Chapter 44 Chapter 44 [VIP]
Chapter 44
Song Yunzhi had never liked any girl, didn't know what it felt like to like someone, and didn't know what it felt like to be unable to be loved. He had heard countless people talk about the love story between her and the eldest son of the Park family.
This trip he witnessed her unusual relationship with Park Seung-woo. When they were together, he saw the lingering connection between them.
He wanted to talk to her about this later, but she brought it up on her own initiative.
He didn't see any embarrassment in her aggrieved and helpless expression, but he saw a hint of pride, as if being remembered by others was something worth showing off.
His decision to marry her was a matter of careful consideration. He could not influence or change her past, but he absolutely could not allow his wife to have thoughts about other men in the future. There were two reasons for this.
First, his marriage requires mutual loyalty.
2. Personal feelings will make the entire situation uncontrollable.
The eldest son of the Pu family still had feelings for her, but what about her? He asked, "When did your feelings end?"
If she couldn't let go, he would help her, even if they were still unmarried. He would give up the idea of marrying her. Even though it would be a little troublesome, he could think of other ways.
"What lingering feelings?" The girl's face showed astonishment and anxiety after being misunderstood. She protested, "Your Majesty, please understand. Master Park and I are really over it."
Her eyes were sincere, and after she finished speaking, she seemed determined to clear up this misunderstanding. She asked Prince Song from the bottom of her heart, "How did Master Park and I meet, and how did we get to this point today? Prince, do you want to hear it?"
He wasn't curious about her past at all, but since it concerned the trust between them, Song Yunzhi was silent for a moment before saying, "If you want to talk, just say it."
The whole process was a bit lengthy, and for Qian Tong, it was actually difficult to recall that past, but she also knew the meaning of the bowl of sobering soup that the prince gave her last night.
It was to warn her that she was not the only one to be the Crown Prince's Consort.
It was better to tell him now, lest he hear a different story from someone else someday and come back to question her. Qian Tong said slowly, "When the Cui family was still around, our four families dominated the Yangzhou business for many years. We had frequent interactions with each other, and when we were children, we didn't know about the family feuds. The Qian family was headed by my elder sister, the Cui family was headed by Cui Wanzhong, and the Pu family was headed by the eldest son. They often brought their younger brothers and sisters out to play, and we spent our entire childhood together, getting to know each other. As we grew up, we developed a vague affection for each other."
She lowered her head, and the light from the sea breeze rippled across her forehead like a circle of floating watercolor. Lost in memories, she whispered, "He was the king of the children. Well-read and handsome since childhood, he knew many things that others didn't. No matter how difficult a problem was, he could easily resolve it. All the children had an inexplicable admiration for him. It was hard not to like a person who attracted so much attention."
Song Yunzhi glanced away and remained silent.
So, these are what will make her like it?
"Two years ago, I made an appointment with him to ask the elders of the Park family to help us get married." Qian Tong sighed, "I finally managed to escape from the Qian family, but I didn't see him."
She looked up at the young master who was listening attentively, and told her story without any hesitation, "Later, I went to the Park family to find him, wanting to ask him what he really thought. If he had given up, he should have told me so that I wouldn't waste my time alone. I didn't see him, but waited for his mother, the eldest lady of the Park family."
"She stood in front of me and didn't say a word."
"She asked: Do you think you deserve it?" Her voice became softer.
Song Yunzhi's eyes moved slightly and he couldn't help but look sideways.
The girl raised her head, her face just falling into the shimmering light of the sea. Her eyes were not afraid of the light, staring straight at the sun, the light illuminating the amber pupils inside. There was unwillingness in her eyes, resistance and stubbornness after being insulted, and perhaps a bit of heartache.
The only thing I didn't feel was sadness.
It seemed that in the face of her dignity, all the feelings in the world were worthless.
It was at this moment that Song Yunzhi engraved her eyes in his mind and could never forget them. He also kept in mind what she said today.
After she finished speaking, all the emotions in her eyes disappeared in an instant, and she returned to her usual smile. She asked the Song prince who was watching her silently, "Sir, do you think there is still a possibility for me and the eldest son?"
Song Yunzhi didn't say anything.
But he moved his seat and used his body to block the light that occasionally shone into her eyes.
Qian Tong knew that he had believed in himself.
She had finished her story and was quietly waiting for his verdict.
Before reaching Yangzhou City, the two of them must trust each other. Only with a common heart can they face the outside world in unison. Since she had made her choice, Song Yunzhi believed her.
There were still many things that had not been determined in Chuanzhou City, so Song Yunzhi took this opportunity to discuss with her.
