Chapter 27 The sachet was stolen, and the duck in my mouth flew away
Shen Qingtan clenched the embroidered handkerchief in her hand. To some extent, the eldest lady's premonition was not wrong.
Zhao Jue was jealous of the power of Zhao Yi's mother's family. In his previous life, he collected grain and was responsible for transporting it to the northern border. For some unknown reason, General Qi and his two sons died in the battlefield.
The first wife was greatly shocked by this and handed over the power of the household to the second wife, who took charge of the household affairs and lived in seclusion from then on.
Shen Qingtan intuitively felt that this was related to Zhao Jue or the person behind him.
General Qi was a loyal and capable general of the Great Zhou. It would be truly unworthy for him to die because of someone else's scheme.
Putting aside personal grudges, Shen Qingtan was also unwilling to let Boss Qin sell the grain to Zhao Jue.
"Mother, good fortune will come to those who are lucky." Shen Qingtan said softly and comfortingly, "Grandfather is brave and heroic, and my two uncles are also talented and brave. They are good at fighting. They will definitely return victorious."
As long as there is no good news from the front line, the lady will not be at peace.
"Good fortune will come to those who are lucky..." The eldest lady looked haggard and smiled bitterly, "I can't resist the evil deeds of the villain."
"The world is not full of villains. I always believe that there are more righteous people than villains. Although Zhao Jue has gathered all the food, as long as he doesn't get it in his hands, there will be variables. Maybe things will turn around." Shen Qingtan saw that the eldest lady was frowning and pressing her solar plexus, probably because of a headache.
Shen Qingtan walked around behind the eldest lady and massaged her forehead. "I overheard your conversation with your husband in Jingde Hall that day. He's on leave since his wedding and has no official duties. He's been busy these past two days, probably collecting military rations. Maybe there will be good news soon."
"I hope so." The pressure on the forehead was measured, and the eldest lady's headache eased slightly. She leaned back in her chair and sighed, "You're a newlywed bride. As your elder, I should take care of you in everything. But now, I'm the other way around, making you worry about me."
"Mother, you're being a bit polite." Shen Qingtan had been married into the Duke's Mansion for four days. In just a few days together, she felt the eldest lady's sincerity towards her: "We are a family. We rise together and fall together. No one can be immune to it. We should work together."
The eldest lady's heart moved. Shen Qingtan was gentle and virtuous, but also wise and insightful.
"You haven't had breakfast yet, so let's set the table first and stop talking about these bad things." The eldest lady held Shen Qingtan's hand and told the maid to serve the meal.
The main room had its own small kitchen. Breakfast had already been prepared on the stove, and the maids quickly placed the meal on the table.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law ate breakfast in silence. Perhaps they were weighed down by something. The eldest lady had no appetite and only took two quick bites before putting down her chopsticks.
Shen Qingtan didn't eat many bites and put down his chopsticks.
Seeing this, the eldest lady said in a gentle tone, "Tan'er, I heard that Yi'er is not feeling well. Please take good care of her during this period. You don't need to come here to pay your respects."
She was so worried that her heart was burning with worry. She couldn't sleep or eat. She really didn't want her emotions to affect Shen Qingtan.
A bride should be free from worries and troubles, and live a peaceful and comfortable life.
The eldest lady knew that Shen Qingtan was a filial son, and fearing that she might be suspicious, she smiled and said, "You come to pay your respects early every day, and you make me get up early too, so I can't sleep in."
Shen Qingtan looked at the eldest lady in surprise, and then remembered that the eldest lady had the habit of practicing Five Animal Exercises in the morning, so she knew that this was just a made-up excuse and was just being considerate to her.
A warm current surged in her heart, and she felt a great satisfaction.
In her previous life, she hoped that her parents-in-law would be kind and loving, and her husband would be gentle and considerate, but unfortunately, she ended up in a miserable state and did not have a good end.
When she lived her life again, she had no expectations for marriage, but unexpectedly got the marriage she wanted.
——
After returning to Lanxue Garden, Liu Yue mysteriously moved the box from yesterday back into the house and placed it at Shen Qingtan's feet.
"Second Madam, when the Second Master came yesterday, I took the box away. I didn't have time to discuss it with you, so I didn't burn the items yet." Liu Yue opened the box's lid and pulled out a list from her sleeve. "Everything you gave to the Third Master is counted. The only thing missing is the sachet with the image of a horse stepping on auspicious clouds."
Shen Qingtan glanced at the black lacquered box with carved garland patterns, his expression calm and his heart without any ups and downs.
Since she was a child, she has liked elegant gentlemen who are as gentle as jade, and she does not like military generals who wield swords and guns and are covered in sweat.
When the Marquis' Mansion arranged for Zhao Jue to marry her, Liu Yue found out that he was not good at studying and could not compare with the second master in the mansion, so she gave up literature and took up martial arts.
