Chapter 123 Zhan Xingzhuo Hates Her to the Bone
Yao Qingling's carriage also rolled forward, heading towards the gates of the capital.
The carriage jolted, and Yao Qingling swayed a little as she sat, but she was still thinking about the meaning of Zhan Xingzhuo's words, and was somewhat absent-minded.
Suddenly, her body lurched to the left, but a large hand caught her shoulder just in time, preventing her from falling out of the carriage.
Lin Shiyuan was sitting opposite her, and had to get up to help her.
At this moment, he was hunched over, but even after leaving his seat, he stood firmly; his deep eyes were fixed on her: "Thinking of him?"
Yao Qingling looked up and met his gaze, her eyes filled with confusion and panic: "Who?"
Her mind was in turmoil; she couldn't tell if it was because she was suddenly startled or because he had suddenly gotten too close.
The man continued to gaze at her; in the carriage, his pupils appeared even darker, their deep color almost drawing her in.
His fingers were also very strong; it was hard to tell whether he was protecting her or trying to pull her out of someone else's vortex.
She paused slightly, as if... he was angry?
The carriage swayed again, snapping Qingling out of her daze.
She knew who he was talking about.
Yao Qingling gripped the board with both hands and said, "I'm holding on tight, you can sit down now."
Lin Shiyuan looked at her; she twitched her shoulder slightly, signaling him to let go. The man paused, then released her hand and returned to the opposite seat.
Tao Ye and Lin Qiao were both outside the carriage, especially Tao Ye, whom Qing Ling had taught to drive.
Qingling's career is special, and there will be many places where she will need people in the future, but some things can only be entrusted to her trusted confidants.
Yao Qingling lifted the curtain and looked outside, asking, "What happened?"
At that moment, Taoye was driving the carriage. She was not driving steadily and failed to avoid the stones. She turned around, her face full of shame, and said, "Miss, I will learn next time."
I thought driving would be easy, just a flick of the whip, but the horse wouldn't listen to me. It was like a stubborn ox; if I told it to go on flat ground, it would insist on taking the wrong path.
The whip returned to the coachman's hand, and Taoye, feeling embarrassed, sat obediently.
She muttered, "I don't know who's so heartless as to leave so many stones lying on the road without moving them..."
Lin Shiyuan glanced lightly at the stones on the ground and frowned slightly.
Yao Qingling didn't say anything more. She returned to the carriage and met Lin Shiyuan's gaze again.
It seems he's fixated on that answer.
Qing Ling pursed her lips and said, "I was thinking about Zhan Xingzhuo, but not in the way you think."
She knows best how ugly their divorce was and how difficult those days were. How could she possibly regret leaving him just because he got a promotion?
“I remember what he said. He said that one day I would come to him for help.”
Lin Shiyuan's expression darkened further, and he frowned slightly: "You mean, he'll go after you?"
Qingling tugged at the corners of her lips and gave a bitter smile: "Most of those who have divorced become strangers, and many have become enemies."
She and Zhan Xingzhuo should be the latter.
She made Zhan Xingzhuo lose face in front of the whole city, forcing him to go to Luozhou; Zhou Zhining became a government slave, and the Zhou family would no longer receive preferential treatment at the border. For this reason alone, Zhan Xingzhuo hated her to the bone.
When he comes back this time and sees with his own eyes that she is doing better than him, he will be furious.
Qingling knew Zhan Xingzhuo; he wasn't a generous or magnanimous person.
“He’s back. My Hui Ba Fang is probably in trouble. If he finds out about Big Beard and his gang again… he’ll focus on dealing with me, and I won’t be able to beat him.”
It's not that Yao Qingling is belittling herself; she's just being pragmatic.
Merchants cannot win a battle against officials.
Even if Zhan Xingzhuo didn't find out that she had taken in bandits, she would have a hard time resisting him with just a pretext.
Furthermore, he was deeply in love with Zhou Zhining.
Zhou Zhining hated Yao Qingling to death. She hated that Yao Qingling had a general father who was adored by the people and that her father had died on the battlefield. If Zhou Zhining found out that Yao Qingling was connected with bandits, she would make the entire Yao family apologize for her!