His tone was not a question, but a warning.
Feeling the determination in his dark eyes, Qian Tong did not dare to show the slightest surprise, as if she had the slightest hesitation, Song Shi
Qian Tong was overjoyed and nodded, "Okay, the prince will make the decision."
With anticipation, Song Yunzhi started at the beginning and continued: "Lu Daozhong, I will find a way to send him out of Yangzhou."
Tong leaned over and couldn't help but stick out a part of his neck.
Song Yunzhi glanced at her tilted head. Due to limited conditions these past two days, she was dressed simply without too many pearl hairpins. Her hair was tied at the back of her waist with a hairband. Her loose black hair was like an umbrella made of flowing brocade, covering half of her face and half-hiding her rosy eyes.
He didn't look away for a moment, and said gently, "As you said, I can register for you and let the Qian family enter the cloth business. But now the cloth business in Yangzhou is in the hands of the Lu family. Even if Lu Daozhong is gone, there are still people in the Lu family. You need to fight for it through legitimate channels. You can't act recklessly, and you can't break the law and disrupt the market order. The decision-making power of cloth piles on all major matters belongs to the court. There will be regulations on the export quantity and location, and you must strictly abide by them."
Qian Tong raised his eyes and nodded obediently, "Don't worry, I will take it step by step, listen to His Majesty and the prince, and will never seek personal gain."
Whenever those eyes looked at him and made some kind of promise, Song Yunzhi didn't know why he would feel uneasy. He warned, "Don't use my power to suppress me."
"Of course." Qian Tong boasted, "My Qian family has been honest citizens for generations, and we are not dishonest in our business dealings. We are definitely not the kind of people who bully others by taking advantage of our power. The prince has seen that I am very kind to everyone."
Except him, indeed.
In the face of the overall situation, he didn't care about his own gains and losses. His face was solemn. "You can't touch the tea business for now. As long as the court can't get the war horses, the control over tea will not be relaxed. The tea warehouses in Shuzhou have been emptied. When the time comes, the other party will definitely set their sights on Jiancha. This is related to the war between our country and our family. It's best for you to stay out of it."
Qian Tong agreed. "I never intended to sell tea. I have two ships of tea on hand. One was invested in the teahouse, and the other was given to the Pu family. Even if someone wants it in the future, I won't be able to take it out." She confessed honestly, "I did everything I could to get the shipping line from the Pu family. It was to surrender to the prince. I wanted the court to see the strength of my Qian family and not choose that old man Lu Daozhong. He's a fence-sitter, and he doesn't like the wind. Didn't the old man say bad things about me to you before?"
Having seen her scolding people before, Song Yunzhi couldn't help but recall the time when she scolded Cui Wanzhong at Cui's Tea House. He took a deep breath and reminded her, "Watch your words."
Qian Tong was used to being vulgar, and after listening to his lecture, he remembered his future status in time and said palely: "I don't usually curse."
Not sure if the prince believed him, he turned around and continued, "You already have the salt permit, and if you take over the Lu family's cloth pile business, it will be enough to support the entire Qian family."
Qian Tong replied, "Okay, I'm not greedy."
They had finished what needed to be discussed. It was already past noon, and she still wanted to rest. Song Yunzhi stood up and left, "We can discuss anything anytime."
"Prince." Qian Tong suddenly called him.
Song Yunzhi turned around and saw her asking cautiously, "Do we still want that seagull ship?"
Song Yunzhi: ...
Qian Tong saw him glance over and said hurriedly, "I think we should take it. It would be a waste if we didn't. A seagull ship is worth thousands of strings of cash. We'll need money for so many things in the future. Why should we be so stingy with it?"
——
The ship arrived in Yangzhou on the morning of the second day.
Wang Zhao received the news from the secret guard that night and immediately went out to sea. When the official ship arrived at the strait line, only the bombed Lu family cargo ship was left.
According to the testimony of the secret guards and Lu Daozhong, the prince was pushed into the sea by the seventh lady of the Qian family.
Wang Zhao had just changed his opinion of the Seventh Lady and didn't understand why she would do such a foolish thing. On the one hand, he sent people to search for her at sea, and on the other hand, he sent cavalry to surround the Qian family.
If anything happens to the prince, the entire Qian family will be buried with him.
As for Lu Daozhong, he already knew the identity of the prince. Before he was sure of the prince's next plan, Wang Zhao did not dare to release him and secretly imprisoned him in the prefectural government.