She was disappointed at the time. After all, she was young. Every time Zhao Jue came to talk to her, she was unwilling to pay attention to him. However, due to etiquette, she had to deal with him.
Later, seeing that he loved reading, was well-read, and had a wide range of knowledge, and that his insights into books were very unique and even to the point, she gradually changed her opinion of him and admired his talent very much.
Madam Shen taught her, "Tan'er, Zhao Sanlang treats you well, so you can't neglect him. You are now engaged and will spend your lives together. He always prepares gifts for you on holidays, so you should give him gifts in return. We can't lose our manners."
Every woman has expectations for her married life, especially Zhao Jue, who is both talented in both civil and military affairs and treats her very well.
Unsure of what gift to give Zhao Jue, she asked Madam Shen what gift to give to Marquis Cheng'en. She then copied her suggestion and embroidered a sachet for him.
After nearly ten years of going back and forth, so much has accumulated.
Liu Yue held the list in her hand and asked hesitantly, "Second Madam, are we really going to tell the old lady?"
"If we bring a sachet of perfume to the old lady, others will only laugh at us for making a big deal out of nothing, which will only make the old lady unhappy." Shen Qingtan would not leave any trouble behind. She waved her hand, motioning Liu Yue to come closer and whispered a few words to her.
Liu Yue was stunned when she heard this, then she covered her mouth and chuckled, and promised: "I will take care of this matter."
Shen Qingtan glanced at the box. It seemed that she had never embroidered anything for Zhao Yi.
Make him a piece of clothing?
——
In the quiet and elegant teahouse, Boss Qin sat in an ebony carved armchair, waiting for someone anxiously.
“Knock knock!”
There was a knock on the door, and the next moment, the tightly closed door was pushed open from the outside.
Boss Qin saw an old man in his seventies coming in.
He was wearing a square scarf with wide sleeves, looking energetic and upright, and had not lost the charm of his youth.
Boss Qin stood up suddenly and bowed respectfully to Duke Zhao: "Sir, please take a seat."
Duke Zhao looked at Boss Qin carefully, and seeing that he was enthusiastic but not flattering, he sat down and said in a friendly manner, "You invited me here today, is it about the military rations?"
"That's right." Boss Qin held the teapot and poured tea for Duke Zhao, not daring to look him in the eye. "I've heard there's a shortage of food in the northern border. I happen to have 150,000 dan of grain, and I'm willing to do my best to donate it all to the soldiers."
Fifty thousand more stones than originally planned.
Duke Zhao looked at Boss Qin with sharp eyes, until Boss Qin broke out in sweat on his back. When he was about to collapse, he turned his eyes away and took a sip of tea from the cup.
He suddenly asked, "I gave this job to Zhao Jue. He should have contacted you grain merchants. Why don't you donate to him instead of donating directly to me?"
Boss Qin broke out in a cold sweat, knowing that Duke Zhao could be promoted to the first rank official and had been in the officialdom for decades. What kind of conspiracies and tricks had he not seen?
"Master, to be honest, your second wife has been very kind to me. It was she who introduced me to General Zhao.
It turned out that the person Second Grandma was supposed to marry was General Zhao, but now she has become General Zhao's second sister-in-law, and General Zhao has married Second Grandma's biological sister.
If I had any dealings with General Zhao, and gave him food without asking for a single penny, those who knew about my relationship with Second Madam would probably misunderstand that Second Madam and General Zhao were having an affair.
I figured that no matter who the food and fodder were given to, it was all for the soldiers in the north, so I took the liberty of contacting you."
Boss Qin didn't dare to lie, but he didn't dare to tell the whole truth either. He had to tell seven parts truth and three parts lies so that the fake could be mistaken for the real thing.
There was a flash of surprise in Duke Zhao's eyes. He had not expected that Boss Qin had some connection with Shen Qingtan.
Before he came, he checked on Boss Qin. The drought was spreading and food shortages were occurring everywhere. Other grain merchants raised their prices upon hearing the news, but only Boss Qin insisted on the original price. With his help, other grain merchants lowered their prices to only 20% higher than before the shortage.
It was because of his character that Duke Zhao came to see him.
"Your business isn't easy. The grain you harvested took a lot of effort and manpower. Although you're quite wealthy, you have a lot of people to support." Duke Zhao put down his teacup and gestured for Boss Qin to sit across from him. "I'm glad you're so kind. I'll give you the grain you deserve."
Boss Qin breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "You don't have to give me silver. If it's convenient, could you exchange it for salt permits?"
Duke Zhao jokingly said, "You just said you didn't want a single copper coin, yet now you're so forthcoming with your demands. Could it be that you've been waiting here all along?"
