Chapter 99 How foolish! She's going to bring shame upon her ancestors!
She said he was a good person?
Lin Shiyuan himself was unsure whether he was or not.
He has killed countless people.
With the mask on, and wielding a crescent blade, he sweeps through armies, slaying gods and Buddhas alike.
Military achievements and prestige can help him climb higher and get closer to the center of power.
Not to mention killing enemy soldiers, he would kill even the people of Li Kingdom if they blocked his way.
In southern Xinjiang, everyone feared him; they said he was a demon-faced killer from hell, and called him the butcher.
He hates all trouble. Anything that might threaten him, distract him, or require him to make amends afterwards falls into the category of trouble.
However, killing those who surrendered became the most devastating setback he had ever suffered since joining the army.
Erasing everything he gained with his life, everything returns to the starting point.
He needs a chance to turn things around.
These bandits would have been his opportunity.
But Yao Qingling took them in and actually said that they still had a chance to become ordinary people again.
And he became the "good person" in her eyes?
Did her ex-husband ever appear to be a "good person" in her eyes?
Lin Shiyuan's thoughts were a bit chaotic, and the more he thought about it, the more off-topic he became, so he stopped thinking about it.
That's it, that's just how he is now; maybe he should just live a simple, ordinary life and drift through life.
The man took a deep breath, put his hands behind his head, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.
Yao Qingling woke up in her room in the morning, still covered by the blanket.
Qingling glanced out the window.
Taoye came in to help her wash up. Seeing her looking towards the window, she followed her gaze in confusion: "Miss, what are you looking at?"
The window was closed, and there was nothing there.
Qingling looked away. "It's nothing."
She remembered talking with Lin Shiyuan for a while on the roof last night, and then she drifted off to sleep.
She thought Lin Shiyuan would wake her up... but he actually carried her in?
And she didn't wake up at all?
What happened to not being able to sleep?
Yao Qingling felt inexplicably shy, but calmly lifted the covers and got out of bed under Tao Ye's puzzled gaze.
Taoye looked her up and down in confusion: "Miss, why are you sleeping in your clothes? Is the blanket at the inn too thin?"
She muttered to herself, sometimes talking about the rain and the drop in temperature, and sometimes about what to have for breakfast.
Yao Qingling looked at her clothes: "..."
I didn't see Lin Shiyuan until after I finished breakfast.
Yao Qingling invited him to dinner last night but he declined, so it was inappropriate for her to ask again this morning. However, Lin Qiao herself said, "Don't worry about my brother. He's a grown man, how could he get lost?"
After packing their things, they took a horse-drawn carriage back to the city.
Yao Qingling left early; when she entered the city, the city gates were not yet open.
There were many people waiting at the city gate for it to open.
Vegetable vendors carrying their wares in from the countryside on shoulder poles and in baskets; small vendors who can't afford to rent rooms in the city and sleep outside at night; homeless people, beggars, and refugees...
But Yao Qingling saw a different picture.
Mixed among these ordinary people were several luxurious carriages. Servants surrounded the carriages to prevent them from being bumped into and frightening the nobles inside.
Behind the carriage followed a large group of people dressed in rags.
Actually, this is not a strange sight anymore; carriages like this come in almost every day.
Once a city is ravaged by war or disaster, the powerful and wealthy can leave, even abandoning their homes and businesses, to settle in a safer and more stable place.
The people following behind were also looking for a way to survive.
Taoye looked at the crowd and murmured, "So many outsiders have come. This capital is getting more and more crowded."
Qingling hummed in agreement, thinking to herself, "This world is getting more and more chaotic."
Once the carriage entered the city, the scene inside was completely different.
Street vendors had already set up stalls, their stalls steaming and smoky; vendors were loudly hawking their wares, while others were pouring overnight foot bath water down from upstairs, splashing people and exchanging insults.
Yao Qingling's carriage passed through the bustling crowd and arrived at the gate of the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence.
After getting off the carriage, she tidied her clothes and hair.
Just as she was about to enter, Yao Qingqi came out from inside. Seeing Qingling, she exclaimed "Oh!" and said sarcastically, "So busy, huh? You haven't come home all night. Those who know you understand that you work hard to earn a lot of money, but those who don't might think you're doing something shady outside."
Yao Qingqi had been staking out Yao Qingling all night.
Previously, even when she came home late, she still managed to return. Yao Qingling had the old lady's "imperial sword," so people would only gossip about her working hard in business. Yao Qingling never paid any attention to what others said and was extremely arrogant.
But the fact that he didn't return home all night is something to talk about.
Yao Qingqi crossed her arms and stared at Qing Ling with a gloating expression, as if to say, "You're in trouble now."
She blocked the doorway, preventing Qingling from entering.
Yao Qingling glanced at her indifferently.
Something shameful? You mean she's having a good time outside, right?
"Your dark circles are so bad, I'm sorry to have worried you all night. But I don't have anything to say yet. I'll settle your wages when I've earned some money."
Yao Qingqi blinked. What did that mean?
What kind of wages?
Are they treating her like a gatekeeper maid at Mulan Courtyard?
Yao Qingqi's face darkened: "Yao Qingling, stop with the empty talk and think about how to explain this to people!"
She gave a heavy snort and turned to leave.
Lady Hou went to the old lady's Cangbo Courtyard early in the morning to pay her respects, and "casually" mentioned that Yao Qingling had not returned home overnight.
"...We all know that Qingling has worked hard. It's very difficult for a woman to do business. She also made a pledge to the old lady to bring double the income to the Marquis's mansion within a year. But old lady, Qingling only managed the general affairs in the Duke's mansion before, and that was only for her own new mansion. She didn't get involved in the general affairs of the Duke's mansion."
"She's never run a business before, yet she dared to make such a boast to the old lady. I didn't know what she was doing before, but after I checked, I found out she'd actually sold a lot of shops!"
"If these shops are what she calls the money she made, isn't that just fooling us? Even if she's fooling us, those shops are all real properties of the Marquis's mansion!"
Mr. Ma was heartbroken.
She should take all of Yao Qingling's dowry back into her hands.
These shops would be perfect for Qingqi or Peizhen as part of their dowry, both to support them and to enhance the prestige of the Marquis's mansion.
Madam Ma added, "Those shops are sold, so be it. Consider it as her gaining experience. I also think she meant well for the Marquis's family and wanted to bring honor to the family."
“But she is, after all, a woman. Doing business with those men…” She glanced at the old lady, clenched her fist and pounded her palm. “I’m afraid that she might use her body to do business with those men just to save face.”
Those female merchants outside may look capable and impressive, but behind the scenes, which one of them doesn't have powerful backers? They're just golden gloves placed out there by the powerful, accompanying both their patrons and customers.
The old lady was sitting and doing her hair; her aged but clean face was reflected in the mirror.
Even in old age, a woman of the night retains her worldly air; every wrinkle and every gray hair exudes a seductive charm.
They come from a prestigious family; how could they be associated with such unclean things and disgrace their ancestors?
The old lady's face was unpleasant, and her nostrils twitched slightly with anger.
She shouldn't have been swayed by Yao Qingling's words and agreed to let her do that business!
How foolish! She's going to bring shame upon her ancestors!
Seeing that the old lady was getting angrier, Madam Ma added fuel to the fire: "Old Madam, Qingqi is engaged, and her younger siblings will also need to find husbands in the future. Qingling's divorce has already ruined her reputation. If rumors spread that she did something improper, then... then how can the children face people in public? Let alone arrange marriages for them. I'm worried that she will ruin Qingqi's marriage."
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