Chapter 79: All I could hear was the sound of water.
Zheng Residence
"Didn't Second Brother send someone to Anping Prefecture to invite Magistrate Sun? Why is there still no news?" Zheng Wu was pacing anxiously. His Second Brother had been detained by Magistrate Lu for half a month, and it was almost the end of the first month of the lunar calendar, but there was still no movement from the yamen.
It's understandable that there's been no movement from Magistrate Sun's side, which is far away. But the yamen is right here. Magistrate Lu should at least give a definite answer on whether to lock them up or release them. How can the yamen keep detaining people and preventing them from going home?
The Zheng family's business was entirely managed by Zheng Er, the head of the family. He was always suspicious and autocratic, and all the important tasks were done by his subordinates. Now that he had gone to the county government office and disappeared, the business was in complete chaos.
The brothers, uncles, and nephews gathered here today, not so much because they were worried about Zheng Er himself, but because they were worried about the Zheng family business.
One or two days is fine, and ten days or half a month can be endured, but if we don't see him for a long time, not only will the morale of the staff be unsettled, but business will also be difficult.
The situation was already chaotic, and then the Zheng family suffered misfortune; it's uncertain whether they can weather this storm.
After Zheng Wu finished speaking and saw that no one spoke, he was so angry that he almost slammed his fist on the table. "Why don't you tell me what to do now?"
Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, Zheng San took a sip of tea, held the teacup and the lid, and slowly said, "What else can we do? There are only two paths."
"Firstly, of course, we should prioritize getting my second brother out. I have already asked lawyer Liu to go to the yamen to inquire about information and defend my second brother. It would be best if we could get him out. If we can't, we'll have to take the second approach."
As he spoke, his fox-like eyes darted left and right, observing the expressions on people's faces and the calculations hidden in their eyes.
Everyone present had their own thoughts, except for Zheng Wu, who was honest and simple. He didn't understand the deeper meaning in Zheng Wu's words and asked bluntly, "What second way? At this point, why are you still playing games? Just say it."
Zheng San clicked his tongue, put down his teacup, lifted his robe and shook it lightly, then casually crossed his legs, trying to use his relaxed posture to cover up the ambition and ruthlessness in his words. "Secondly, of course, it's about changing the head of the family."
Zheng San lightly brushed non-existent dust off his robe with his fingers, his eyes appearing even more slender when he narrowed them. "With such a large family business and so many mouths to feed, we can't just stop eating after the New Year. Spring is just around the corner, and we won't even have enough to eat if we want to drink the northwest wind."
As soon as he finished speaking, the main hall became eerily quiet. Everyone looked at each other without making a sound.
It was Zheng Wu again, who immediately shouted in a loud voice, "Second Brother's matter is still unresolved, how can you, Third Brother, be thinking about changing the head of the family? Are we still brothers? The Zheng family is currently facing difficulties, and instead of thinking about how to overcome them, you're thinking of taking advantage of the situation to rob and cause trouble. Are you even a member of the Zheng family?"
There were five siblings, but only Zheng Er, Zheng Si, and Zheng Wu were born to the same mother. The eldest brother's mother was his first wife, but unfortunately, he was frail and died after the age of thirty. The third brother's mother was a concubine, and he was already fifteen years old when the old man formally recognized him into the Zheng family. His situation can be imagined.
Today, apart from Zheng San and Zheng Wu, the other brothers in the main hall are all from collateral branches.
Now that the Zheng family is in their hands, the others watch their infighting without interfering. It would be best if they could reach a conclusion; if not, they can split up and each go their own way. No one will really starve.
Zheng San wasn't angry even when Zheng Wu yelled at him; he simply put his hands on his knees and asked with a smile:
“Isn’t Zheng Qianxi your own sister? Didn’t she also die a ‘violent’ death? I’m still thinking of helping my second brother out, instead of bribing someone to finish him off in prison. I’m already showing a lot of consideration for the bond between us brothers.”
Zheng Qianxi was the fourth child in her family, and she was the biological sister of Zheng Er and Zheng Wu.
When Zheng San mentioned the word "unnatural death," he pronounced it heavily and slowly.
He wanted to remind Zheng Wu that Zheng Si died because of Zheng Er. If Zheng Er hadn't disregarded sibling affection for business, they wouldn't be in this situation today, and they wouldn't have had the chance to sit here and discuss whether or not to change the head of the family.
