Chapter 251 Robbery
Xie Qi was taken aback, then said, "Yuanzhu, do you... do you already love me?"
Shen Yuanzhu tilted her head, looked at Xie Qi, and burst out laughing.
No matter what situation he's in or when, he always manages to end up here, going through all sorts of twists and turns.
She was initially a little worried, but after Xie Qi stirred things up, she wasn't so afraid anymore.
Shen Yuanzhu couldn't help but rest her head against Xie Qi's chest and laugh.
"What are you laughing at? Tell me!"
Xie Qi looked anxious: "Your willingness to live and die with me is already a sign that you love me to the bone. Are you loving me but unaware of it, or unwilling to admit it?"
Why aren't there any other options?
Shen Yuanzhu blinked, and Xie Qi said with a solemn expression, "There is no other explanation."
"Maybe there is?"
"impossible."
Lowering his head, Xie Qi cupped Shen Yuanzhu's face in his hands and pinched the soft flesh of her cheek: "Speak quickly..."
"Let's wait until we get back to Suzhou. I'll tell you then."
Seeing the hint of a smile in her eyes, Xie Qi lowered his head and gave her a reverent kiss: "Okay, tell me yourself when we get back to Suzhou Prefecture."
"Okay, I'll go arrange for the wet nurses to leave. Don't make a fuss."
Xie Qi said, "I'll go take a walk around the courtyard and see if I can find out any other news."
The two nodded and went about their own business.
Shen Yuanzhu turned to find Luo Qing, but neither Luo Qing nor Luo Shi were willing to leave, while Shen Yuanzhu's attitude was firm.
"All of this is just our guess and Xie Qi's guess. It may all be just our imagination, but if it is true, I hope you are safe."
"I have my reasons for arranging for you to return first. Brother Nai, once you return to Suzhou, you must keep a close eye on the situation in the capital. If there is any disturbance, immediately disband all the artisans of Xiecui Workshop."
"The money in the account will also be transferred. If there is nothing else, Xie Qi and I will return to Suzhou Prefecture with you one after the other."
Upon hearing this, Ling'er said directly, "Miss, all the people around you have gone back, and there's no one to serve you. It's too conspicuous for others to see."
“The wet nurse has children and grandchildren, so she should go back with Luo Qingge first. I will stay in the capital to take care of the young lady.”
"Ling'er, you too..."
"oops……"
Ling'er patted her chest: "Miss, if I accompany you to the capital, the worst that can happen is that I die with you. Or, like in those storybooks, I'll be torn apart by five horses, cut into a thousand pieces..."
Before she could finish speaking, Luo gently patted Ling'er's lips.
With red eyes, Luo muttered under her breath, "How can you talk like that? It's bad luck."
Ling'er lowered her head and murmured, "I was just saying it casually..."
Seeing this, Shen Yuanzhu laughed: "It's not that serious. We're not rebelling. We've just never experienced anything like this before, so we're just thinking the worst."
"Besides, the officials might target large shops in the capital, but they might not target small workshops like ours. Maybe I'm just worrying unnecessarily."
After much persuasion, Shen Yuanzhu finally managed to send Luo Qing and the others away.
But Ling'er insisted on staying no matter what.
On Yun Zheng's side, Shen Yuanzhu also told him to take Wei Hu and leave separately.
The guild hall didn't care about the servants' departure, so they left smoothly.
Xie Qi made inquiries outside and managed to find out some information.
“A few days before my father-in-law went to the capital, Prince Cheng was impeached for embezzling disaster relief funds and was placed under house arrest by the Emperor. Meanwhile, Prince Jing’s mother was found to be pregnant, and the Emperor was overjoyed. He then handed over some of the work that Prince Cheng was handling to Prince Jing.”
"Did the Baoling ship and the Liang family withdraw because they were loyal to Prince Cheng?"
Xie Qi shook his head: "I don't know."
In short, we must be careful.
As the two were talking, a gong sounded downstairs, signaling that it was time for everyone to eat.
Xie Qi patted Shen Yuanzhu's hand to comfort her. The two went downstairs separately to have dinner, hoping to take this opportunity to find out more.
As soon as she entered the dining room, Shen Yuanzhu saw Shen Yanhuai with Ye Yunyi and Shen Yuanqiong, sitting at a table with others.
