Qin Shuang
It was late in the year, and the festive atmosphere in Yangzhou was not as strong as that in Beijing. However, because the weather was not extremely cold, the streets and markets were bustling with people, and the air was filled with joy and anticipation.
Under the plaque of benevolence and righteousness, light smoke curls up from the double-eared and three-legged carved copper stove, emitting a refreshing and elegant fragrance.
She wore a long orange-red gauze dress, a red cotton jacket with snow-white fox fur sewn on the corners, and a red gold hairpin with crystal clear ruby carvings pinned to her high bun. Her beautiful face easily overshadowed the red of her outfit, making it look not gaudy, but rather highlighting her wealth and elegance.
To her left sat a handsome man in a silver-purple round-necked brocade robe, with a fine Hetian jade pendant tied around his waist. Opposite her sat a handsome man in an indigo-colored brocade robe, with a jasper jade belt tied around his waist.
The only sound in the hall was the muted sound of tea sets. Qin Zhi looked at his wealthy sister, then at the man whose complexion looked as cold and white as jade against his brocade robe. He sighed and resigned himself to breaking the silent atmosphere.
"Master Su, why are you visiting me at this time?"
Qin Shuang fiddled with the purple clay tea set lazily, raised her bright eyes slightly, and glanced at Qin Zhi unhappily.
Qin Zhi rubbed his nose. He was the only one who could break the deadlock. One of them was calm and aloof, the other cunning and experienced. They would definitely not speak first. Only he, the younger brother, could do this.
"I came here this time because I want to cooperate with Mr. Qin." Su Zirui raised his eyes to look at Qin Shuang, whose face looked a little more cautious, and said in a deep voice.
"Oh?" Qin Shuang raised an eyebrow at the name, a hint of amusement in her eyes. She wasn't referring to Madam Qi, but to the head of the Qin family. This brightened her recently sour mood.
She calmly adjusted her wide sleeves and asked casually, "What are you collaborating on?"
She didn't feign surprise that he, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, was collaborating with a group of merchants, nor did she try to gauge his intentions. With such a pragmatic and efficient official, there was no need for sweet talk.
"Whatever you want to do, I will definitely help you with all my strength." Su Zirui said lightly.
Qin Shuang laughed sweetly, "I have so much I want to do, will you help me, sir?"
"Sure." There was no urgency or hesitation in the calm voice, as if it was just a casual greeting.
Qin Zhi raised his eyebrows slightly and glanced at Qin Shuang. Sure enough, he saw that the playful smile on her face had disappeared.
"What do you want?" Qin Shuang's eyes turned slightly, and he suddenly asked after a long silence.
"Aruo." Su Zirui looked straight at her and said softly.
Qin Shuang was stunned. "Why don't I understand what you are saying, Lord Su?"
"Ruoruo and I have already decided to spend our lives together. Now we just hope that she is safe." His expression did not change at all when he said this. He was as cold as ever, but there was a hint of tenderness in his eyes when he mentioned that name.
"Without a matchmaker or an engagement, how can we be considered to be together forever?" Qin Shuang's face suddenly turned cold, and her beautiful eyes glared at him imposingly. "Our Ruoruo is not some orphan who can be bullied by others!"
"When she is well, the Su family will come to propose marriage in person. There will be a ten-mile wedding, three letters and six ceremonies, and nothing will be shortchanged." This is not the simple wedding in the formation without any blessings and witnesses from relatives and friends, but a grand wedding in which she will be taken hand in hand to pay respects to her parents, heaven and earth.
Qin Shuang was slightly startled and turned away. "Then why did you... come looking for me? Since you've met Yiyuan, you should know that I'm planning to divorce my husband. Without this relationship, I have no reputation for being a good person."
He was not in the capital at this time, but came to Yangzhou to find her. No matter how you think about it, it is not normal. Isn't he afraid that Luo Ziran will do something to Aruo while he is away from the capital?
"Yiyuan once said that there are two people in this world who will never give up Aruo, and one of them is you." Su Zirui focused his mind, and his long, bony fingers gently stroked the thin bone china teacup.
"Oh, really?" Qin Shuang raised her eyebrows. This sounded pleasant to her ears. "Then who is the other one?"
"I." He said calmly.
Qin Zhi rolled his eyes speechlessly, wanting to expose his delusion. The two siblings had just exchanged glances, and he knew what his sister was planning. Even if she had previously wanted nothing to do with this man, facing the reality of Aruo's close relationship with him, Qin Shuang had already made other preparations.
Qin Shuang was stunned. The man in front of him had extremely cold eyes and brows. He looked a little tired after running around for days. He looked much thinner than when they met in Yangzhou before, but his eyes were very determined.
The Qin siblings were not vague about what happened in the capital. She was really disappointed with Qi Shaozhen for making Qin Shuang say the word "divorce".