Zheng Wu's face immediately turned ugly, and he said, his neck stiff and panting, "Second Brother wouldn't do that."
His entire family was supported by Zheng Er and were extremely wealthy, so naturally they supported Zheng Er without any limits.
Zheng Sanke was often ostracized.
Zheng Er didn't even spare his own sister, let alone this bastard child born to his mistress.
Zheng San was able to live smoothly for over thirty years entirely because he was shrewd and knew how to be flexible.
Zheng Er's current legal troubles present him with an opportunity, which he must seize to turn the tables and crush Zheng Er under his feet! Otherwise, when Zheng Er returns, he will certainly not let him off the hook.
When Zheng San uttered the phrase "the second point," he hadn't prepared a way out for himself.
Zheng San looked around at everyone and said, "Since no one objects, let's follow these two paths I suggested: first, protect Second Brother, then elect a family head."
Bao Zheng Er was also doing this to save face, so that his other brothers and sisters wouldn't think he was cold-hearted and wouldn't support him when choosing a family head.
No large business can truly be run by a single person. Take the Zheng family, for example. Zheng Er is the head of the family, and he mostly employs people he trusts. He usually lets his business do as he pleases, but when it comes to major issues concerning the survival of the Zheng family's business, he has to consult with his other brothers and several managers.
Otherwise, if morale is low, it's hard to guarantee that internal chaos won't erupt first.
Not only his family, but the Qu family's residence was the same.
The Qu family's business mainly involves weaving and dyeing. In terms of weaving and dyeing techniques, they had to listen to Tan Xiang. In terms of business accounts, Zheng Qianxi used to be in charge, but now it has become Qu Rong's responsibility. As for personnel management and transfers, the manager Shi was previously in charge, but now it has been gradually handed over to his son Shi Yi.
On the surface, the Qu family is now run by Old Madam Qu, but in reality, Qu Rong holds the power in business.
As for Qu Ming, since he was five years old and still couldn't calculate or play the game, neither the Zheng nor the Qu families paid him any attention. That child was clearly not cut out for business; the Qu family patriarch's words carried less weight in business than those of Zheng Wu from the Zheng family.
Doing business isn't like passing the throne. It's not about who is the eldest son or who has the purest bloodline to ascend the throne. It's about who has the brains and who can bring more money and opportunities to the family.
So when Zheng San stood up and spoke, the others felt reassured and nodded in agreement, "Alright, let's do as Third Master says."
When no one was speaking, Zheng Wu was the loudest. Now that everyone else has started talking, only Zheng Wu remains silent.
He stared intently at Zheng San, and after everyone in the main hall had left, he slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and demanded, "Third Brother, do you want to become the head of the family?"
Zheng San shook his clothes, straightened his legs, and stood up. "Who doesn't want a better life?"
After he finished speaking, he brushed past Zheng Wu, his shoulder brushing against Zheng Wu's without stopping, and stepped directly out of the main hall.
Zheng Wu roared from behind, "Don't even think about it! I'll go to the Qu family and make them withdraw the lawsuit. When Second Brother comes back, you'll just have to wait! You should know that the old lady is our Zheng family's great-aunt."
As long as the aggrieved party says they will not sue or investigate, and the second brother stubbornly refuses to admit it, then the county magistrate can do nothing.
If he were to decide to give the Qu family some business and strongly support Qu Ming in taking charge, and drive Qu Rong out of the Qu family, the old lady would probably be willing to let things go.
Zheng San took the walnuts from the servant, twirled them in his palm, laughed upon hearing this, shook his head, and left.
How can he still not see the situation clearly? The old lady in the Qu family no longer has any influence.
Just as he didn't realize, despite his efforts to maneuver out of consideration for brotherhood, his second brother would definitely be convicted.
The carriage was already harnessed in the backyard. Zheng San stepped up, bent down, and got into the carriage. "Go and greet our guests. I've invited our distinguished guest for tea."
The servant replied, "Yes."
When Zheng San arrived, the distinguished guest was already sitting in the private room brewing tea.
Li Yue'er, one of the distinguished guests, knelt on a prayer mat and poured tea for the mistress of the house from a teapot.
This wasn't her first time in a place like this; she already found the flowers and decorations on the table quite ordinary and didn't stare at them like she had last time.