The unfamiliar faces on the table appeared to be from Fengrong Cloth Shop in Songjiang Prefecture.
Ye Yunyi was from Songjiang Prefecture, so it wasn't surprising that she recognized Fengrong Cloth Shop. However, there was a young man sitting next to the owner of Fengrong Cloth Shop.
The man had an ordinary appearance, but he always had a smile on his face in his gestures and speech, and seemed like a reliable and dependable person.
Shen Yuanzhu glanced at her twice, then looked at Shen Yuanqiong.
Shen Yuanqiong's expression was indifferent, and she kept her head down, never making eye contact with the man opposite her, her dissatisfaction evident on her face.
This must be the future husband that Shen Yanhuai has chosen for Shen Yuanqiong...
Songjiang Prefecture and Suzhou Prefecture are not far apart. Shen Yanhuai had dealt with Fengrong Cloth Shop before and probably knew about its character and family background before making such a plan.
Thinking about it, Shen Yuanzhu looked at Shen Yanhuai and frowned slightly.
Should we inform Shen Yanhuai about the trip to the capital?
She stood there, head bowed in thought, when Ruan Dongjia from Tonghechang walked over.
"Nowhere to sit today? Come with me."
Ruan Fulan gently pointed to the table next to her.
“That man surnamed Liang from yesterday had shifty eyes; you could tell he was full of scheming. He’s no good man.”
She spoke with a soft accent unique to Guangzhou, uttering some words lightly, making her sound gentle and pleasant to the ear.
"Although he is a local merchant in the capital and seems to have some connections, don't trust him too easily. Young women are easily taken advantage of in this situation."
Shen Yuanzhu was somewhat surprised. She hadn't expected that Ruan Fulan would be willing to offer advice to her, even though they were just strangers who had met by chance, and she wasn't afraid of offending the Liang family in the capital.
Perhaps because they were both women, Ruan Fulan knew best the difficulties women faced in business, which is why she couldn't help herself.
Shen Yuanzhu felt a warmth in her heart and nodded, saying, "I know, sister, don't worry."
Ruan Fulan sighed, looking at Shen Yuanzhu with a hint of heartache in her eyes: "You are so young, yet you've already started doing business. Are your parents no longer here?"
Seeing Shen Yuanzhu's surprise, Ruan Fulan said, "I know."
She looked up and smiled, her eyes crinkling with fine lines; though no longer young, she was still a beauty. But now, her eyes held a hint of melancholy and sorrow, causing Shen Yuanzhu's nose to sting with tears.
"Sister Ruan, you too..."
Ruan Fulan patted her hand: "Are you married?"
"It's done."
Is your husband good to you?
Thinking of Xie Qi, Shen Yuanzhu's eyes curved into a smile: "Okay, that's it..."
She wrinkled her nose and gave a mischievous smile.
Ruan Fulan covered her mouth: "You've only been married a short time, right? That's how it is for everyone. They can't be separated, and they wish they could be tied together every day."
Shen Yuanzhu blushed and casually asked, "Is Sister Ruan married?"
"I'm not married, but I have a sweetheart who's a student. She's been waiting for me for over ten years, and this time when I come home, we might finally get married."
Mentioning her beloved, Ruan Fulan's eyes crinkled with a smile: "To be honest, with such a large business, I'm always worried he might have other intentions..."
"But it's been over ten years, and I've known he's not that kind of person..."
On the first day of Shen Yuanzhu's arrival, she heard people mention Ruan Fulan.
I know she is very capable; Tonghechang is the largest textile and dyeing workshop in Guangzhou Prefecture.
The two ate their meal, chatting casually. Although they had only known each other for a short time, they got along very well.
It was a rare treat to talk to her, which eased some of the worries in Shen Yuanzhu's heart.
Just as the two were getting into their conversation, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the door.
Shen Yuanzhu turned around and saw more than a dozen soldiers walking in.
The people inside were startled for a moment. Xie Qi reacted quickly and pulled Shen Yuanzhu behind him to protect her.
The group looked at each other, completely bewildered by the situation.
One of the officers asked, "Which one is Ruan Fulan from Guangzhou Prefecture?"
Ruan Fulan was puzzled and blankly said, "It's me."
"You killed someone and destroyed the cloth, come with us."
Before Ruan Fulan could say anything, several soldiers stepped forward, covered her mouth, and dragged her away...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
