Chapter 25 Chapter 25 [VIP]
Chapter 25
He called her the head of the Qian family, which meant he knew more than she imagined.
It was so powerful that he dug up her past relationship. It was like putting a huge hat on her head. If she admitted it, she would never be able to get over it.
"My lord, are you going to arrest me?" If anyone else had been interrogated like this, they would have fallen to their knees in fear. But she didn't. She simply turned around and said a little aggrievedly, "That's not what my lord said when he sent someone to deliver the message."
I don't know what the screen is made of. It is neither air nor light-transmitting, so I can't tell whether the person sitting inside is a human or a ghost. She didn't speak for a long time, probably to give her a chance to explain.
She asked, "Your Excellency, did you hear what Lan Zhizhou said?"
"This person cannot be trusted." Qian Tong didn't shy away from speaking ill of someone behind their back. "Zhizhou Lan is colluding with the Cui family. Your Excellency must have found evidence. He's a desperate man, so you should consider his words carefully."
Recalling what he had just said, she seemed to laugh out loud. "What's the relationship between me and the eldest daughter of the Park family? He could actually make that up. How could it be possible... My Lord, let's just say this as a joke here. Don't spread it around. If my son-in-law hears about it, it will be troublesome. He's petty and will get jealous. I don't know how he will deal with me."
Wang Zhao felt that he could no longer hold back, and he raised the gavel in his hand again and again, almost bringing it down several times.
Prince Song inside was silent for a long time. He didn't dare to act rashly for fear of disrupting Prince Song's plan.
There was silence for a while before the person behind the screen spoke. His voice was cold and clear, without the murderous tone just now. "Your family affairs have nothing to do with me. Let's get down to business."
Qian Tong was surprised. "I'm talking about serious matters. How could the Qian family possibly marry into a big family like the Park family? What kind of person is Mr. Park? How could an ordinary woman like me be worthy of him? I know myself well. I like someone like our son-in-law."
She gave an irrelevant answer and took Wang Zhaodu in.
Is she blind?
How is Prince Song inferior to the eldest son of the Park family? Why is she inferior to the eldest son of the Park family? She is not worthy of the eldest son of the Park family, but she is worthy of the prince?
"Sir?" Qian Tong waited for a long moment without a response, then took the initiative to speak, "Every word I said is true. My Qian family is a famous salt merchant in Yangzhou, and we are upright and honest. The people have witnessed our actions over the years. Your Excellency knows that our salt permits are about to expire. We didn't rush to bribe you, nor did we take the initiative to come to your house to embarrass you. This is because we have always believed that the official who came from the court this time is honest and upright, and can clearly see the will of the people."
"I know you have great sway over the world, and nothing can be hidden from your eyes." She explained, "You are right about the Qian family's Patriarch. I am not talented, but I am respected as the head of the family. The head of a family shoulders a heavy responsibility, and there are no shortcuts. I can only remember the teachings of my ancestors and do good deeds with all my heart, and God will bless me. I am still young and have some shortcomings. I hope you will encourage and teach me in the future."
"As for the Cui family's cargo ship, whether you believe it or not, it was indeed the news brought back by my Qian family's spies. The Cui and Qian families have been at odds for a long time because of the matter of the eldest lady, and they have been on guard against each other for a long time."
She stood there, the solemn lobby making her look like a flower blooming on a cliff, bright and eye-catching, yet calm and composed.
"I really didn't know about the Cui family's smuggling. My subordinates didn't report it to me when they came back. But don't worry, sir. I will do my best to cooperate with the authorities in the investigation. When I return, I will bring the spy to you, sir. You can interrogate him at will."
She was extremely sincere and waited for the judgment of the adult inside.
Wang Zhao was also waiting.
Before summoning the Seventh Lady of the Qian Family today, he had not heard Prince Song mention these things. If the Qian Family really colluded with the Park Family and deliberately destroyed the smuggling cargo ship, then the Qian Family would be guilty of a great sin.
He is ready to take anyone at any time.
After a while, the person behind the screen said, "Master Qian, please take care of yourself. I won't see you off."
