"Is Jiang He getting married?"
For Xue Lingyu, an unmarried man, to step into a place like Qingxiufang was already a disgrace to a man, enough to become the subject of gossip. It was especially bad that he was bumped into by a group of young men from noble families, which forced him to run out of Qingxiufang with a blushing face.
Xue Lingyu gritted his teeth, his lips almost bleeding from being bitten. He didn't really care what others said about him. His Xue family was on the verge of collapse, so why should he fear any more rumors? But why did Jiang He see him?
She must have seen her own pathetic state.
After leaving Changping Street, Jiang He was to inspect the shops along the street. The shopkeepers had all received word in advance that the young master was coming to check the accounts, so they had to be treated well.
The North Ward and Water Ward, two of the four major wards in the capital, belong to the Jiang family. Changping Street is the most prosperous commercial street in the capital and is under the jurisdiction of the North Ward. Most of the shops there are run by the Jiang family, and the remaining few are rented out by the Jiang family to other merchants.
Jiang He only inspected a few shops and casually flipped through the account books without looking at them in detail. Suddenly, she stopped at a shop that specialized in men's jewelry.
The shopkeeper greeted her with a smile and entered. Upon seeing that she was the young master, he became even more enthusiastic and instructed the staff to bring up the account books for Jiang He to review.
Several large ledgers were piled up in front of Jiang He, forming a small mountain. Even the mentally challenged Ji Xue couldn't help but gape. Even a cursory glance would take until at least evening.
Jiang He recalled the general ledger her mother had given her yesterday. Despite the shopkeeper's attentive attitude, she put on a cold face, making no attempt to hide her sarcasm. "Shopkeeper Li, are you trying to fool me by sitting comfortably in your position and telling me to back down?"
"Young master, what are you saying? If you want to check the accounts, I'll just take out the ledger. This is the original ledger, absolutely unaltered," Manager Li hurriedly explained, clearly startled.
Jiang He picked up an account book and threw it in front of Manager Li, her tone unfriendly: "You've mixed up the daily expenses of the shop with the accounts for small business transactions, but there's no general ledger. Manager Li, do you think I know nothing about business?"
It's not unusual for shops on Changning Street to communicate in private, but if they dare to do such deceitful things so boldly, and even bully her, Jiang He, wouldn't that make her, the young master, seem incompetent?
Whether or not to investigate further is her business, but if she adopts such an attitude and treats her, the young master, with disrespect, it is no small matter.
Unexpectedly, Jiang He pointed it out, and Manager Li wiped his sweat guiltily, quickly admitting his mistake: "It was my mistake, young master, you are very right to blame me. I will bring the large ledger over for you to review right away."
Manager Li was caught off guard and received a good lesson, so the other merchants no longer dared to cheat or slack off in front of Jiang He.
After leaving Qingxiu Lane, Xue Lingyu wandered the streets for quite a while before being found by a servant. Seeing that he was pale, his clothes were wrinkled, and he looked disheveled, the servant assumed something had happened and hurriedly asked, "Young master, what happened to you? Did you find Lord Kang?"
Xue Lingyu shook her head, suppressing her sobs, "I'm fine, Aunt Kang... no matter how much I begged, she wouldn't help the Xue family."
They were clearly friends of many years, close confidants, and Kang Minzhi even dragged her mother into the salt smuggling scheme. Yet, in the blink of an eye, they severed all ties and shifted all the blame onto the Xue family.
The servant looked distressed. "What can we do, young master? The master is still ill, and the family's money is almost gone. If this continues, we won't even be able to afford the master's medicine."
"Father cannot stop taking his medicine!" Xue Lingyu said firmly, but he was now penniless. Since his mother's accident, he had sold almost everything of value in the house, but even if he had given a large sum of money, it would have been gone forever.
He steeled his heart, pulled out the hairpin from his hair. The hairpin was inlaid with red jade and agate, and was quite valuable. It was his last piece of jewelry. If he sold it, he could at least afford his father's medicine for a month.
There happened to be a jewelry shop not far away, and Xue Lingyu went in with her servant.
He was no longer the popular young master of the Xue family, and his attire was not particularly outstanding. He was greeted by an ordinary waiter, who only reluctantly called out the manager when he explained his purpose.
Jiang He was still checking the accounts. While she was sitting, Manager Li had to stand. Not only was he tired, but he was also afraid that she would find something wrong and might question him.
The shop assistant said that someone had come to sell something. Manager Li wanted to refuse, but Jiang He put down the ledger and said, "Manager Li, you always stand in front of me, and I can't stand it anymore. Since a business opportunity has come, I might as well see what you're capable of."
Manager Li hurriedly bowed and said, "Young master, you flatter me. My appraiser skills are just enough to make a living. It is my honor that you are interested and willing to watch."
Xue Lingyu waited for a long time before finally seeing the shopkeeper come out. Fortunately, there weren't many people in the shop, and he didn't know anyone there. Although the wait was a bit long, it didn't matter to him.
Xue Lingyu's hands, gripping the red jade and agate hairpin, were sweating with nervousness. Then he saw the outstanding figure following behind the shopkeeper, and his hand trembled involuntarily, almost causing the hairpin to slip from his grasp.
Why is Jiang He here?
