Chapter 269 Unrequited Love
"yes……"
Shen Yuanzhu nodded: "In the past, I always thought about becoming a royal merchant and wanted to stand at the top and look down, but now I realize that what the ancients said about the loneliness at the top is absolutely true."
"After going to Beijing, I realized that selling fabrics, doing accounting, and growing flowers is a very good life."
Shen Yanhua nodded in agreement.
Living a peaceful and stable life is the best life; thinking too much about other things can easily lead you astray.
Shen Yanhuai sighed and continued, "The people from Hengchang not only took away the dyeing formula for the ice-tear cloth, but also forcibly took the formulas from several other families by various means."
"He wanted my prescription, but wouldn't allow me to give it to anyone else. His methods were quite ruthless."
"The last ones left to compete with Hengchang all have powerful backers. It is said that one is the steward of a high-ranking official, and the other is the brother-in-law of a noblewoman in the palace."
"Small shops like ours become useless without the recipe for ice-shredding cloth, so we are quickly eliminated from the market..."
When the topic of being eliminated came up, Shen Yanhuai lowered his eyes, his heart choking with emotion.
"By the way, when I left the capital, I heard that Prince Cheng had been demoted to a commoner, and I don't know if he will ever be able to turn things around."
“Eunuch Yuan seems to be doing well, and doesn’t appear to have been affected at all.”
Xie Qi felt a pang of worry upon hearing this, concerned for Yuan Xu.
But given his status, there was nothing he could do but worry and wait for news from the other party.
After Shen Yanhua finished speaking, he hesitated for a long time before saying, "I rarely stayed in Suzhou Prefecture before, and I didn't know any talented young people around me."
"Do you two know any young men of similar age and good character? I'd like to arrange a marriage for Yuanqiong, regardless of background or family history..."
Shen Yanhua frowned slightly: "Even if someone has some disabilities, it's acceptable. In short, character is the most important thing."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yuanzhu couldn't help but look up.
With Shen Yuanqiong's proud and arrogant nature, there's no way she would ever look at a man with such qualities.
Minor disability...
Shen Yuanqiong must have encountered something in the capital.
Shen Yanhuai had no idea how bad her relationship with Shen Yuanqiong had become, nor did she know that Shen Yuanqiong was watching her every day, trying to overshadow her.
If Shen Yuanqiong finds out in the future that she arranged a marriage with a man who is not eligible, she might even want to poison her.
Upon hearing this, Shen Yuanzhu shook her head: "I don't know much about it."
Since his wife wouldn't take on this hot potato, Xie Qi naturally had no interest in caring what kind of person Shen Yuanqiong had married, and he also shook his head, saying he didn't know him.
Shen Yanhuai sighed, realizing that he was putting others in a difficult position.
"Fine, I'll ask again."
The three of them sat and chatted for a long time. As it was getting late, Shen Yanhuai got up to say goodbye.
Before going to the capital, he and Shen Yuanzhu still harbored some competitive thoughts towards each other, but after going to the capital, they no longer thought about anything else.
Shen Yuanzhu's attitude towards him became much calmer, suggesting that she had also been deeply frightened in the capital.
As Shen Yanhuai walked out of Xiecuifang, he turned to look at Shen Yuanzhu and saw Xie Qi circling around her.
He glanced at it and a relieved smile appeared on his face.
Although the trip to the capital wasn't exactly a life-or-death experience, it was certainly full of ups and downs, and the shocks and frights actually made me much more peaceful.
Shen Yanhuai dusted off his clothes and headed towards the Shen family's textile and dyeing garden.
He hadn't returned for a long time, so he always made a trip to the textile and dyeing plantation to give him an explanation.
The Shen family's weavers and dyers only knew that their master had gone to the capital to participate in the selection of imperial merchants; they knew nothing else. Now that he had returned, they were all very happy.
"The master is back?"
The steward in the courtyard said, "Has our Shen family dyehouse been selected as a royal merchant?"
Shen Yanhuai shook his head: "The capital is full of hidden talents and formidable opponents. We are simply not good enough to compete. We would be eliminated in the second round."
"That's not bad either. I heard that Xiecuifang and Jixiazhuang were sent back before they even finished one round."
"It's not that their prescription is bad, it's just that we took a shortcut. If it can catch the eye of the nobles in the capital, it can't be bad."
"Too."
Shen Yanhuai asked, "While I was away, were there any problems with the garden or the shops?"
"No, no."
The steward said, "With Miss Mu here, no other trouble will arise. You know her temperament; she is extremely calm and composed."
"She handles everything, big and small, perfectly in the garden, and even the old shopkeeper listens to her."
Shen Yanhua nodded upon hearing this, his smile becoming more genuine. He said, "I'll go find her."
After saying that, Shen Yanhuai walked into the garden.
His tacit understanding with Mu Suiyun over the years meant that he never needed to ask anyone else where the other was.
Sure enough, as soon as they entered the embroidery room, Mu Suiyun was already embroidering.
She lowered her head slightly, her gaze earnest and peaceful. Shen Yanhuai stood outside the door watching, the ripples in his heart caused by the family matters slowly subsiding, and the troubles in his heart gradually dissipating.
One of them was looking intently, and the other was embroidering intently, but the embroiderer beside them couldn't help but cough softly.
Mu Suiyun looked up and saw Shen Yanhuai standing outside the door, quietly watching her.
Suddenly, her face flushed red.
Noticing a slight flush on her cheeks, Mu Suiyun turned her head away, and after a moment, looked up and said, "You're back."
"Yes, I'm back."
"Are you worried about the garden?"
"With you here, I have nothing to worry about. I just came to let everyone know I'm safe."
Mu Suiyun nodded, unsure what to say. Shen Yanhuai was the same; after a moment of silence and a few pleasantries, he went elsewhere.
The embroiderer sitting next to her felt a pang of sadness.
While everyone was resting, she leaned close to Mu Suiyun and whispered, "Have you told the owner about wanting to open your own shop?"
Mu Suiyun's eyes softened: "Not yet."
"you……"
The embroiderer and Mu Suiyun were neighbor sisters. They had known each other since they were four or five years old, and then came to the Shen family together to start as apprentices.
They have developed a deep bond over the years, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they are like sisters.
Seeing her calm expression, the embroiderer couldn't help but pull her aside. "I'm asking you, is your decision to open a shop related to Ye Yunyi's scolding of you last time?"
"Although you haven't said it all these years, I can see that you have feelings for your employer, and your employer isn't indifferent to you either. How could you..."
"What are you saying!"
Mu Suiyun's eyes sharpened: "Don't talk nonsense. My relationship with the master is completely innocent."
“I know, it’s precisely because you’re so innocent that I feel sorry for you. Who is that woman surnamed Ye? All these years you’ve worked yourself to the bone in the garden, and she…”
"Don't talk nonsense."
Mu Suiyun said, "If you keep talking nonsense, you can no longer call yourself my sister."
"Do you know that your words not only belittle the mistress of the master, but also make me and the master look like dirt?"
“We work hard in the textile and dyeing workshop, and the master’s wife is not having an easy time in the house either. Besides, I know the master; he won’t do anything out of line.”
"He is not a despicable person who would abandon his wife after becoming rich and powerful."
If that were the case, she wouldn't have been so infatuated with Shen Yanhuai for so long.
“I know you and the boss are both good people, but the more that's the case, the more I hope you can stay with the boss…”
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