night.
Prefectural Governor's Office.
Qi Bainian asked suspiciously, "She went back to her parents' home? What little tantrum is she throwing this time?!"
The steward of the manor stood respectfully to one side, not daring to utter a sound.
“These past two days have been my busiest time, so I don’t have time to pick her up. Please arrange for someone to pick her up first thing tomorrow morning.”
"yes."
Just as the butler was about to leave, Qi Bainian suddenly remembered something and called out, "Wait!"
The butler stopped.
Qi Bainian said, "Let's just go along with her wishes. Let her stay at the Miao family's place for the next couple of days, so she won't cause me any more trouble if we bring her back."
The butler confirmed, "Then...we won't be going tomorrow?"
Qi Bainian nodded and said, "I'll personally pick her up after the completion ceremony. She's still angry, so I'll give her plenty of face then!"
The butler bowed and said, "Master is so kind to Madam!"
...
A secluded courtyard for both refined and common tastes.
Zhao Cheng and Yuan Yun were enjoying the cool air in the courtyard when Xia Qi and A Tao massaged their shoulders.
Heng Wenhao stood in front of the two men and recounted the fight at the dock.
Yuan Yun said, "Although Gan Lang's martial arts and cultivation are inferior to yours, he has the ability to subdue you in the water. He is a talented person."
Heng Wenhao said fairly, "This person is simply a nightmare for pirates."
Yuan Yun nodded and said, "After Qi Bainian falls, we'll try to control Gan Lang and see if we can use him for our purposes."
Zhao Cheng smiled and said, "Recognizing Qi Bainian as your boss is serving the court, and recognizing you as your boss is serving the court even more. It shouldn't be difficult to recruit him."
As he spoke, Zhao Cheng glanced at A Tao behind Yuan Yun and sighed inwardly.
Heng Wenhao is a top expert, and A Tao is probably not weak either. Since marrying Yuan Yun, the number of experts in the Right Prime Minister's Mansion has increased. If Gan Lang is recruited, it will be a great help.
From a purely profit perspective, Zhao Cheng's marriage to Yuan Yun was extremely lucrative in every respect.
Zhao Yan rarely interrupted when they were talking, but this time he chimed in, "When it comes to dealing with Gan Lang, let me handle it!"
Zhao Cheng was somewhat surprised and said, "Even Heng Wenhao couldn't beat him in the water, you dare to go?"
"Why wouldn't I dare!" Zhao Yan said with boundless pride.
Zhao Cheng said, "Courage is a good thing, but recklessness is not."
"I'm confident!"
Seeing Zhao Yan's fighting spirit, Zhao Cheng didn't want to dampen his brother's enthusiasm, so he said, "Then you and Heng Wenhao can go together then."
"yes!"
Yuan Yun said, "Qi Bainian's most powerful man is Gan Lang, that's the one on the surface. He has been operating in Jiangcheng for many years, and although he may no longer have a top expert like Gan Lang in secret, he must still have some hidden strength. After he falls from grace, we must be vigilant to prevent him from fighting us to the death."
Heng Wenhao asked, "Can we really just let him fall from his pedestal like this?"
Zhao Cheng smiled slightly and said, "This last fire will depend on how brightly Zhao Wu can burn!"
...
Miao people.
Sitting in the main seat in the hall was an old man with a white beard, who was Miao Shaohua's father and the head of the Miao family.
"Shaohua, I am very angry about Shang'er's matter, but as the head of the family, I care more about the interests of the entire family. For this reason, I swallowed my anger. So you need to think carefully. If you really want to break ties with Qi Bainian, regardless of the final outcome, it will definitely result in mutual destruction."
Miao Shaohua was still furious, saying, "How could my daughter not know? But Qi Bainian has changed. After climbing up to the Tu and Lu families, he has completely changed! He will never put the Miao family's interests first!"
The Miao family head said in a deep voice, "I told you back then that this boy was no good. We could keep him in check before, but after he became the prefect, he started to think about challenging the Miao family. Instead of helping the Miao family deal with the Tu and Lu families and supporting the Miao family to become the number one family in Jiangcheng, he played both sides and balanced the relationship between the three families. Do you know why?"
Miao Shaohua shook her head and said, "My daughter doesn't understand these things."
"It's simple, he hates me." The Miao family head sighed, then continued, "If the father-in-law who looked down on his poor son-in-law back then had become the head of a powerful family in Jiangcheng, wouldn't the poor son-in-law have to be subservient to his father-in-law forever?"
Miao Shaohua's expression changed slightly, and she said, "Father, it's my fault for not listening to you back then."
"There's no point in talking about this now." The Miao family chief waved his hand and said, "If we want to solve the problem at hand, we'll see if you can stand this insult."
Miao Shaohua asked, "Father, what's your opinion?"
The Miao family head said, "Qi Bainian is powerful now, so of course your father hopes you will be patient."
Miao Shaohua pondered for a moment and said, "It's not that I can't tolerate this, but I feel that Qi Bainian will take advantage of the situation and gradually erode our Miao family."
The Miao family head nodded, stroking his beard, and said, "Your concerns are valid; Father has also been wary of him. You can tolerate this, but we can't let Qi Bainian think we've given in. We should take some action."
Miao Shaohua asked, "What does Father want to do?"
"Young Prime Minister Qi Bainian brought the Immortal Wine and goods from the Eastern Chamber of Commerce to Jiangcheng, intending to establish himself there and then develop the market in Jiangyang County. However, the Tu and Lu families resisted him and took a hard line. To help the Tu and Lu families, Qi Bainian even issued a prohibition order on alcohol."
"What does this have to do with us?"
"The Tu and Lu families are boycotting the young prime minister and threatening all businesses in Jiangcheng not to cooperate with him. Other businesses are afraid of them, but we Miao people are not."
“That’s true. Anyway, we’ve been fighting with those two families for so many years.” Miao Shaohua understood her father’s meaning and asked doubtfully, “But the alcohol ban is a government order after all. If we openly violate it, Qi Bainian will not show any mercy.”
The Miao family head said, "We don't sell wine, only soap and floral water. Going to the young prime minister now is like sending charcoal in snowy weather; it gives us a chance to secure the exclusive sales rights in Jiangcheng."
After a pause, the Miao family head stroked his white beard and continued, "This move is not only to show Qi Bainian our attitude and tell him that the Miao family has compromised on the matter of the woman, but the Miao family is not a pushover that you can bully. We can also seek huge benefits from this."
"Once you start using soap and toilet water, it becomes a lifelong habit, as evidenced by the markets in Yanchuan City and Jingdong County."
The Miao family patriarch's aged eyes gleamed, and his withered hands clenched tightly as he said, "This will create a continuous stream of wealth for the Miao family!"
Miao Shaohua nodded, a smile finally appearing on her face.
Just then, a person suddenly flipped down from the roof and walked into the lobby.
Upon seeing the scar on the man's face, Miao Shaohua exclaimed in surprise, "It's you!"
Zhao Wu sneered, "Lord Qi was right after all. Even though Madam has returned to her parents' home, she's still causing trouble!"
"Insolence!" The head of the Miao family slammed his hand on the table and stood up, saying, "This is my Miao family, not your prefectural residence, Lord Qi!"
"Someone! Show them out!"
A group of servants wielding sticks rushed in.
Zhao Wu, with his hands clasped around his sword, sneered and said, "You think these rotten shrimps and stinking birds can send me away?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
