Five years can change a lot. Among the changes were the Crown Prince's leg being healed, Huo Danlan's hyperthyroidism being cured, and Zhao Shu's shops opening all over the country.
Of course, many things remained unchanged after five years. Among them, the factional struggles continued to intensify, and the rift between Emperor Mingde and the Empress Dowager grew wider.
Many of her enemies are still alive, a fact that Zhao Shu cannot tolerate.
So, five years have passed, the Crown Prince has returned to the capital, and she knows it's time to go back.
The two men rode behind the teahouse, following the prince, and instead of returning to the palace, they went to the Tea Plum Manor outside the city.
This is Zhao Shu's first time in five years. She still remembers her outburst of anger five years ago clearly and has no regrets.
I wonder if the maid I released back then is still alive after five years. Hao Shumei must be extremely angry that she knows she is the murderer of her father but cannot take her life.
However, Zhao Shu didn't take her seriously at the moment. First of all, Hao Shumei wasn't her number one enemy, a fact she had always understood.
Five years have passed, and Chamei Manor has long since returned to normal, with the camellias even blooming better.
The three were followed by a long line of guards, the Pengcheng Army, who escorted them to Chamei Manor. When they reached the gate, they reined in their horses, and Huo Danlan was already smiling and waving to them from the opposite side.
"Aunt." Five years have passed, and although Huo Danlan did not marry Prince Yong, she still dotes on her immensely.
Why didn't Dao Huodanlan marry Prince Yong?
This story begins with Song Tianhe. After Huo Baichuan brought Song Tianhe back from the capital, everything changed.
Zhao Shu played a crucial role in finding Song Tianhe; all the schemes were devised by her. First, she found someone whose figure and appearance somewhat resembled Song Tianhe, and had them pretend to be a member of the Huo family who had found Song Tianhe, but not quite. It was ambiguous, a mix of truth and falsehood. If you think this will fool Consort Hao, you are mistaken.
This person is cunning. At first, the Hao family only tried their best to intercept the Huo family and had no intention of revealing Song Tianhe's hiding place. Even when someone who looked like Song Tianhe appeared, they did not stop him.
Fortunately, as the saying goes, "the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind," the Huo family's vanguard withdrew, taking with them a man who bore a striking resemblance to Song Tianhe. Their retreat was so swift that someone finally succumbed to the pressure and went to investigate.
This plan was not Zhao Shu's original idea; she simply copied what others had already devised.
It's all about psychological tactics.
Finding Song Tianhe meant his father was no longer threatened, but he also gained a rival in love. This is a long story, which I will tell you later.
Song Tianhe is truly gifted in jade analysis and gambling, but he has no desire to return to his old ways. Because of Jiang Ying, he takes good care of her and has taken Fei Peng as his disciple, teaching him how to do business.
The reason why Sanguzhai and Chunyuan were able to grow so large was largely due to Song Tianhe's excellent teaching. Otherwise, Zhao Shuding would not have been able to grow them to such a size. With the protection of the Huo family, the Empress Dowager's share of profits, and the participation of several imperial physicians such as Physician Peng, the shops and workshops gradually expanded without major incidents.
I must say, Physician Peng finally showed some emotional intelligence. After Zhao Shu gave him the shares, he split them equally with the other physicians. Later, the face masks and rouge in Chunyuan were all developed by the physicians together. Not only was the quality guaranteed, but they were also products of the physicians, which gave them authority.
The only regret is that Zhao Shu can only get involved in the cosmetics industry. She can't get involved in things like canal transport, mining, salt production, rice, or tea. Whenever she tries to get involved, someone always jumps out, and that person is Prince Jing!
She listened to Wei Tingsi's advice and stayed quietly in Guanzhou, training people and doing business, ignoring everything that happened in the capital. On many occasions, she avoided Prince Jing.
Naturally, she avoided it, and King Jing did not try to kill her. For now, she and King Jing are keeping to themselves, but this is only a temporary expedient.
Huo Danlan nudged Zhao Shu, "What are you thinking about? You seem so engrossed."
She snapped out of her reverie, chuckled softly. People tend to overthink when they have free time; it seems she needs to find something to do.
Where is the teacher?
"Mr. Luo is not here. The Crown Prince came today because he wanted to say goodbye to the past, so he invited the three of us, including you and A-Yun, to come."
It was in this very manor that, if it weren't for her grandmother blocking the news, and if it weren't for the renowned scholars and Confucianists who helped her and her father gain a good reputation during her travels, she would have long since become a notorious female demon.
Returning here again evokes extremely mixed feelings.
The same applies to the Crown Prince, and also to Sun Yun.
After dismounting, the group escorted Huo Danlan into the manor and arrived at Junhua Tower, where Wei Tingsi was already waiting.
Five years. In fact, this was the first time Zhao Shu had seen Wei Tingsi in five years. He seemed to be the same as before, unchanged, only more reserved, as if he had blended into the mountain behind him.
As Zhao Shu was like this, everyone else, except for the Crown Prince, was seeing Wei Tingsi for the first time in five years. It seemed that something in Sun Yun's eyes had vanished with the wind. The boy from back then was no longer the same as before, and she was no longer the arrogant noble lady from a prominent family.
Many things fade away with time, and so do certain obsessions in our hearts, which gradually disappear.
Some people say that deletion is never as thorough as replacement, and Zhao Shu thinks this makes perfect sense.
"Brother, when did you arrive in Guanzhou?" Zhao Shu asked first.
As soon as she spoke, everyone looked at her, especially Sun Yun, who looked at her and then at Wei Tingsi, her eyes clear.
“He came with His Highness the Crown Prince,” Wei Tingsi said.
This group of people, though young, harbored many stories. After exchanging a few greetings, they began to drink and chat. Naturally, it was Wei Tingsi and the Crown Prince who drank and chatted, while Zhao Shu and the other two substituted tea for wine and did not sit with the two.
Huo Danlan said, "Ah Jun, your aunt has a favor to ask of you."
Zhao Shu took a sip of tea. "Please speak, Aunt."
"My aunt wants to establish her own household."
When she said that, Zhao Shu was startled. She couldn't understand why the eldest daughter of the Huo family would give up her right to establish her own household.
"Why?" Sun Yun asked. "It's not easy for a woman to survive, and without a family to rely on, life is even more difficult. Why do you do this, Aunt?"
“Yes, Aunt, if anyone in the Huo family is at odds with you, just tell them to get out. Why establish a female household? It only hurts your relatives and pleases your enemies.” In Zhao Shu’s mind, if she were Huo Danlan, she would drive away any evil spirits in the Huo family rather than give up her position.
If I step down, wouldn't that be a loss?
"It's not that anyone in the Huo family is at odds with me; it's just that I want to establish my own household as a woman. Ah Jun, please consider this out of concern for your aunt, okay?" She is now over thirty years old, but looks no more than twenty, extremely young. Coupled with her beautiful appearance, people would unconsciously overlook her age.
Zhao Shunai shook her head. "Aunt, please don't mention it again. Let's talk about it when we get back to the capital. If you still think this way after we get back, then I will help you."
Saying goodbye to the past allows one's conscience to find peace and certain emotions to be released. Soon, the sun was setting in the west. Zhao Shu looked at the clouds on the horizon and chuckled, "The capital, I'm coming back!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
