Chapter 77 Cousin

"...Good news?" Jiang Hengyun was stunned for a moment. He had only met Si Li once, so where did the good news come from?

He rarely showed his emotions, and when someone mentioned this, the relaxed smile he had when he entered the palace disappeared in an instant. Zhong Liuru did not continue the topic, but just handed over another memorial. Most of the unresolved documents in the inner cabinet would be written as a proposal and sent to the Eastern Palace. This was a tacit understanding left over from a few years ago. Everyone thought that the inner cabinet was sent to the palace to be approved by the emperor, or that the eunuch Lu Xi beside the emperor abused his power, but they didn't know that the documents were only sent to one place from beginning to end, that is, the Eastern Palace.

That year, when the inner palace was closed, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, who was only fifteen years old when he first held the pen to approve a document, was already the commander-in-chief of the army and the future king. The common people all relied on His Royal Highness, and he was so lucky to be able to offer his loyalty to such a monarch.

Jiang Hengyun didn't notice the admiring look in his subordinates' eyes, or rather, he had seen such looks so often that he didn't take it seriously. He read the memorial quickly and sneered, "The state should not compete with the people for profit. It is only natural for the navy to have a shipyard. What does he want to do by mentioning going out to sea?"

He threw out two memorials, "I remember that the navy has been touring various places since the summer, and now he should be very close to Yunyue. Since he wants to go out to sea, he can help the mountain people to survive the winter."

Zhong Liuru suppressed his laughter, put away the memorial, and said, "Yes." The mountain people have been causing trouble every year since they became naturalized, relying on the officers and soldiers' impatience to fight with them. This time, His Highness has combined two troubles into one, which is really annoying.

Jiang Hengyun sat in the main seat and called the box-maker to look at the unchanged wooden box. He lowered his eyes and said nothing. Zhong Liuru placed several thin memorials classified by importance in front of him, carefully observed his expression, and asked, "Your Highness, you have watched the man's conversation at the tea party and presented the sword used by the queen. Do you want to ask someone to prepare the robes and jade tokens for the official in charge of food?"

"No need." Jiang Hengyun knocked on the table with his knuckles. The girl's bright smile appeared in front of him, and his heart skipped a beat for some reason. Si Li was someone who said that she just wanted to be a rich man. If she was really going to be imprisoned in the palace like in the past, she would probably not be willing. The distance between the East Palace and the Beijing Residence was just right.

Jiang Hengyun ignored the slight discomfort for no reason and looked down at the memorials that had not been dealt with all day. Zhong Liuru was rejected by him, and he didn't know what other arrangements his master had for the daughter of the Si family who could make snacks. He stopped talking and didn't ask any more questions.

The guard in shorts landed outside the warm pavilion and went in to report what he had just heard in the courtyard. Jiang Hengyun paused and said calmly, "Got it, go back."

Zhong Liuru stood aside and raised his eyebrows. It was not surprising that a person like Miss Si, who could catch the prince's eye, would occasionally behave unusually, so he did not take it to heart.

---

On the other side of the capital, Si Tang lay beside her mother. She took a few bites of the food on the table and had no taste at all. The debate in Wuweilou was doomed to end the moment Qin Xueshi appeared. She was unwilling but could do nothing about it. However, she recalled what she had seen and heard along the way and still couldn't figure out where the people in Laiju were targeting her.

"Atang, it's not your fault today. I'm relieved to hear that you've become much better now." Mrs. Si hugged her and combed her daughter's long hair like she did when she was a child. She spoke softly and gently.

Si Tang's nose felt sore, and his confused thoughts came to an end. He hugged his mother and burst into tears, "Who on earth is that Wanglaiju? Could it be that he jumped out from a crack in the rock? Why does he have to go against me? Si Li, Wanglaiju, Dad... none of them makes my life easy!" While Si Tang was crying, he forgot that he didn't mention his father. The resentment was stuck in his heart, and he couldn't say it.