Previously, Yao Qingling planned to earn more money after leaving the Duke's mansion to ensure her own well-being; after taking in so many people, she also wanted to ensure that everyone could live a good life.
But now she feels that the most important thing right now is for her to find a powerful backer.
But who can we turn to for support?
Yao Qingling looked at Lin Shiyuan.
He was already a general who had been stripped of all his power; even the former General Who Guarded the South would find it difficult to contend with the important officials of the imperial court...
Yao Qingling gently shook her head, the movement very subtle.
Even from this subtle movement, Lin Shiyuan could tell what she was thinking—she wanted to find a powerful backer, but he wasn't one.
Lin Shiyuan's expression darkened.
But in such matters, his anger and anxiety were useless; everything depended on the emperor's will.
Lin Shiyuan said, "You were able to get rid of him before, and you will be able to again. It's just a matter of dealing with whatever comes your way. Madam Yao was worried beforehand, feeling that she was weak, but weren't you even weaker and more powerless in the inner quarters before?"
A woman follows her husband after marriage. At that time, she was merely an appendage to Zhan Xingzhuo, but she still managed to break free from that appendage and become an independent person.
Qingling smiled, feeling somewhat encouraged by him.
Yes, you have to deal with whatever comes your way; experience is gained through struggle. If she gets stage fright before it even begins, what was the point of all that hardship and divorce in the first place?
Lin Shiyuan added, "You still have me—"
"ah?"
The man immediately replied, "You still have me, Lin Qiao, and many others like my siblings who are with you. With so many people supporting you, even if he's a high-ranking official, how could he ignore so many people?"
Yao Qingling recalled that when she was confined to the mansion by Zhan Xingzhuo, it was Lin Shiyuan who taught Lin Qiao to sing a nursery rhyme, back when he was still in prison.
They cooperated a few more times after that, and each time they won by a small margin.
Yao Qingling's confidence returned, and she said with a smile, "That's right, Zhan Xingzhuo hasn't become a vice minister yet. He's trying to scare me, but I'm not afraid."
At least for now, Yao Qingling has not only failed to seek help from Zhan Xingzhuo, but she is still in the capital, while he is still in Luozhou.
Changes, like the weather, can be sunny or rainy; we'll see when the time comes.
After the carriage entered the city, Lin Shiyuan went back to the shop to check the goods he had received.
Yao Qingling is also going to Hui Ba Fang.
The carriage stopped in the backyard of the shop. Taoye went in and called two big men to unload two large boxes from the carriage and carry them inside.
The bearded man gave her the first sum of money, and Yao Qingling wanted to record it in the ledger, turning dirty money into something that could be made public.
Manager Liu was someone Qingling trusted; his wife was Qingling's wet nurse. However, the wet nurse and their two children died in the southwest. Manager Liu followed Qingling back to the capital and watched her grow up over the years, treating her like his own daughter and diligently helping her manage the shop.
Qingling handed him the silver, and after counting it, Manager Liu said, "Please rest assured, Miss."
Qingling nodded: "Uncle Liu, I trust you to do things. However, I would like to ask you to make one more ledger."
She had originally planned to keep only two sets of accounts, but after Zhan Xingzhuo's threat, she thought it over and decided that she should make three sets.
One document was a fake, meant to appease Lady Ma and the old lady for inspection; the second was for the government to see, to expose some "flaws," but not enough to warrant imprisonment or beheading, just a fine, and at most a few more beatings.
If it weren't for Zhan Xingzhuo, Qing Ling wouldn't have had this plan.
The last ledger is the most authentic, recording the shop's revenue.
If there are other possibilities in the future, we must be prepared.
Manager Liu was unaware of Yao Qingling's intentions, but he was also aware of the identities of the new employees in the shop and knew that Qingling must have his reasons for doing so.
He didn't ask many questions; it was just an extra accounting task, not difficult for him.
As Qingling walked towards the front yard, Manager Liu called out to her again: "Miss, there's one more thing."
He glanced around and pulled Qingling to the spot where they had been talking earlier.
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