Chapter 97: No matter how strong she is, she still has to have dignity...
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, Zhou Mi came to Fujian by transporting porcelain and silk.
The three of them were very happy to get together.
When Zhou Mi heard Ming Xuan was planning to build a canal in Fujian to facilitate the transportation of mountain products and tea, he lamented, "If you could actually build it in Fujian's mountainous terrain, it would be a great achievement. But if it were Zhejiang... oh, I wish you hadn't left."
Zhao Changning smiled and said, "It's a matter of timing and luck. If I don't leave, the people of Fujian will have to suffer for another day."
Mingxuan was teased by the two and could only smile helplessly. He took out the topographic map of Fujian and told them his plan.
"Actually, I originally wanted to build a road, but unless we split the mountain, this road would be winding and difficult for carriages to pass. Thinking of relying on ordinary people to dig a road large enough for carriages is simply unrealistic. But Fujian has many rivers. If we could connect them one by one by taking advantage of the terrain, and then use small boats for transportation, it would not only save time, effort, and money, but also be more convenient for the people."
Zhao Changning and Zhou Mi watched his hand moving across the map. Most of the projects were near tea mountains and the construction period was huge. They couldn't help but shake their heads.
"This is no small matter. It's time-consuming, labor-intensive, and requires a considerable amount of money. Are you sure you want to do this?"
Mingxuan nodded. "It's not impossible to move a mountain like Yugong. Besides, if the money earned by the court is not used for the benefit of the people, what's the point of making a lot of money?"
Zhao Changning fell silent. What was she making money for? It was never for the people.
I took a break from my busy schedule and went to see the roads and canals built by Mingxuan. It's time to get back on track.
Zhao Changning packed up and prepared to return to Guangzhou.
"Once the ship arrives at the port, you must load the cargo onto it as quickly as possible. Guangzhou Port will then take over. Don't worry, the female official has arrived. You won't lose a cent. This is only temporary. Once the port in Fujian is completed, I will petition the Emperor to have the female official take over officially. Then we won't have to go all the way to Guangzhou."
Mingxuan nodded, handed over a bag of handmade tea, and said sincerely: "Thank you very much this time."
Zhao Changning took the tea leaves, waved them with a smile, and said with a hearty laugh, "Let's go."
Zhou Mi also raised his hand to say goodbye. Turning his head, he saw Mingxuan's eyes full of reluctance and said with a smile: "Water is not stable, flowers have their end, we will meet again, but life grows in separation."
He shook his head helplessly, "Don't look at it, they've all gone far away. If you say you like someone, just say it. How can you see flowers in their eyes?"
Mingxuan glanced at his friend helplessly and said awkwardly, "You don't understand."
Zhou Mi laughed angrily, "Yes, I don't understand. My child is already several years old. He doesn't understand as well as you who have never been married, right?"
Mingxuan left quickly, fearing that he would continue talking.
After Zhao Changning returned to Guangzhou, he did not rest, but immediately looked for the female official who had rushed there.
"Chen Qi?" She was surprised and happy. "Why is it you? Are your family willing to let you go out?"
Chen Qi pursed her lips and chuckled. "The last time Song Huan and Zhou Miao went to Jiangxi with my aunt, they kept showing off in front of me after they came back. I can't let them outshine me."
Zhao Changning had always known that these girls were secretly competing with each other, but he had never expected that they would compete to such an extent.
"This is no easy task. Local officials are even more difficult to deal with than those in the six ministries. You must be mentally prepared."
Chen Qi nodded. "Although my skills in numerology and cursing are not as good as Song Huan's, they are not bad either. Don't worry, aunt."
Zhao Changning patted her shoulder and asked some more questions about Yujing.
Chen Qi talked to her for a long time, and suddenly hesitantly said, "Aunt, that, that Gao Cong..."
Zhao Changning had almost forgotten about this person and asked nonchalantly, "What happened to him?"
Chen Qi couldn't help laughing, but also felt embarrassed. "Aunt, the first thing I wanted to do when I came here was to visit you, but I didn't expect to only run into Gao Cong. He seemed very embarrassed."
Zhao Changning keenly sensed that the boy must have done something bad, "He wouldn't ask you for money, right?"
Chen Qi pursed his lips and nodded gently, "He said you would return it."
Zhao Changning immediately closed his eyes helplessly and angrily, unwilling to open them to face the reality. This bastard is simply a prodigal son. No wonder the Gao family enclosed the land. How could they afford to support him if they didn't?
She felt inexplicably uneasy, "He won't ask someone else for it, will he?"
Chen Qi was too embarrassed to answer, but his eyes said it all.
Zhao Changning leaned back in her chair, unwilling to open her eyes, hoping that it was all an illusion. How could she establish her authority in front of her colleagues, and how could she face those rumors?
She had only been gone for a little over a month, and this brat had dared to cause such a thing. He must have wanted to embarrass her on purpose, but more importantly, he was afraid of having to live a hard life.
After Chen Qi left, Zhao Changning found Granny Xu and stuttered in anger, "Hey, take out all that money, go find some guys outside, and find out where that bastard is. Bring him back."
It was the first time that Granny Xu saw Zhao Changning so angry, so she quickly responded.
At this time, Gao Cong was strolling freely on the street with Lai Xi.
Lai Xi was holding a lot of things in his arms, including food, toys and daily necessities.
He was very uneasy and advised: "Master, let's go back and stop spending money. You are no longer the young master of the Gao family."