Madam Si pretended not to hear her call, patted her daughter on the back and coaxed her, "It will be fine. Mother will watch you marry your ideal husband and live a glorious life as the most beautiful and talented woman in the capital. No one can compare to mother's Atang."

Amidst the promises made over and over again, Si Tang fell into a drowsy sleep. When he opened his eyes again, he saw a tree of low pear blossoms that were as tall as clouds.

This pear blossom looked familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen it before. Si Tang saw that it was blooming beautifully, so he casually plucked a branch. The pink stamens and white flowers swayed gently, which was very beautiful. If it was used to put in a vase, one branch would be a little too little. Si Tang was looking for a suitable branch when he suddenly saw a small ball like a New Year doll jumping out from the petals.

The white face and the clear almond-shaped eyes were filled with tears. "Can you please not break my flower?"

The New Year picture doll grew taller in an instant, with long hair tied up high. Its eyes were as clear as before, with a gleam in its eyes. It looked at me with a half-smile, "...Is it okay?"

"It's you!" Si Tang suddenly opened his eyes and sat up, his back felt cold and his heart was beating like a drum.

The shopkeeper of Wanglaiju was named Si, and he had a pair of almond-shaped eyes similar to hers. Her good sister took her servants and said she was going out to do business, but she never heard from her again. Although Si Tang had no evidence, her strong intuition told her that this was the same person.

If Wanglaiju belonged to Si Li, then the previous targeting would be justified. Si Tang recalled the embarrassment he had suffered in front of Wanglaiju before, and the many twists and turns that had occurred because of Wanglaiju. He was so angry that he didn't even bother to apologize to his mother who was awakened. He grabbed his mother's hand and said, "Mom, Si Li is in Wanglaiju! No wonder the shopkeeper was so secretive, he was afraid that we would find out!"

Mrs. Si reached out and touched her forehead. "Ah Tang, are you confused because of sleep? How is that possible?"

She didn't want to be a good young lady, but wanted to be a merchant at the lowest level of the class of scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans? If that was the case, then this stain could not be washed away, and it would be even more difficult for her to get married. Even if Si Li knew what they were up to, she should have chosen another way to get out of it. How could she be so stupid?

Seeing that her mother didn't believe her, Si Tang blushed with anxiety. She couldn't tell any reason except her surname and the time she appeared. Mrs. Si patted her shoulder gently, "Okay, go to sleep. I will tell your father tomorrow. Whether it's true or not, it's all your intention to find your eldest sister. Do you understand?"

---

If Si Tang dreamed of Si Li as a child and finally remembered where the sense of familiarity came from, then the Jian family was in chaos that night because of the confirmed news. Jian Bingde was so angry that he smashed two sets of cups, bowls and vases in a row. He had nowhere to stand in the hall before he barely suppressed his anger.

After finding Wang Ru, the manager of the manor, he led people to investigate the news along the way, and finally got the details of his little girl's life on the manor. Thinking of the little girl dying after falling into the water, he couldn't help but feel pain in his heart. According to Wang Ru, Si Li became very thin in three days, was bullied by her personal maid, and was asked for money for medicine by the doctor in person. She was even afraid that she would be a burden to others if she stayed on the manor, so she simply took the maid away. The girl of his Jian family, the eldest daughter of the Si family, should not be so cautious even if she was cowardly and afraid of things!

"How dare he, how dare he!" Jian Bingde's temples were throbbing and he slammed the table so hard that the word "Wanglai Ju" written on it jumped.

Originally, Zhuangzi only asked about the direction of Si Li's whereabouts, which was the same direction as the people in the Si Mansion who were seen secretly searching by the Jian family servants before. The fact that the Si Mansion did not find anyone showed that this idea was wrong.

After searching Lingtaoyuan carefully, Manager Wang suddenly remembered the stall incident at the previous Buddhist meeting. Because the Jian family was originally a merchant family, he was afraid that they would dislike Si Li, so he concealed the incident and said it in a concealed manner. That's how he got the clue about Wanglaiju.

