumn Festival market, but they were mostly used for drawing prizes or solving riddles.
Upon hearing this, Chunyu Han's eyes flashed with a hint of excitement; even a small lottery ticket could be played in this way.
Even considering only seven numbers, the probability of winning is ever-changing. If you ignore luck and buy all the possible combinations, the total cost would already exceed the prize pool of five thousand taels.
If handled carefully, it will undoubtedly be a profitable deal that also brings fame and fortune.
In terms of investment, this idea is far more profitable than blind boxes. Yu Nian left this better idea to him, and Chunyu Han finally felt a little more at ease.
His gaze towards Yu Nian softened slightly, and Chunyu Han spoke in a deep voice.
"Tell me, what do you want?"
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