"Humph, I'm already her lover. With my looks, what's wrong with spending some money?" Gao Cong said angrily. "Besides, this is what I deserve. I'm going to spend her money. That wicked woman ruined my Gao family and brought me to this point. I'm happy to see her uncomfortable. Humph, she even left me here all alone. She's so mean."
He looked at Lai Xi, who was trembling with fear, and pulled him to the restaurant nearby. "It's not easy for you to come all the way to find me. It's a happy occasion for us to be reunited as master and servant. Come on, I'll take you to eat something delicious and nourish yourself. How thin have you become?"
Lai Xi refused. He had indeed suffered a lot along the way. He only came here after learning that Zhao Changning had brought his master to Guangzhou.
"Master, go back. The Gao family is like this, and it's not the fault of the female secretary. Besides, everyone in the Gao family now regards you as an enemy, Master..."
Gao Cong's expression suddenly changed, and he said angrily, "Laixi, do you want to eat or not? If not, I'll eat it myself."
Lai Xi reluctantly reached out to pull him, "Master, the secretary ordered you to stay. She has no bad intentions and has not bullied you. She is at least a safe haven. I heard that she is very popular now and everyone wants to curry favor with her. Master Gao has already said that he will pay to buy your life..."
"Why?" Gao Cong's eyes were red, and his voice was trembling. "He hates me so much? What did I do? Did I enclose the land? Or did I embezzle and accept bribes? Or did I rape women? What gives them the right?"
Lai Xi also shed tears, "Master, who made us unlucky? Who made your superiors do evil... Well, just accept it."
Gao Cong wiped away his tears angrily. "They think that I've brought shame to the Gao family by being Zhao Changning's lover, right? Humph, they forced me to leave. They didn't want me first. I hate them."
When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. Even Zhao Changning, an outsider, was willing to take him in, but his former family treated him like this, and he hated them.
Lai Xi tried to persuade them, and the boy who happened to come over saw the two of them and hurried over to tell them.
Gao Cong's eyebrows lit up and he immediately became energetic, as if he had found his backbone.
"Well, you bitch, you're finally back. I want to see what she can say this time. You bitch, you evil woman, you heartless liar, you left me all alone..."
When he hurried back, he found Grandma Xu waiting for him at the intersection.
"Hey, you little brat, what are you doing?" Granny Xu angrily hit him. "Are you going to die, kid? The girl is very angry and told you not to go back."
Gao Cong glared at her, angrily saying, "I haven't even collected all the money yet, what right does she have? I don't care, I'm going to go find her."
Granny Xu pulled him aside, angrily saying, "How dare you ask for money? Who told you to ask for money randomly? Where can you put your dignity? I used to think you were a little unsophisticated and simple-minded, but now I see clearly that you're just a good-for-nothing who only knows how to spend money. The Gao family embezzled so much money and land in the past, and they only have people like you. I really regret keeping you."
She stuffed a large stack of banknotes into his hands. "This is thirty thousand taels. The girl said you've already spent more than twenty thousand taels of her silver over the past few days. She doesn't want to argue, so she'll give you some more to complete our relationship. Go and pay back the money you owe those people. From now on, you can go your separate ways."
Gao Cong was stunned.
He was extremely panicked and completely lost. Tears welled up in his eyes and he stammered, "Mother-in-law, I'm not..."
Granny Xu shook her head and sighed, "Boy, I think I've treated you well, but you've really gone too far. Even a good girl like her has been irritated by you, which shows how irritating you are. Besides, why do you always blame her for all the mistakes? Isn't that your Gao family's own fault? If people commit sins, it's only a matter of time before God punishes them. If this happened in the countryside, the villagers would pick up hoes and hoe you to death. Take the money and leave, and take care of yourself."
Gao Cong held the banknote, feeling no joy but fear. This was beyond his expectation. He had always been like this during the time he had been with Zhao Changning. Why did he suddenly change?
He looked at Granny Xu's back and gritted his teeth. "Just leave. If you don't want me, I'll live on my own. I can live better without you."
Lai Xi grew up with his master since childhood. Looking at his trembling hands, it was clear that he was afraid.
"Master, let's go find the female secretary and apologize. If you live outside on your own, mountains of gold and silver will not be enough for you. Besides, the Gao family also had enemies in the past. The most important thing is that the master of the Gao family will not tolerate you, master."
Ever since meeting Lai Xi, Gao Cong has considered him a family member. Seeing him trying so hard to persuade her, he could only wipe away his tears and say, "What should I do? She told me to get out."
Lai Xi shook his head repeatedly, "Master, I just heard from that mother-in-law that you still owe a lot of money? How much is it?"
Gao Cong shook his head and said dazedly, "I don't know, it shouldn't be much, right?"
Lai Xi's heart suddenly skipped a beat. He calculated that he had been living a life of debauchery and spending money everywhere these days, and half of the 30,000 taels he had would be spent.
"Master, you won't survive outside. Do you know how I got here? Do you know what life is like for ordinary people? What do they eat and use? You..."
His master is like a rose in a greenhouse. No one is taking care of her. She will be doomed if exposed to the wind and rain.
After hearing what Lai Xi said, Gao Cong's face turned paler and paler.
Because of Gao Cong's matter, Zhao Changning declined all the welcoming banquets hosted by the Maritime Customs, saying that he was not feeling well. He even refused to admit Chen Qi and others.
She has no way to face the looks in those people's eyes for the time being. After all, no matter how strong she is, she still has to save face.
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Author's words: Changning: Angry to the point of fainting [cracked][angry][angry]
Gao Cong: Kneel down gently.jpg Master, I was wrong! [Hug][Hug][Hug]
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