Last night, Wang Zhao finally received the news that the prince was safe. He rushed to the port without stopping and confirmed with his own eyes that everyone had safely disembarked from the ship before he breathed a sigh of relief.
He did not withdraw the Qian family's cavalry in time.
As soon as the prince gave the order, he immediately captured the Qian family. Therefore, when Qian Tong and Song Yunzhi and his party returned home, they saw the Qian Mansion surrounded by cavalry, and even people entering and leaving were restricted.
Madam Qian was struggling with the cavalry at the gate. "For four days now, you've been blocking the gate of my Qian family like this, allowing only entry but not exit. Give me some real information. What's going on in my Qian family? You've trapped us here like this, and you won't even talk to us. What's your real purpose?"
The cavalryman didn't even glance at her.
Mrs. Qian had already guessed in her mind that this must be related to Tong Jie'er. She left on the first day, and the Qian family was surrounded by the prefectural government on the second day.
I don’t know what that damn girl did.
She had said long ago that she was too bold and would sooner or later get into trouble. She sent people out to inquire, but the only news they brought back was that she had gone to the sea.
Thinking of the teahouses she had recently opened, Mrs. Qian was very nervous, fearing that she might not be able to figure it out and take over the Cui family's business at this critical juncture and engage in smuggling for the Park family.
Could it be that the government has caught him?
Madam Qian was both looking forward to his return and worried that if he came back, the Qian family would be completely finished. Suddenly, she heard her maid Dongzhi calling out, "Seventh Lady is back." Madam Qian's heart skipped a beat and she quickly turned her head to look outside the mansion gate. She saw Qian Tongm jumping down from the carriage, followed by her son-in-law who had disappeared with her for five days.
She stared at the cavalry at the door, fearing that they would suddenly rush up and arrest someone.
After a moment, the cavalry remained motionless.
Even when the two of them stepped into the mansion, she didn't know if she was seeing things, but she seemed to see the cavalry leader bow his forehead.
Qian Tong had already seen Madam Qian, and only called out, "Mother," when he reached her.
Mrs. Qian came to her senses and scolded, "Where have you been and what have you done? These cavalrymen surrounded us the day after you left. Your father is trapped at home and can't even get out. I don't know what's happening to the salt wells outside. And your teahouses, I already..."
"It's okay." Qian Tong interrupted her, "We'll be leaving soon."
Mrs. Qian was skeptical and asked in a low voice, "Really? You didn't do anything illegal?"
Prince Song was right in front of her. Was she really asking this? Qian Tong hurriedly replied, "When has our Qian family ever done anything illegal?"
Qian Tong had just returned and still had many things to do, so he didn't want to listen to her nagging. As Mrs. Qian said, the government troops had surrounded the Qian family for four days, and the outside world had already become a mess. Now there were probably all kinds of rumors.
Everyone thought her Qian family was going to go bankrupt.
She said, “I didn’t do anything.”
Madam Qian obviously didn't believe her. She suddenly looked at Song Yunzhi behind her and grabbed his wrist, "Son-in-law, you tell me, I believe you."
Qian Tong: ...
Mrs. Qian was determined to get to the bottom of this. "If she hadn't done anything, how could these officials come and seal off the door to my Qian family?" After catching her daughter spending the night in his room last time, she no longer considered her son-in-law an outsider. And since Tong Jie'er was always with her, she certainly didn't shy away from him. She asked, "Did you go to sell tea?"
Qian Tong stared at Mrs. Qian's bold claw and his scalp went numb.
Song Yunzhi probably hadn't expected Madam Qian to catch him. His arm stiffened, but he didn't try to push it away, nor did he show any disgust. He replied, "No."
After saying this, he looked up at Qian Tong who was about to escape, the corners of his lips slightly curved, and his faint smile made it hard to tell whether he was mocking her or sincerely trying to deceive Madam Qian. "Tong'er has always been law-abiding and would never do such a thing."
Qian Tong originally wanted to escape first, but she didn't dare to see Mrs. Qian seeking death.
Hearing that call, his steps stopped abruptly.
Mrs. Qian got what she wanted to hear, and her heart finally settled down. She let go of Song Yunzhi, still muttering, "I believe what my son-in-law said, but what's with these officials? Why did they surround my Qian family for no reason..."
After she finished speaking, she wanted to ask again, but her son-in-law was no longer around. He walked up the corridor on the left as if he knew the way, and went to his own yard.
Mrs. Qian turned back again, "Sister Tong..."
"Mother, I'm tired. If you have any questions, let me go back and change my clothes first, and then ask slowly. Also, stay away from my uncle from now on..."
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