Compared to the young Shen Nan, who had passed away, Aruo, who had lived with her day and night and trusted her, was the girl she recognized. She didn't mean to sympathize with Shen Nan, but what had Aruo done wrong? When had the dead become more important than the living? No matter what reasons Qi Shaozhen had, she could not forgive him.
"Sir Su... we don't know how to get her back." Qin Zhi knew how uncomfortable it would be for someone as proud as Qin Shuang to bring up this matter, so he quietly took over the topic. They only learned the full story after the incident. Previously, they had only thought that Luo Ziran was obsessed with Aruo. Now that all the strange things had been explained, things had changed.
"But we can let her come back to us without any worries, right?" Su Zirui's eyes were burning with determination, his eyebrows were cold, but the tips of his eyebrows were slightly raised.
Qin Shuang looked at him for a long time, then smiled. Very good. She was very satisfied with the paranoia in this man's eyes.
Qin Zhi's expression darkened after hearing this. "The Luo family is not easy to deal with."
Su Zirui looked squarely at the man who was believed by the world to be hiding behind Qin Shuang. "But a family like this has more serious problems than others. At the very least, it wouldn't be difficult to get the Luo family to give up Luo Ziran."
"We must cut the grass at its roots and not let the Luo family regret it. No, your plan is... to the northwest?" Qin Shuang keenly grasped the fleeting thought.
"The boss still needs to take action." Satisfaction flashed across his black eyes, and Su Zirui curled his lips.
"What do you want?" Qin Zhi changed his sitting position and asked with raised eyebrows.
"The Qin family is from the northwest."
"Oh, what a big appetite. What if I don't give it to you? Can you still get rid of my Qin family?"
"I may not be able to eliminate the Qin family, but I have irrefutable evidence against them... and I do have quite a bit." Su Zirui sipped his tea and set it down, the base of the teacup making a crisp sound against the rosewood table. "And the Qin family has held onto the salt permits for years, so I'm sure many merchants are eyeing them. If I want to change them, it won't be difficult."
"You!" Qin Zhi's face changed and he slammed the table heavily.
Su Zirui tilted his head, the coldness between his brows remained, but his whole temperament turned warm, and his cold eyes carried a sense of aura.
Qin Shuang suppressed Qin Zhi with just a glance.
She had suspected before that Su Zirui was hiding in Yangzhou, was he really just investigating the loan case because he was injured? They still hadn't figured out who was behind the recently replaced official for over two months... But Jing Lan had warned them not to make enemies with the Su family, otherwise they would suffer.
Humph, so miserable that he was promoted twice?
"It is said that I, Qin Shuang, will not get up early unless there is benefit. What benefit can I get from giving you these trump cards?" The Qin family's manpower in the northwest was arranged by her personally before she had the idea of marriage, as well as the test for Qin Zhi. Those nails had long been driven into the land of the northwest and were extremely precious.
"The current emperor has not appointed a crown prince, but has been evaluating the other princes in recent years. Everyone knows why. The Luo family is favoring the Fifth Prince over the Eleventh Prince, who is related by blood. Is it simply because a daughter from a branch of the Luo family is the Fifth Prince's principal wife?"
"How can common people like us criticize the royal family's affairs?"
"A new emperor appoints new ministers. The Qi family's salt permits and the Qin family's grain transport permits have not been changed for many years. I'm afraid many people will criticize them." Su Zirui is good at trying and judging cases, and it is almost his instinct to grasp the key points.
How could no one be jealous of such a lucrative resource? It's simply because the two families are sensible and have sufficient value to the court.
But there are too many people who know what’s interesting…
"A new emperor appoints his own ministers... This statement is more appropriate for Lord Su." Qin Zhi smiled.
Su Qing became the Prime Minister, and Su Zirui, a well-known official in the Ministry of Justice, was not known to be close to any of the princes. No, Su Qing was cunning and extremely ambitious, and it was impossible for him to be just a loyal minister.
Then when did the Su family start planning?
"I have no intention of lying to the boss, but I can guarantee that whatever the boss wants will be as you wish." Su Zirui smiled slightly. He was talking to both the brother and sister.
Qin Zhi and Qin Shuang looked at each other, then walked away. Qin Zhi lowered his head and drank his tea quietly.
"I'm just a woman and can't think that far. Tell me, what do you want to investigate in the northwest?" Qin Shuang pondered for a while before asking.
"Qiao's."
Qin Shuang's eyes suddenly widened. He had found out more about this person than she had imagined...
"You want to dig deeper into Qiao's?"
"It's not just her... But Luo Ziran personally cleaned up the mess four years ago, and now there aren't many clues left. The Qin family settled in the northwest six years ago through marriage, and I'm sure the head of the family could dig up more anecdotes." He knew everything the government could uncover, but it wasn't enough. The Ning family was powerful enough in the northwest, but they weren't thorough enough in their investigation of the secrets of these mansions and their efforts to clean up the mess.