Wang Zhao couldn't fathom the Crown Prince Song's intentions. Since he hadn't planned to arrest anyone today, he must have a plan for the future. Perhaps to frighten the Qian family and serve as a warning, he stood up and said, "Madam Qian, please return first. I hope the Qian family will serve the court and the people as you just said."
Qian Tong was still thinking about what the man inside said.
Take care of yourself...
He was assured about this, as she had always been self-aware. Qian Tong thanked her and walked out of the yamen without looking back.
——
As soon as the man left, Wang Zhao hurried behind the screen.
It was the end of April and the weather was getting hotter, especially at noon. People would sweat occasionally. Afraid that he would feel suffocated inside, Wang Zhao specially placed a piece of ice next to him. However, it was pried away by Prince Song at some point, and the table was covered with broken ice chips.
No wonder his voice was wrong just now.
Wang Zhao said: "Is that Seventh Lady really Qian, Qian Minjiang?" How could the Qian family let a young lady be the head of the family?
She was no ordinary young lady. In terms of scheming and cunning, Wang Zhao was far behind. Song Yunzhi's lips and teeth were numb from holding the ice cube in his mouth for too long. He reminded her, "Don't underestimate her."
, it’s not hard to guess.
According to the owner of Haitanglou, this wasn't the first time she'd been punished by family discipline, as evidenced by her old back injuries. The head of the household had the responsibility to protect his family, as he bore the brunt of the eldest lady's death.
First, there was the Cui family's engagement banquet, and then there was the Cui family's second son's pawnshop. She knew everything clearly and pressed on step by step, pushing the Cui family into the cliff. She used the outbreak of a tragedy to divert the court's attention, in order to prove that her Qian family was not birds of a feather, but a good business family.
She was also the one who comforted the workers at Qian's salt well.
On the other hand, Mr. Qian Erye was busy running around the salt piles all day, trying to appease the major shopkeepers. What he did did not play a big role in the future of the Qian family.
Wang Zhao knew that he was lurking in the Qian family, so he must have found out something and continued to pursue him. Is the Qian family really colluding with the Pu family? "
Song Yunzhi: "Guess."
"Guess..." Prince Song is an upright man who would never make groundless suspicions. It seems that he hasn't found the evidence yet.
Song Yunzhi said, "It was just speculation before, but now it is certain that the tea on the cargo ship is closely related to the Qian family."
Wang Zhao is unclear.
"This woman is cunning by nature. If she truly had no involvement in this matter, I wouldn't bother to waste a single word on her." Perhaps she had just knelt on the ground, stiffening her neck and saying, "Please investigate as you please, sir."
I said so much, it's just because I feel guilty.
As Wang Zhao expected, he would not easily arrest someone and torture her without evidence. No matter how treacherous she was, there would always be a next step. He instructed Wang Zhao, "Three days later, at the last moment, give the salt to his Qian family. The deadline is one month."
Wang Zhao was stunned.
One month...
"The Lu family..."
Song Yunzhi said, "According to my investigation, there is nothing wrong with the Qian family's salt wells. Tell Lu Mozi that if he sincerely serves the court, the court will compensate him in other ways."
Wang Zhao nodded and asked, "The Qian family's spy who boarded the Cui family's ship will be here soon. Would you like to interrogate him together?"
She had been gone for a while, and he couldn't stay for long. Song Yunzhi stood up calmly: "No need, you know this person."
Wang Zhao was puzzled. He was a native Kyoto official, so how could he know a spy from the Qian family?
Prince Song was in a hurry to leave, so he didn't dare ask more questions.
An hour later, when Wang Zhao saw the face of the spy sent by the Qian family, he felt like he was struck by lightning. His mouth was half open and he couldn't speak for a long time. He didn't know whether to sigh that Qian Qi Niang was brave or lucky.
But it was also a gain.
At least they were able to confirm that the items on the Cui family's cargo ship were indeed smuggled tea, and they also learned where the tea came from.