"Master, I really want to donate food to the soldiers." Boss Qin wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeves and smiled awkwardly, "I just came to the capital to do business and offended people. At that time, I only knew Second Madam, and she couldn't help me.
I thought she was engaged to General Zhao, so I asked her to ask General Zhao for help. If General Zhao helped, it would be like following your path, but Second Madam immediately refused.
She said you are honest and upright, and you handle matters impartially. The more you are in a position like yours, the more you value your reputation, and you won't abuse your power to oppress others, nor will you easily owe favors to others.
The old Duke frowned slightly. He initially suspected that Shen Qingtan was worried that Zhao Jue would show off his achievements, so he ordered Boss Qin not to cooperate with Zhao Jue.
As soon as the thought came to his mind, he denied it.
If Shen Qingtan had given his permission, he could have let Boss Qin sell the grain to Zhao Yi and give the credit to Zhao Yi.
In this case, it really was Boss Qin who acted on his own initiative.
Boss Qin observed his expression and said, "Since you want to give me money, I won't ask for food in vain even if I talk my mouth off. I might as well be straightforward, so that you can feel relieved."
How could Duke Zhao not hear that Boss Qin was complimenting Shen Qingtan and trying to make Shen Qingtan look good to him?
As the saying goes, businessmen value profit, but Boss Qin is a kind and righteous man.
The Duke of Zhao was happy to remember this favor: "If you don't want to sell the grain, we can't force you to do so. But you offered to sell it to me, so you're doing me a favor. If you encounter difficulties in the future, you can send a message to me."
Boss Qin was flattered: "Sir, this is unacceptable..."
Duke Zhao teased, "Aren't you happy now?"
"Hehe." Boss Qin rubbed his hands and said embarrassedly, "Then I just happen to have a favor to ask of you."
Duke Zhao: “…”
"Young General Zhao asked me to buy grain, and I told him I had it. Yesterday, I went to visit Young General Zhao at the Duke's Mansion and unexpectedly learned that Second Madam was marrying Second Master Zhao." Boss Qin sighed, "To avoid suspicion, I acted like a jerk and went overboard, giving you the grain directly. This is a breach of trust, a major taboo in the business world."
Duke Zhao is very smart, so how could he not know what Boss Qin meant?
Boss Qin broke the agreement with Zhao Jue and planned to let him take the blame.
Even if Zhao Jue hated Boss Qin for this, if he knew about it, he would protect him without Boss Qin pleading. It was really not worth it for Boss Qin to exchange this matter for a favor.
"Are you sure about this request?"
"I'm sure!"
“…”
This was the first time that Duke Zhao was unable to do a favor, and he couldn't help but complain inwardly: How on earth did Boss Qin accumulate such a fortune?
Not smart at all.
Does he know how much a favor he has done is worth?
Although he thought so, Duke Zhao understood that Boss Qin was probably unwilling to accept this favor, so he couldn't help but feel more admiration for him.
"My granddaughter-in-law has a good eye for talent."
Duke Zhao sighed, tacitly agreeing to Boss Qin's request.
——
Zhao Jue came out of Baixiangzhai with a gloomy face. He originally thought that he could raise enough money to buy the grain and then report his achievement to Duke Zhao.
Unexpectedly, Boss Qin said that he had no grain. He only explained the situation after being forced to answer. Some people were jealous of him because he sold grain at a high price, so they reported him.
There was a shortage of food in the northern border, and Duke Zhao was extremely busy about it. When he heard that Boss Qin was raising the price because of the shortage of military food in the northern border, he was so upset that he stepped forward in person and transported the food away.
The attendant's expression was equally grim: "Third Master, what should we do?"
What else can I do?
Even if the food was bought by others, Zhao Jue could still use some means to get it back.
Now the grain is in the hands of Duke Zhao. Is he going to snatch it from Duke Zhao?
Not to mention robbing, he didn't even dare to ask Duke Zhao.
Otherwise, the Duke of Zhao would surely reprimand him: "You were too eager for quick success and instant benefits, which is why you were manipulated by a merchant and forced to pay tens of thousands of taels more for grain. That would have been fine, but you didn't buy the grain and even alerted the government. This is simply incompetence."
Zhao Jue glanced at Baixiangzhai with a cold gaze, suspecting that it was Shen Qingtan who reported Boss Qin, but Duke Zhao did not give Boss Qin a single penny, resulting in a direct loss of 100,000 taels of silver.
Even if Shen Qingtan was a fool, he would not do such a thing as killing eight hundred enemies and injuring a thousand of his own.
"Go back home."
Zhao Jue returned to the Zhaoguo Mansion, fuming with anger. On the way to Mingde Hall, he saw servants whispering to each other in groups of three or four: "Have you heard? The Second Madam lost a sachet. Who knows who stole it?"
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