Qin Shuang and her brother were stunned. She thought that Su Zirui did this for Aruo... Now it seems that she underestimated the person in front of her.
"For Aruo, I can give you the people in the northwest. But... I want the people from the Su family in Yangzhou." Qin Shuang restrained his expression and put forward the terms of exchange in a serious manner.
She and Qin Zhi had recently been dealing with salt officials and major merchants. The Qin family's dominance was too dangerous, and she wanted to break it. But how to break it, how to make the Qin family safer, was not easy.
The recent frequent transfers of officials in the Yangzhou area, coupled with the downfall of the Tongzhi and others, have made it difficult for new officials to adapt and cooperate. The Su family is a noble family that rose from humble beginnings. Both father and son are well-connected and capable. She didn't know what role they played in this salt administration, but Su Zirui hadn't risked his life here just to seduce her Ruoruo.
At least, Jing Lan was promoted twice with the help of this person and directly entered the core of the Yangzhou government.
"Deal." Su Zirui raised his eyebrows, looking straightforward as if he didn't give it much thought.
The two men looked at each other meaningfully. They both knew that in this kind of cooperation, it didn't matter who gained the advantage.
The Qin family's covert and capable personnel in the northwest were a natural addition to his position in the Ministry of Justice. The Su family's expansion into Jiangnan was just beginning, and collaborating with the Qin family offered no real disadvantages. The Qin family had been operating for years, with a complex network of connections, but the salt case had disrupted much of their operations. Now, the Su family's offer of an olive branch was perfectly appropriate.
"I want to know, when did you start focusing on the northwest?" Even if he was concerned about the northwest due to the military pay issue, he wouldn't have paid attention to Luo Ziran's backyard. And it sounds like he didn't start paying attention to it until he returned to Beijing with Aruo.
Su Zirui was stunned for a moment, a hint of realization flashing in his eyes. After a while, when Qin Shuang and his brother thought he would not answer, he whispered, "She... was wronged in the northwest back then."
So he wanted to find out the truth so he could fight back for her? But based on this alone, he felt something was wrong? Qin Shuang clearly didn't believe it.
"She is not an impulsive person." After he learned about what happened that year from Jing Lan, he used his connections to check the details of that year. Many clues had been erased by Luo Ziran, but there were some rumors in the market. For example, Luo Ziran took a concubine after Shen Nan became seriously ill, and for example, Qiao's appearance was not similar to Shen Nan's... This information was hidden in the market, and no one would mention it unless someone asked.
Going to so much trouble to do so much because of her grievances?
"Heh..." Qin Shuang smiled brightly, as if he had discovered something. "One last question. Are you so relieved that Aruo is alone in the Marquis' Mansion? Luo Ziran won't treat her the same way he treats his sister-in-law."
Hearing this, Su Zirui raised his eyes, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "She has to recuperate for a month, and she won't be awake much. Luo Ziran is not so beastly."
She was terrified of pain, so much so that she would rather die than endure it. The medicine Lao Xue had specially prepared for her had a calming effect and was more suitable for her than Doctor Guan's.
Old Cai in Chunfeng has a very good friend from the same hometown. His lover is the nanny who manages the inner courtyard of the Marquis's mansion, and Lin Xiaoniang's sister works in the kitchen of the Marquis's mansion... Everyone adds fuel to the fire, and piece together they find a way to protect her.
The people of Chunfeng are ordinary people. When faced with the powerful, most of them are afraid and will retreat. However, if they can really contribute, they will actively help. At least, as long as their safety is guaranteed, they can help each other.
"Sir Su... in that case, I won't go to the capital. I can give you the people in the northwest. Aruo is my most important sister, so... I'll leave her to you." Qin Shuang stood up and bowed to Su Zirui.
Can I entrust my sister to you?
That annoying woman couldn't even speak like a living person. Su was distracted and nodded slightly.
After finishing their business, they discussed some of the situation in Yangzhou, and Qin Shuang personally escorted him out. Looking at the wind chime that Aruo had personally hung at the top of the corridor, Qin Shuang suddenly said, "I once heard Zhenzhen say that as long as people have feelings for each other, they won't easily leave. For Aruo, of all the people she met in the world, only Yiyuan had ever made her care. But he became a monk, and she has been alone in the world of mortals. Until now, with the Lord... Lord Su, if you two truly have feelings for each other, she will definitely exist for you."
Su Zirui paused, then turned to look at her. Displeasure was evident between his brows, but a hint of concern lingered in his eyes. He emphasized in a cold voice, "Yiyuan is a companion to her, not a concern."
Qin Shuang raised her eyebrows. This man's mind... was unexpectedly narrow.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com