"Shuzhou." Chen Che said. He had heard from the people on the boat that tea was transported from Shu to Yangzhou by land, and then loaded onto ships in Shanghai. The people spoke the dialect of Shuzhou.
In addition, we also learned that Cui's eldest son was going to meet Park's eldest son.
Before the Cui family's ship was blown up, he was sure that he first saw the Qian family's flare, and then the Qian family's people quickly pushed him into the sea. Before he jumped down, they should have been using the time to detonate the gunpowder.
The Park family did not take action.
The people who blew up the ship were the Qian family.
He was sure that Qian Qi Niang was on the boat that night because he vaguely heard a roar, like the roar of a person who was filled with extreme hatred.
Later I heard that the eldest lady of the Qian family had died, and everything made sense.
But Chen Che didn't understand one thing. "She hated Cui Wanzhong. She could have just killed him or blown up the ship he was on. Why did she blow up all ten cargo ships?"
There is no benefit for her in blowing up the Cui family's cargo ship.
First, it would easily arouse suspicion from the government. Second, ten ships of tea, once she killed Cui Wanzhong and took possession of them, would be worth as much as the Qian family's salt sales in several years.
Chen Che didn't understand, but Song Yunzhi did.
Because she knew that on the sea that night, not only her Qian family was behind her, but also several official ships from Yangzhou.
She was deliberately destroying evidence.
Song Yunzhi came out of the prefectural government, put on a veil hat, and rushed to the Qian family. He picked up two meat-filled buns on the street.
——
Qian Tong came out of the prefectural government and got on the carriage in front of the door.
Fu Yin lowered the curtains on both sides and asked worriedly, "They didn't make things difficult for me, did they?"
"No." Because they had no evidence, she looked at Fu Yin and smiled, "They suspected your master was colluding with the Park family. That night, it was the eldest son of the Park family who helped your master blow up the Cui family's ship."
Fu Yin's heart tightened, "My wife..."
Qian Tong closed his eyes, tilted his head back, and leaned his head against the wall of the carriage. The corners of his lips slowly opened up. In Fu Yin's eyes, his tone and expression were extremely arrogant. "He thinks too highly of me. I want to kill someone, but I'm not at the point where I need help from others."
The old lady often said that the young master was too arrogant, but Fu Yin liked to see her face like this, which was firm and confident. Being with her always gave people a sense of security.
Knowing that she was summoned to the government office by the court today, Mr. Qian also returned.
As soon as Qian Tong returned to the house, Butler Cao was waiting at the door. "How is Seventh Lady? The master of the house just came back and was waiting for Seventh Lady to come over for dinner..."
This wasn't an invitation to dinner, it was an urge for her to get something.
The salt permit will expire in three days. The stored salt in the salt piles and the crude salt being produced in the salt wells will all have to be kept in hand. Then they can only be sold secretly at a low price to people who have salt permits, doing backdoor business.
These are minor issues.
What will the Qian family do in the future without the salt permit?
Mr. Qian Erye had looked for Qian Tong a long time ago, and her words were the same every time: arrangements had been made and there was no need to rush. But now there were only three days left, and the managers of the salt piles and salt wells all came to see him.
He couldn't help but be anxious, and he raged at Madam Qian, "What did she say before she left? The court summoned her, so there must be a reason. Didn't you ask?"
Madam Qian couldn't help but get angry when he blamed her. "When the police came to arrest someone, they had to explain the reason clearly to you? If we had that ability, we wouldn't be in this situation now. You didn't see the formation of those iron cavalrymen. They were covered in iron lumps. If they touched us, our bones would be broken. It's a good thing you weren't here. If you were here, you wouldn't have the courage to blame others..."
Mr. Qian was so angry that he said, "You..."
Qian Tongren was still in the corridor when he heard the quarrel between the two. He was already used to it. The couple had been quarreling since they were young, and the more they quarreled, the better their relationship became.
But she could never fit in.
The two finally spotted her. Master Qian was anxious, but out of consideration for the apparent family head's face, he waited until the person arrived before asking, "Can it be done? If not, I'll go again..."