If the mistress of the house could cover a rabbit lantern with an expensive glass cup, it wouldn't be surprising if such a large restaurant displayed flowers to welcome guests.
Qu Rong looked up at Li Yue'er and reminded her, "Those are double-petaled pink chrysanthemums."
Li Yue'er: "I saw it."
Qu Rong, "Not good-looking?"
They look nice, but they're fake flowers. Li Yue'er noticed that last time; they're just made to look realistic.
Li Yue'er held the teacup with both hands and handed it over, her eyes crinkling as she looked at the mistress, "No matter how beautiful you are, you can't compare to the mistress's three-tenths of liveliness."
Qu Rong, "..."
Qu Rong sipped her tea, her eyes fixed on Li Yue'er. She still found Li Yue'er's bright, curious expression after she brought her out amusing. However, now that Li Yue'er was sitting obediently opposite her, she exuded a different kind of calm and gentleness, making her seem more like a refined young lady from a scholarly family.
It seems like she's interesting no matter what she's like.
Seeing the mistress staring at her face, Li Yue'er subconsciously raised her hand to touch her face, but before her palm could even cup her cheek, she quickly withdrew it and instead took out a small bronze mirror from the side, examining her makeup in the light. "It's not smudged. Gamboge specially did it for me."
She leaned closer to take a closer look, even carefully pursing the lip rouge on her lips.
Qu Rong smiled.
This awkward and tense Li Yue'er appears exceptionally vivid.
Qu Rong: "No flowers."
Li Yue'er put down the bronze mirror, glared at her mistress, and felt that she was doing it on purpose.
When Gung Homura was doing her makeup in the morning, the mistress stood by and made things worse, complaining that the powder was too thick, that the eyebrows were too curved, and that the lip rouge color was just so-so.
Teng Huang immediately covered her ears and whispered to her, "The mistress actually likes your natural, unadorned beauty, like a lotus emerging from the water."
Then she turned her head and puffed out her cheeks to glare at the mistress on her behalf.
Although Li Yue'er felt that she looked good even without makeup, she had extra money and wanted to dress herself up and try different looks.
Fearing her lip rouge would fall off, Li Yue'er didn't even drink water, only brewing tea for her mistress.
There was a gentle knock on the door from the outside, and the waiter said, "Honored guest, your guest has arrived."
Zheng San said, "Something came up at home, so I'm a quarter of an hour late. Please forgive me."
Knowing that Zheng San had arrived, Qu Rong let him in.
Qu Rong didn't even get up, remaining kneeling around the tea table as she sipped her tea. Li Yue'er glanced at her, then stood up herself and gave Zheng San a slight nod of respect.
Zheng San returned her greeting quite formally, showing no disrespect or contempt despite not knowing her identity.
Zheng San held two walnuts in his palm, which were in his money bag. He also held a brocade box in his hands. After kneeling down, he placed the box on the table with both hands, opened it, and showed it to the two people in front of him. "A small apology gift."
Actually, he wasn't late; it was Li Yue'er who urged him to go out, and the mistress brought her here early.
But for a shrewd person like Zheng San, if the other party arrived earlier than him, it meant he was late. Just in case, he had already prepared gifts in advance.
If he arrives early, the gift will be a small token of our greeting; if he arrives late, it will be a small apology. He has two versions of the story in mind, and he'll just have to decide what to say based on the current situation.
Li Yue'er glanced down, then subconsciously turned to look at the window. "Double-petaled pink chrysanthemums?"
Zheng San followed her gaze and smiled, "Miss has a good eye. What a coincidence, I also brought double-petaled pink chrysanthemums today."
Unlike the fake chrysanthemums in the Welcoming Guests area, this one is real. It was just picked, and there were even water droplets on it. It was very fresh and tender.
He was a middle-aged man in his thirties, with a pair of cunning fox-like eyes, but his behavior and manners were quite refined. At this moment, he spoke with a rather apologetic tone, "I didn't know there were two distinguished guests today. I brought too few gifts, please forgive me. Next time, I will definitely remember to prepare double the gifts."
The word "next time" carries a deeper meaning.
Li Yue'er simply smiled and didn't respond.
It was the mistress who spoke, “Things are valued for their rarity; one is enough, too many and they won’t seem so rare.”
Zheng San laughed after hearing this, "It has to be the Qu family head. He's very decisive when it comes to choosing flowers or people."