Mrs. Jian had brought her children to reunite with her husband after the city gates were opened. When she heard Manager Wang talk about the well-behaved and sensible Si Li, she almost burst into tears. But now she calmed down and sneered, "Lang Laiju is now well-known in the capital. If you can't make up your mind to see Ah Li, I will take Ah Li back to the Chen family to raise her. It's better than being rejected by you two uncles and sons-in-law in the capital!"

Madam Jian's surname was Chen, so her words were a bit harsh. Jian Bingde stamped his feet, angry and panicked, "Madam! Why bother Master Taishan? If it doesn't work, just go back to Xingling. Can't my elder brother's Wende Academy still not let A-li in? Alas, it's a good thing you were here before. Otherwise, if I really went to find trouble for A-li because of the Si family, how could I have the face to see Yue Niang!"

Jian Qingya, who knew the truth, was still in a subtle trance. The friend she had just met turned out to be her cousin whom she had never met before. They had even passed by her at a Buddhist conference before. It was really a pity that her cousin had such a rough life.

She remembered what Si Li had added after introducing herself to Guan Ji: "I have nothing to do with Lord Si, please don't get me wrong." What was the mood of the little cousin when she said that?

"You talk like you have a lot of face now!" Madam Jian sneered, "I told you to go look for Ah Li this morning, but you didn't dare to go. Now that you have won the full applause of Wuweilou, if you go there again, they will think you are a poor relative who came to ask for money! Why don't I take the child to ask Si Baifu, why are they his own flesh and blood? I have never seen a child suffer such a great injustice outside and dare not say a word! If he doesn't want it, it's better to let Ah Li change her surname, so that I can have an extra daughter to raise!"

"You know what, Ali has the business talent of our Jian family..." Jian Bingde spoke too quickly and was immediately glared at by his wife.

Jian Qingya tried to smooth things over, "Since you have to go see your cousin tomorrow, you might as well go to bed early, so as not to look tired and make your sister sad."

Mrs. Jian praised her daughter for being sensible, and without giving Jian Bingde a good look, she went back to her room to look for clothes for tomorrow. However, the preparations made by the Jian family were doomed to fail. When the family of four and the steward walked to the door of Wanglaiju, they were stopped by someone with a smile.

The two brothers A Zhuang and A Kuai, who were called by A Sheng, greeted the guests at the door and spoke quickly, "Sir, do you want to eat in or take out? Today we only have French fries and sweet potato shreds. I suggest you buy a plate of sweet potato shreds to try. In order to congratulate Miss Meng who has returned home after her study tour, we will only open it for sale these two days. If you come at other times, you may not be able to buy it even if you want."

Jian Bingde frowned and nervously tugged at his new clothes, "I'll look for your shopkeeper—"

"Oh, what a coincidence." A Zhuang's voice suddenly rose, interrupting him. Since getting up this morning to look for Meng Taotao and Si Li, many people have asked to see the shopkeeper. A Zhuang and Si Li have seen many of them, so they declined politely, "The shopkeeper has not seen guests these two days. We only have one chef in charge, and business is busy. Can you be considerate?"

Jian Bingde's face immediately fell when he heard it. He looked at his wife with trembling lips and said regretfully, "Is she angry with me?"

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The author has something to say:

I have written about this before, but I only mentioned it in bits and pieces. I will summarize it here.

The previous generation of the Jian family had three members. The eldest, Jian Jiwen, was a scholar and the principal of Wende Academy in Xingling Prefecture, where Zhenjin and the princess studied. The second, Jian Bingde, was a businessman. His business was the offshore trading company, and he also had a caravan that went out to sea. The third, Jian Yueniang, married Si Baifu. When she gave birth to Lili, she had a difficult birth and decided to let her daughter survive and pass away herself.

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Second uncle: Lili, do you not want me anymore? Wuwuwuwuwuwu, it’s all the fault of Si the dog thief, I’m dirty, wuwuwuwuwuwuwu (No)