"It's no use running ten times." Qian Tong entered the house first under the scorching midday sun. "What's ours won't escape, and what's not ours won't be worth it even if you kneel before him and beg."
Mrs. Qian was stunned. Was it a success or not? She hurriedly followed her and asked, "Is the official from the court so difficult to talk to?"
Qian Tong interrupted her thoughts and said, "Don't even think about giving them money. Lan Mingquan has been arrested. If you dare to give them money, they will use it as evidence to raid the Qian family."
Mrs. Qian didn't dare to speak.
It was almost noon, and Qian Tong hadn't eaten yet. When he heard Dongzhi say she had made rice dumplings with fermented rice wine, he quickly asked her to serve the food. Suddenly, he remembered something and told Fu Yin, "Today we have a rich meal. Go and call the son-in-law over."
Mrs. Qian's face darkened and she muttered, "He just picked up a random guy from the street and brought him back. He's not engaged, and he hasn't offered any money. What kind of son-in-law is he?"
Qian Tong nodded, "It's a bit hasty, how about I think about it again?"
What was she thinking about? Why did the eldest son of the Park family come back this time and not go anywhere else but just come to the Qian family? What was he thinking? He was a man, how could he not understand?
Mr. Qian gave Mrs. Qian a glare.
Mrs. Qian remembered in time. In comparison, the poor son-in-law was not bad. She quickly changed her words and said, "What I mean is, should we choose a different date and arrange the wedding? It would be embarrassing if it was not done properly..."
Qian Tong took a sip of tea and said vaguely, "Let's talk about it later..."
Mrs. Qian urged Fu Yin, "Go and invite him quickly. Tell him that we're having a banquet today and we specially invited him to have a reunion dinner..."
——
Fu Yin made a wasted trip and met Song Yunzhi on the road on her way back. She didn't know where he was going, but his cheeks were redder than usual, as if he had been running for a while.
"Son-in-law." Fu Yin called out and went to greet him and report: "The master and mistress have arranged a banquet today. Please ask son-in-law and wife to come and have dinner. My wife has arrived, only son-in-law is missing..."
When Song Yunzhi arrived at Mr. Qian's yard, the dishes were already on the table.
Fu Yin led his men over. Qian Tong saw the brown paper bag he was carrying from a distance. When he got closer, he asked him, "You went out? What did you buy?"
The arrogant Lord Song returned to the Qian family and became the seventh uncle of the Qian family. His attitude and voice changed. He said in a gentle voice, "Here are the steamed buns for you."
Mrs. Qian couldn't help but turned her head and rolled her eyes.
Although he couldn't marry into the Park family, they were not poor at all. They had agreed to hold a banquet, so why would he buy steamed buns?
"Thank you." Qian Tong stood up and blocked Mrs. Qian's glare in time, but only the two of them knew that he went out today to return the steamed buns he owed her.
He has a clear distinction between love and hate and is unwilling to owe anyone anything.
Qian Tong took the brown paper bag from him and asked Fu Yin to take him to wash his hands.
At the turn of spring and summer, it was hot under the sun but cool in the shade. As a family, they had a family dinner. Mrs. Qian was worried about the salt permit and felt a tightness in her chest, so she asked someone to set up the banquet in the pavilion.
When Song Yun finished washing his hands and walked into the pavilion, the three of them were already sitting at the table, chatting.
"Although Lan Mingquan was an old fox before, we knew what he wanted. Who on earth are these officials who came this time?" Mrs. Qian sat to the right of Qian Tong and asked her in surprise, "You haven't even seen his face?"
When Dongzhi saw her son-in-law coming, she moved the seat to Qian Tong's left.
Song Yunzhi took a seat.
Qian Tong said: "No."
Song Yunzhi glanced at her and saw that she had unpacked the meat-stuffed buns he had bought and placed them in her bowl. In front of him, Mr. Qian, and Mrs. Qian was a bowl of cooked bird's nest.
No one seemed to think there was anything wrong with this.
Mrs. Qian continued to ask, "After you finished talking about the salt permit, did he say anything else?"
Qian Tong shook his head and didn't answer.
