Chapter 191 Let's start with the Song family.
On the other side, Zhao Jingxing had just returned to his courtyard when his birth mother, Liu, followed him in.
"Mother? Why are you here so late?" Zhao Jingxing asked, somewhat surprised.
Seeing that he was safe and sound, Liu felt a little relieved and said softly, "It's nothing, I just came to see you. I'm relieved to see that you're back safe and sound."
She didn't know why her son had been coming home so late these past two days; he wouldn't tell her, and she didn't dare ask.
Ever since her son returned home injured and nearly died, she has lived in fear every day.
"I'm fine, Mother. Get some rest."
Liu stood there, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.
Zhao Jingxing glanced at her, his tone somewhat unpleasant, "Is there anything else, Mother?"
Liu lowered her voice, her tone tinged with timidity and pleading: "Son, from now on, you should visit your wife more often and listen to her, okay?"
Looking at his timid and submissive birth mother, Zhao Jingxing sighed helplessly, "Did she make things difficult for you again?"
Liu hurriedly lowered her head, "How can you call it difficult? She is the principal wife, and I am just a concubine. What I do is only what is right..."
In the darkness, Zhao Jingxing saw her swollen, red hands and knew that she had worked another day.
His birth mother always let him beat and scold her.
They were absolutely obedient to the James family, even to the point of pushing their own sons away.
Zhao Jingxing had told her many times that he now held an official position and his status in the government was different from before.
If Mr. Zhan makes things difficult for you again, you can always go to your father to complain.
But she refused, swallowing her pride and blood.
Seeing that he remained silent, Madam Liu continued her nagging, "From now on, whatever your stepmother or Jingtao wants, just give it to them. You're just a son of a concubine; you can't compete with them... If you listen to them more, they won't make things difficult for you anymore..."
"Jingtao is all grown up now. In the future, whenever His Highness the Crown Prince assigns you tasks, you...you should recommend Jingtao to him. This will please your husband and wife. Jingtao is the eldest son and will inherit the family business. Maintain a good relationship with him and assist him well...I don't expect you to achieve great official rank; I only hope our family can live in harmony..."
Zhao Jingxing listened to these words, closed his eyes, and felt utterly exhausted.
James tried to kill him several times, but his biological mother kept advising him to be patient and give in.
Naively believing that as long as you give your heart, you will receive a heart in return.
He sometimes even hates his birth mother for being so weak and naive, and for never thinking about herself.
They don't even consider him, their son?
He works tirelessly every day so that he and she can have a good life.
But she felt she should simply give up everything she owned...
Just because he is an illegitimate son, does he not even have the right to fight for it?
In the dead of night, all was quiet in the villa on the outskirts of Beijing.
Jiang Ling, Xiao Ran, and Xiao Yi were all fast asleep.
Only the wind chimes hanging from the eaves occasionally made a soft, crisp sound in the night breeze.
At that moment, a tall, slender figure silently appeared in the shadows on the east side of the villa.
Fang Shijie, dressed in a dark robe, cleverly avoided the patrolling guards and hid in the corner of the wall, almost blending into the banyan tree there.
He looked up at the tightly closed vermilion gate, his gaze deep and thoughtful.
Are you sure this is the place?
A man in his forties or fifties, dressed like a butler, bowed and replied, "Young master, this is it."
They used all their connections in the capital and found out where Jiang Ling was staying in the capital within a day.
The old steward said softly, "This is a private residence of the Cheng family, the Marquis of Wu'an. Miss Jiang's trip to the capital was at the invitation of the young Marquis Cheng Fang. Today, the young Marquis Cheng had something to do and could not accompany her, so he sent Zhao Jingxing, the eldest son of the Grand Master of Ceremonies Zhao Wuzhou, to accompany her. The twelve or thirteen-year-old girl accompanying her is the legitimate daughter of the Cheng family, the younger sister of the young Marquis Cheng, Cheng Jiaojiao."
A hint of surprise flashed in Fang Shijie's eyes.
I originally thought Jiang Ling was just visiting the capital at the invitation of a friend in the capital, but I never expected that the person who invited her was the young master of the Cheng family.
They used their private residence, were personally invited by the Marquis's heir, had his eldest daughter accompany them, and were also accompanied by the Zhao family's young master.
The level of hospitality was so high.
The Cheng family.
That's the maternal family of the Empress of the Great Yu Dynasty. Young Marquis Cheng Fang is the Empress's nephew and the Crown Prince's cousin.
Last time, when Jiang Ling was involved in Huang Dagang's case of trafficking girls, it was Zhao Jingxing who personally escorted her back. Fang Shijie felt that they had a close relationship at the time, but he did not expect that Jiang Ling also had an unusual relationship with the heir of the Cheng family.
The owner of this rural grocery store seems to be getting more and more complicated!
Fang Shijie glanced at the guards at the gate.
Two guards, with long swords at their waists and standing tall, were clearly carefully selected experts; the lanterns of patrolling yamen runners could be seen at the foot of the courtyard wall, circling the house every fifteen minutes.
This is the private residence of the Cheng family. Given his special status, if he were to visit rashly, not only would he be unlikely to achieve his goal, but he might also alert the Cheng family and arouse their suspicion and resentment.
He still has many things to do in the capital, and his identity cannot be revealed yet.
Moreover, his relationship with Jiang Ling was far from being enough for a visit from another place.
He needs to find a suitable reason or arrange a suitable opportunity.
Fang Shijie pondered for a moment: "Make arrangements to visit the Song family tomorrow."
The Cheng family is difficult to control, but controlling the Song family is more than enough.
After all, he had already started planning as soon as he learned that the Song family had a cooperative relationship with Jiang Ling's shop.
The Song family's goods now come from three sources: Jiang Ling's general store, Western Region caravans, and their own cloth business.
The Western Region caravan mentioned here is the Fang family's caravan.
"The Song family?" The butler was somewhat surprised.
"When we went to inquire about the floral water last time, the Song family already seemed to have something to hide. This time when we go again..."
The housekeeper was somewhat worried.
Fang Shijie's lips curled into a cold smile. "This time, they don't need to guess. I will reveal my identity myself."
He had previously thought that exposing the caravan owner's identity would bring unnecessary trouble, but now it was actually an opportunity.
Since we've decided to go into the floral water business, we'll definitely need to find an ally.
The Song family is the best choice now. He has business dealings with the Fang family and is also familiar with Jiang Ling.
He was a merchant who rose from humble beginnings in a small county town. Although he had now managed to curry favor with a high-ranking official in the capital, he still lacked his own connections in the officialdom.
If anything goes wrong in the future, they can be blamed.
She is a perfect scapegoat.
The wind picked up again, making the lanterns sway and the light and shadows flicker on the ground.
"This old servant understands, I will make the arrangements immediately." The old steward replied in a low voice, and his figure quietly retreated.
Fang Shijie took one last look at the quiet courtyard, a meaningful smile curving his lips.
Since we cannot take it directly, we will try to do it indirectly.
He wanted to see just how many secrets this mysterious Miss Jiang was hiding.
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