The head of the Qu family?
Li Yue'er turned to look at her mistress, a smile in her eyes, but a hint of mockery in the corners.
Qu Rong did not correct Zheng San's form of address, but simply sipped her tea slowly.
Zheng San poured himself a cup of tea.
As soon as he entered, he knew that the girl in the white dress opposite him probably had a special relationship with Qu Rong, since the fabric of their clothes and the incense they were wearing were exactly the same.
At home, he only uses the same incense as his wife, because they keep their clothes in the same wardrobe.
After entering, Zheng San could tell in just a few words that the girl in white was not a maid.
She knelt gracefully beside Qu Rong, brewing tea but only pouring it for Qu Rong. Their eyes met with familiarity and naturalness, and the atmosphere around them was different from that of others.
Zheng San had no habit of ordering around young ladies, let alone the people around Qu Rong, so he poured water himself, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then brought up the real purpose of his trip.
“Zheng Er is not always meticulous in his work. Sometimes he is busy and has to ask his associates to do things. For example, when he went to Anping Prefecture to invite Magistrate Sun, I secretly detained him. Now that he is in my hands, how to deal with him is just a matter of your word.”
That's why Zheng Wu was complaining today about why Zheng Er had sent someone to invite Magistrate Sun to put pressure on Magistrate Lu, but there had been no news for a long time.
The answer, of course, is that the person was captured before even leaving the house.
Zheng Er wanted to frame the Qu family and Magistrate Lu for secretly colluding with the rebels. Regardless of what was happening in the south, their court was still the Yang family's court, and the Yang family's governor still had the power of life and death over them.
Zheng San's actions could be considered a small favor to Qu Rong.
Qu Rong: "What are the conditions?"
Zheng San said, "Naturally, I hope that Patriarch Qu will help me suppress Zheng Er and prevent him from returning to the Zheng family."
Now that everything is out in the open, the interests and attitudes should naturally be laid out.
Zheng San raised his teacup. "If Patriarch Qu helps me become the new head of the Zheng family, then I am willing to give up three percent of the profits for any business cooperation between our two families within the next five years, and I will never go back on my word."
He said, "The Qu family head knows that the South is in such chaos. Only by joining hands can our two families survive peacefully in this turbulent world."
Qu Rong gestured to Li Yue'er to grind the powder, and the two of them wrote down a written agreement to make concessions today, since only black and white words are true.
She picked up her teacup and said, "Since Uncle Zheng trusts me, I can only offer tea in advance to celebrate Uncle Zheng's becoming the head of the Zheng family."
"When Uncle Zheng officially becomes the head of the family, I will definitely have someone prepare fine wine and send it to the Zheng family."
Zheng San clinked glasses with her with both hands, "Then I would also like to wish the head of the Qu family that his position as head of the family is truly well-deserved."
After finishing his drink, Zheng Sancai said in a low voice, "Please keep an eye on the old lady, Master Qu, and make sure she doesn't ruin our plans."
Zheng Wu dares to say what he means and he dares to do it. If he goes to ask the old lady for help, who knows what she might do in her confused state.
Qu Rong, meaning "natural".
After the matter was settled and a written agreement was drawn up, Zheng San paid the money for the private room and then took his leave.
Li Yue'er pouted and gently blew on the ink stains on the paper. After the ink dried, she folded it up and handed it to the mistress, placing it on the table.
She approached with a smile, placed her hands on the mistress's shoulder, and tilted her head to look at her, "Master Qu~"
The sweet, delicate melody made Qu Rong feel weak all over and her breath catch in her throat.
She both enjoyed Li Yue'er calling her that and enjoyed this new nickname.
Qu Rong didn't look at the written agreement. Instead, she picked up a pink chrysanthemum from the brocade box and placed it in Li Yue'er's hair.
She is truly more beautiful than the flowers.
For a moment, Qu Rong couldn't bear to look away from Li Yue'er's face, but after scanning her face twice, she still couldn't find a place to bite. "..."
Li Yue'er applied something to her entire face, from her eyebrows to her lips.
Qu Rong wanted to kiss her, but looking at the fragrant powder and lipstick on her face, she just couldn't bring herself to do it.
Qu Rong raised her hand and gently stroked Li Yue'er's lips with her thumb. "Not pretty."
Li Yue'er didn't believe that at all. After she finished applying the makeup, the mistress clearly liked it very much and looked at it again and again.