Madam Qian lamented to herself, "My Qian family is really finished this time. I don't know if the salt permit will fall into the hands of the Lu family. The Lu family is a bunch of wolves with a wicked heart. They always like to stab us in the back. They are no better than the Cui family."
When a family sits together, they always say something bad about other families.
Even the noble Yong'an Marquis Mansion was no exception. The head master disliked the Yongchang Prince's family and would criticize them in front of the family every time at the dinner table.
Second Master Qian was mediocre in talent and easily influenced by others. He believed everything they said, but he was still the head of the family and much more stable than Madam Qian. "What are you afraid of? The Qian family's reputation is here. Over the years, we sold at whatever price the court ordered, without adding a cent or evading a penny in taxes. We earned all our money through hard work. Even though we have come to this point today, at the end of our rope, we have never raised the price arbitrarily."
It's easy to say generous words, but deep down I'm already in a state of panic, "Three more days..."
Mrs. Qian was provoked by his words. Her previous calmness was gone. She couldn't help but nagging, "Tong Jie'er, what should we do..."
"Tongjie'er, why don't you ask your father to go to the government office again?"
"Tong Jie'er, is the official really as you said? What if he is greedy for money? What did he say to you..."
"Tong Jie'er..."
Qian Tong buried her head and ate her steamed bun quietly, pretending not to hear anything.
When Madam Qian called her for the fourth time, a hand suddenly grasped her wrist from her left side, and a voice said to her, "Answer the question."
All the noise on the table suddenly quieted down.
Mr. Qian stopped holding the spoon and looked up at him, and Mrs. Qian also shut up.
Qian Tong's face was filled with a rare look of bewilderment. He looked at Mozi's inappropriate behavior beside him with suspicion, and then he heard him remind him, "Madam is asking you."
She heard it.
But everyone in the Qian family knew that Mrs. Qian could chatter all day long. If they responded to every word she said, her mouth would be blistered.
She is not a talkative person either.
Everyone was used to Mrs. Qian's soliloquy and Qian Tong's feigned deafness and dumbness. But at this moment, the balance was broken by an outsider, uninformed son-in-law.
In order to maintain family harmony, Qian Tong had to ask Mrs. Qian, "What did my mother ask me?"
Mrs. Qian was stunned. "Let me ask you, what did that officer say to you specifically?"
"Ask the Cui family if they're involved in smuggling besides the pawnshop."
Mrs. Qian was surprised but also happy to see that she answered her seriously. Her husband and daughter probably saw that she was not smart and were unwilling to talk to her about business matters. But she was the lady of the family and could not know nothing. If she didn't understand, she could only ask. If she asked too many questions, they would be unwilling to pay attention to her.
Thanks to his son-in-law's help, Qian Tong answered almost all of Mrs. Qian's questions that day.
On the second day, Madam Qian took the initiative to invite Song Yunzhi and Qian Tong to a banquet. "There are only two days left anyway. Instead of worrying alone, why not worry together? Call my son-in-law and Qian Tongjie over. Whether it's good or bad, we can sit together as a family to face the consequences."
As the day passed, Qian Tong's complexion began to look a little bad.
Even though Mrs. Qian only has one daughter, their relationship is not as close as other mothers and daughters. Their personalities don't match, and after the incident two years ago, there was an extra layer of estrangement between them.
In the past two years, the mother and daughter have already found a way to balance their relationship.
Mrs. Qian's sudden closeness made her extremely repulsive, but Mrs. Qian felt that it was the best opportunity to get closer to her, and she slowly asked about her personal matters, starting from business matters.
Even Qian Tong started to ask what kind of rouge and powder he used.
After enduring until the last moment of the third day, Wang Zhao finally arrived and appeared at the door of the Qian family with a salt permit.
Before Mr. Qian and Mrs. Qian could rejoice, they heard Wang Zhao and Qian Tong say, "The Lord knows that Miss Qi is anxious, so he has delayed the salt permit for another month. He hopes that Miss Qi will remember the promise he made during this month and guide the Qian family on the right path. Don't take the wrong path or choose the wrong path..."
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