Chapter 268 Misunderstanding

Fan Wenshu, the head shopkeeper of Dou Zhao's Pen Shop, had a premonition that his luck was about to change.

At first, he had become the second in command of Jifen Pavilion, and everyone praised him for his bright future. But unexpectedly, the third elder of the Dou family suddenly assigned him to help the fourth young lady of the Dou family run a small writing shop.

Knowing that this was because Master Dou San valued him, everyone would say "congratulations" and feel sorry for him; those who didn't know would think that he had done something wrong, so when they saw him showing a gloating expression or hesitating to speak, he was depressed for several years.

But now, the fourth daughter of the Dou family married the eldest son of the Duke of Yingguo, and he straightened his back completely.

That’s the British Duke’s Mansion!

A hairpin family that has been favored by the emperor for a hundred years!

What he manages is the property of the wife of the British prince!

If he works hard, and waits until the fourth daughter of the Dou family gives birth to a son, he might even be able to become the steward of the Duke of Ying's Mansion!

Thinking of this, Fan Wenshu's heart became excited and he paid more attention to the things in the shop. These days, he has even been thinking about whether he should talk to Dou Zhaojin and find a way to buy the shop next door. In addition to the business of pens, ink, paper and inkstone, he could also add some exquisite and small study treasures, and even put them in various boxes to make gift boxes to give as gifts.

So when he suddenly heard that Chen Qushui's carriage was parked outside the shop, he was shocked and hurried out to greet him.

He didn't see Cui Shisan and Tian Fugui.

Fan Wenshu couldn't help but mutter a few words in his heart.

After all, they were under the same roof. Although he had never told anyone what business Cui Shisan and Tian Fugui were doing and who had instructed them, he knew it very well in his heart. These were not legitimate businesses, and he didn't take it seriously, pretending not to know. But in his heart, he knew that Cui Shisan and Tian Fugui were Dou Zhao's confidants. But he didn't want to be excluded because of this, so he was always very attentive to Chen Qushui.

After running back and forth between Kyoto and Zhending for days, the elderly Chen Qushui was very tired. He let Fan Wenshu help him into the house and said, "Everything at home has been arranged, but there are still some things that the fourth young lady needs to decide. I am afraid that they may not be able to convey the message clearly, so I decided to come here in person."

I'm afraid things are not that simple, right?

Fan Wenshu muttered to himself.

But he had been determined to be a qualified shopkeeper since he was a child, and had long decided not to go along with Cui Shisan. He smiled and said something like "Thank you for your hard work", and did not ask anything else. After settling Chen Qushui, he returned to his simple accounting office.

Chen Qushui washed up and leaned on the big kang by the window, reading a book while waiting for Yan Chaoqing. However, as he read, he became tired and fell asleep in a daze. It was not until the servant called him, "Mr. Chen, Mr. Chen, Mr. Yan is here!" that he woke up with a start.

The room was dark.

He couldn't help asking, "What time is it now?"

The servant replied, "It's just two quarters past the hour of You."

Chen Qushui said "Oh", sighed, and stood up to straighten his clothes.

He is old after all. He fell asleep in such a short time. It seems that he will have to retire in Kyoto.

However, having Dou Zhao and a group of old friends was not necessarily a bad thing. Maybe I could even see the birth of Dou Zhao's child.

He smiled and left the inner room.

Yan Chaoqing came alone, wearing a green cotton robe and a black scarf. At first glance, he looked like a master of a wealthy family. He was dressed very simply and looked like he didn't want to attract attention.

Chen Qushui's heart skipped a beat.

The more this happened, the more it showed that what Yan Chaoqing wanted to say was very serious.

He smiled calmly as he greeted Yan Chaoqing, led him to the study, seated the guests, and waited for the waiter to serve tea. He then told the waiter to stand guard outside, "Don't let anyone disturb me while I'm talking to Mr. Yan." He then took a sip of tea and said, "What's the matter that made you call me here in such a hurry?"

Yan Chaoqing looked around alertly and listened carefully, but did not find any unusual noise. After a slight hesitation, he leaned close to Chen Qushui's ear and whispered a few words.

Chen Qushui immediately gasped, his eyes widened like bells, and he asked anxiously, "Is this true?"

"Would I lie to you?" Yan Chaoqing said with a wry smile, "If you don't believe me, you can ask the Bie sisters around Madam."

"How could this happen?" Chen Qushui rubbed his hands and asked Yan Chaoqing, "What happened when the two dynasties congratulated each other?"

Yan Chaoqing said awkwardly, "The prince asked me to help do something."

"How could you be so confused!" Chen Qushui stood up in a loud voice, "Can such a thing be manipulated? Do you understand how serious it is now? If they can be in perfect harmony on their wedding night, who can question what is going on between them in the future?" He was so anxious that he was pacing around the room.

If Dou Zhao fails to give birth to a child within one or two years, won't people point fingers at her?

The important thing now is to figure out whether this is Dou Zhao's intention or Song Mo's intention.

If it was Dou Zhao's intention, then it would be fine. If it was Song Mo's intention... Chen Qushui's eyes flashed with coldness.