Manager Li respectfully said to Jiang He, "Young Master, please sit here and rest. I'll go and attend to my business."
After receiving a signal from Jiang He, Manager Li walked up to Xue Lingyu. Looking at this young master, whose face was as smooth as jade and whose appearance and demeanor were unlike those of an ordinary person, it was quite strange that he wanted to sell hairpins. She carefully asked, "Young master, are you sure you want to sell this hairpin?"
Even without handling it, one could tell that the red jade and agate hairpin in his hand was an extremely rare treasure, and there was not another one like it in the entire capital city.
Xue Lingyu was distracted by Jiang He, and only when she heard the shopkeeper address Jiang He as "Young Master" did she realize that this was a property of the Jiang family.
She wasn't desperate, nor would she sell her jewelry, but right under Jiang He's nose, Xue Lingyu felt an urge to flee, even though her father was waiting to take his medicine...
Having already lost face, Xue Lingyu simply asked, "Are you sure? How much can you sell it for? Do you have a hundred taels?"
This hairpin is indeed worth the price, but business people's nature of seeking the greatest profit will not change. Manager Li thought to himself, wanting to start bargaining, but Jiang He spoke up first.
"A red jade and agate hairpin from Nandong County would be worth at least a thousand taels, and even if you sell it, five hundred taels would be enough."
Although Jiang He was speaking while looking at Manager Li, Xue Lingyu had the illusion that she was speaking to her.
Jiang He's words raised the price of the hairpin. Before Xue Lingyu could react, Jiang He stood up, flicked her sleeves, and said, "Manager Li, I won't look at the ledger for now. You can send it to the Jiang residence later."
She said to the young man dressed as a guard behind her, "Ji Xue, let's go."
Manager Li dared not disobey Jiang He's words and finally bought Xue Lingyu's hairpin for five hundred taels of silver.
Although she received an extra four hundred taels, Xue Lingyu's mood became increasingly depressed, and she felt uneasy.
He thought that Jiang He would at least humiliate him when she saw him in such a sorry state, but she didn't say a word to him the whole time.
Even after returning to the Xue residence, Xue Lingyu appeared absent-minded. The issue of medicine money had been resolved, and her father's illness was no longer a concern. However, her mother was still in prison without any news, and the Xue family's physician was also seriously ill and could pass away at any moment.
Seeing the worry in his eyes, Xue's father, despite his frail health, comforted him, saying, "Yu'er, you must take good care of yourself. If anything happens, tell your father. Don't try to bear it all alone."
Xue Lingyu hesitated before saying, "Father, I ran into Jiang He today..."
Father Xue paused for a moment, then sighed, “It’s my fault, really. Back then, I thought you were a proud person and the Xue family was of high social standing, so I always wanted you to marry into the royal family. But now the Jiang family is not what it used to be.”
Father Xue patted Xue Lingyu's hand. "Yu'er, when the Jiang family came to propose marriage, they said they were willing to give half of the Jiang family as a dowry. Your mother and I also seriously considered and discussed it. However, noble families generally do not want to get involved with merchants, and her reputation is not good. But I have heard that Jiang He has changed a lot. Do you have any thoughts about her?"
Xue Lingyu, however, gave an irrelevant answer: "Father, you said that Mother is not involved in any murder case. If it is only the crime of reselling smuggled salt, as long as the money is paid back, wouldn't it not be considered a serious crime?"
Mr. Xue shook his head. “Using money to escape punishment is a common tactic among merchants. The Xue family has already been emptied out and can’t come up with much money.”
He said bitterly, "Even if we could afford it, there aren't many people willing to help the Xue family find a spouse, so it would be of no use."
As a man from a Taoist family, he couldn't offer much help. The entire Xue family was now relying solely on their only son. This child had never experienced any major hardships, and his frail shoulders couldn't bear the weight of these burdens. Yet, he still silently gritted his teeth and persevered.
“There are many things in this world that can be solved with money. Even a hero can be brought down by a single penny. But you must never lose your integrity. Cough cough.” Father Xue coughed a few times, recalling what he had just said. He looked at Xue Lingyu with loving eyes and advised him, “Since you are unwilling to answer my question, then I will say one more thing. Now that the status of the Xue family and the Jiang family has changed, you are still an unmarried man. It is best to keep your distance from Jiang He, lest she come to bother you again.”
Xue Lingyu said with a lump in her throat, "Father, don't worry, Jiang He won't bother me."
Now that Jiang He is ignoring him, how could she possibly pester him like she did three years ago?
Relieved, Mr. Xue said, "I heard that the Jiang family has been looking for a husband for Jiang He recently. With Jiang Shangyi keeping an eye on things, there shouldn't be any problems."
Xue Lingyu clenched her fist and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Jiang He is getting married?"
◎Latest Comments:
[I even brought you nutrient solution, so hand over the drafts now!!!]
[What kind of ordinary guy is making this comment?]
[The name Xue is unlikely to be...]
[Xue's dad is like an ordinary man]
Didn't the female lead recognize her?
[Speechless =_= Now they want their son to marry into the Jiang family again]
I really don't like the male lead.
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They got thwarted, huh? Hahahaha
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[Big Brother, what are you feeding me today?]
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[Waiting for an update]
【Press the claw】
Yay!
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