Li Yue'er used a handkerchief dipped in the tea she hadn't drunk to wipe away the rouge from her lips, then picked up her mistress's teacup, took a sip, and lowered her head to kiss her mistress's lips.
She knelt up, straightened her back, and kissed her mistress.
The mistress was below her, and she was above her. The tea was passed from her lips into the mistress's mouth, and some water overflowed and flowed down the corners of the mistress's mouth.
It's wet and dripping.
Li Yue'er tilted her head and followed suit with kisses, all the way down to the mistress's neck.
The mistress had one arm around her waist and the other against her chest, her eyes lowered and her head raised, letting her kiss her.
When he could no longer bear it, he cupped Li Yue'er's lips and kissed her back.
After a deep kiss, Li Yue'er's sash was loosened, and her clothes were wide open.
She lowered her head and eyes, holding her mistress's head tightly in her arms, and asked in a trembling voice, "Does my mistress dislike me wearing makeup, or does she dislike that you can't kiss me when I'm wearing makeup?"
The mistress gently bit, causing Li Yue'er to tremble. She couldn't help but place her fingers on the mistress's shoulder and crumple her clothes.
The mistress raised her face, placed her hand on the back of her head, and pulled her down to eat.
Just when Li Yue'er thought her mistress wouldn't answer her question, she seemed to hear her mistress mumble, "The latter," amidst the pushing and shoving of their tongues.
Li Yue'er smiled smugly.
The happier she was, the fiercer the Mother of the Lord became, as if she were furious and embarrassed after her secrets had been exposed, and she was trying to cover it up.
The quiet private room was suddenly filled with the sound of water.
There were gurgling sounds from the teapot boiling on the small stove, and sticky sounds from kissing and swallowing.
Before the mistress could continue and reach down, Li Yue'er quickly hugged her and stopped her, panting as she said, "I have an appointment with Teng Huang to go shopping."
She had finally managed to get out of the house, and she couldn't let her time be wasted on her mistress.
So even though the mistress's fingertips had already parted the gap, she still felt something wet and slippery...
But Li Yue'er still held onto the mistress's wrist and pulled her hand out of the flower petals.
Qu Rong, "..."
Li Yue'er lowered her head to wipe her mistress's fingers, then raised her face and kissed her tender eyes with a smile.
After the mistress pursed her lips and watched her catch her breath, Li Yue'er, in front of her, lifted her bodice, fastened the buttons, and closed her outer garment. "Not now, let's do it tonight~"
Qu Rong watched helplessly as Li Yue'er finished dressing and began applying her lip rouge.
She wanted to continue now; she had clearly touched the water, but in reality, she couldn't continue.
Especially since Li Yue'er wouldn't take the initiative to take charge of this matter, she would be too embarrassed to bring it up.
However, Li Yue'er was determined to go shopping with Teng Huang, so naturally she wouldn't cooperate and satisfy her.
In the past, Li Yue'er would never have dared to treat her like this.
Qu Rong comforted herself, thinking that Li Yue'er looked so beautiful today, it was only natural that she wanted to go out and play, so she would indulge her this once.
Just this once.
If she continues to be so arrogant and disrespectful of me next time, I'll have to punish her properly.
So Qu Rong calmed herself down, suppressing her burning sensation, and quietly waited for Li Yue'er to touch up her makeup while sipping her tea. She even reminded her, "The color is too red. A lighter shade would suit your clothes better."
Li Yue'er looked around, then nodded and agreed, saying, "The lip rouge is applied too thickly, which does make me look a bit too glamorous. But to outsiders, my father has just died, so I can't be too obviously happy."
She wiped it off and reapplied it, taking the time to give her mistress a perfunctory kiss in the meantime.
Qu Rong, "..."
Watching Li Yue'er apply lip rouge, Qu Rong began to ponder whether lip rouge was something edible. She would later have Dan Sha inquire with Doctor Fu about it.
In case Dr. Fu thinks she's foolish, wondering why she would want to eat rouge for no reason. So, regarding these kinds of questions—
She always made Dansha ask.
Both cinnabar and gamboge will be used sooner or later, so asking in advance will benefit all four of them.
————————
Mistress: These kinds of questions are too embarrassing, so... Dansha, you go ask her [doge emoji]
Cinnabar: ...[melted]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com