How could Yan Chaoqing not know this?

But at this moment he felt that he was more wronged than Dou E.

"The prince went to Zhending to see his wife every now and then," he murmured, "and he had secretly been to Huaishu Hutong several times before we got married. When the prince gave me instructions, I thought that the prince and his wife... I broke out in a cold sweat and had no time to think carefully. Later, when they were quiet, I thought that his wife was pregnant, and I was thinking of finding some excuse to fool her... Then I figured out that the date was wrong, and his diet was normal... Since we were together before, now that we are married, we are acting independently. I realized something was wrong, so I had to ask you to discuss this matter..."

Chen Qushui was furious: "Your young master is the one who doesn't follow the rules! You climbed over the wall in the middle of the night, and you dare to blame our young lady! Your young master has never been alone in the house. Maybe he is not capable enough, so he came up with such a bad idea, making our young lady feel embarrassed now..."

Yan Chaoqing's face turned livid: "What do you mean by that? Our young master is in great shape. A few days ago, he invited a Taoist priest from Longhu Mountain to check his pulse. He said that not only have all his internal injuries healed, but his internal martial arts have also improved. He also joked that when Duke Dingguo asked the young master to practice this set of internal martial arts, he had ulterior motives and wanted the young master to have more children for the Song family... Don't talk nonsense here and ruin the young master's reputation! Maybe this was your young lady's idea! I've always wondered, with your young lady's shrewdness and strength, and her military and literary skills, how could Wang, a woman in the inner house, do such a thing as swapping sisters..."

I was forced to do it!

If it weren't for your prince, we would have returned to Zhending long ago.

I don't know how carefree and happy I am, why bother with these messed up things in your British mansion!

These words came to Chen Qushui's lips, but he swallowed them back - this kind of mutual accusation was just like that of a woman in the market.

Before Yan Chaoqing finished speaking, he realized that he had spoken out of turn.

He stopped quickly.

For a moment, there was silence in the study.

"What should we do now?" After a while, Chen Qushui and Yan Chaoqing asked each other at the same time.

Yan Chaoqing said, "I would like to ask Mr. Chen to ask the Crown Prince - after all, you are the Madam's man, so it would be better for you to ask such questions!" He hadn't said another word. Even though the Crown Prince was unhappy, for the sake of Madam's face, he would probably just be unhappy for a while, so that the damage would be less.

Chen Qushui was not fooled, thinking, if this was really the young lady's idea, wouldn't I be helping the tyrant? But in front of Yan Chaoqing, he would never reveal a word.

"We are both still young, and we don't have any serious elders to guide us. We have to take more responsibility for some things." He said leisurely, "However, the prince is a man of his own ideas. When to meet the prince and what to say to him after meeting him require long-term consideration. You can't just let me run to the prince like this, right? How do I know about this? If I tell the prince about this, will the lady know? Given the prince's meticulousness, I'm afraid he will consider these things first. We'd better be cautious..."

Do you want to put it off until you meet the lady first?

It can be seen that my guess about sisters being easier to marry is not unreasonable.

No matter what, we have to find a way to let the fourth daughter of the Dou family and the prince sleep together as soon as possible and give birth to a child as soon as possible.

Only when they have children can the couple live a stable life.

"Otherwise, why should I consult Mr. Chen?" Yan Chaoqing said with a smile, "I am too concerned and have never considered these things. No wonder the saying goes 'three cobblers are better than one'..."

It's not like you haven't thought about it, you want to act in the name of our young lady!

Chen Qushui and Yan Chaoqing laughed and each thought about their own things.

Dou Zhao and Song Mo, who were being missed by the two men, were sitting on the big kang by the window discussing tomorrow's banquet.

"...It's better to be safe than sorry. I think we should hold the chrysanthemum viewing banquet in Yizhitang." Dou Zhao said, "It will prevent the father-in-law from being superficial and thinking that without the garden of the Duke of Ying's mansion, nothing can be done." As she spoke, a bit of pride appeared between her eyebrows, "Let's just take this opportunity to spread the reputation of Yizhitang!"

Song Mo, who was angered by his father's disrespect for Dou Zhao, finally suppressed his anger and laughed when he heard the words, "What good ideas do you have?"

Dou Zhao smiled and said, "Why don't we carve a seal for Yizhitang? Whenever we invite relatives and friends to our home, we can use the seal of 'Yizhitang' on the invitation to distinguish it from the Duke of Ying's Mansion. Of course, our banquets must also be unique and unforgettable." This was actually an idea she had in her previous life, but she had never been able to implement it. Now that she mentioned it again, she became more and more interested. "For example, we planted a small garden with When giving radishes and cucumbers to relatives and friends, paper sheets with the seal of Yizhitang would be pasted on the outside of the bamboo baskets. For example, when raising a plant of Eighteen Scholars to present to the Empress Dowager or the Empress, the seal of Yizhitang would also be printed on the flowerpot... In short, when people mention "Yizhitang", they would think of it as a good thing that other families don't have, and even if other families have it, it can't compare to the exquisiteness, elegance, and fame of Yizhitang..."