Chapter 275 He Mansion
After entering the room, Chu Xiuning put the medicine bowl on the table, washed her hands first, and then slowly lifted the curtain. The coughing sound came out more clearly.
The person on the couch was about fifty years old, with a haggard and pale face, almost bloodless lips, and a skinny body.
"Come, drink the medicine first." Chu Xiuning carefully helped He Shan up and fed him the warm medicine one spoonful at a time. Only then did his cough subside a lot.
"Aning." He Shan raised his arm with some difficulty and held Chu Xiuning's hand.
"I have waited for most of my life to finally see the day when you leave the palace. If I were not afraid that this broken body would drag you down, I would really like to marry you right now.
After I leave, I will entrust the entire Tongyun Bank to you, which will not only ensure your prosperity for the rest of your life, but also make my life's hard work worthwhile."
Chu Xiuning had a gentle smile on her slightly wrinkled eyes. She rubbed He Shan's cold palms and said softly:
"Don't forget, I came from the palace, I have seen all kinds of wealth and splendor. I treat you well, but I am not greedy for your family property."
He Shan smiled bitterly, "I really hope you are greedy for something."
Chu Xiuning helped him lie down, and pressed the acupoints on the soles of his feet to promote blood circulation, his eyes becoming somewhat distant.
"I still remember the first time I met you. I was on Chang Street, shopping for Concubine Lan. When I arrived at your silk shop, you refused to accept my money. I thought you were plotting something, and I almost didn't dare to go there again."
He Shan's thoughts were also pulled back to the scene when the two first met more than 20 years ago. At that time, he had not yet founded the Tongyun Money House and was just a small silk merchant.
A faint smile appeared on the pale face.
"I came back from pasturing, the catkins were really beautiful and unique. It was not the beauty of the girl, but the gift of the beauty. When I saw you, I felt moved, but I didn't know how to express it. I just wanted to give you the best clothes to wear, but I didn't expect that I would scare you away.
But if I hadn't been trying to find out about you, I wouldn't have gotten involved in the money house business by chance and reached my current position."
"Yes." Chu Xiuning sighed helplessly, "But your body is also exhausted."
"But it's a blessing in disguise that I have you by my side every day for this period of time."
He Shan looked at Chu Xiuning and suddenly said in a teasing tone: But Ning'er, I, He Shan, am now considered a wealthy man. With such a huge family business in front of you, you really don't want any of it?
Look at Fang'er and Hong'er, they want to eat each other alive because of this matter, but you just treat them like old shoes."
However, there was a calmness in Chu Xiuning's eyes that seemed to have seen through the world. She gently opened the window and looked out at the beautiful flowers filling the garden.
"The greater the glory you enjoy, the greater the responsibility you must bear. The palace has already trapped me for the first half of my life. Do you want to use this bank to restrict my freedom for the second half of my life?"
"No matter how fiercely your two nephews fight, they are still members of your He family after all. No matter who inherits the family business, no one else can say anything.
As for me... As long as you are still here, I will stay with you. If one day you are really gone, I will leave the capital and go to other places to have a look."
He Shan deliberately sighed: "Alas, I thought you were going to die for me."
"You're already old, but still so childish." Chu Xiuning glanced at him sideways and said angrily, but there was tenderness in her eyes.
"You and I have both spent most of our lives trapped in this prison of the capital. Since we cannot spend this life together, I will take you to see the beautiful scenery, lakes, seas, and mountains that neither of us has ever seen. When I go down there, I will tell you about it one by one."
The two looked at each other and smiled.
Chu Xiuning's eyes fell on the door and saw a figure swaying outside the door. She walked over to open the door and saw Manager Yi standing behind the door.
"Manager Yi, what happened?" Chu Xiuning paused, "But are the two young masters He Fang and He Hong quarreling again?"
He Shan has no children, and these two nephews have been coveting the family business for a long time. They used to fight secretly, but now that He Shan is seriously ill, the two have almost fought openly.
"That's not the case." Manager Yi knew that Madam Ning had a special relationship with his master. Although she had no official status, her status in the entire He Mansion was equivalent to that of half a mistress.
"Two guests came to the main office today. One of them is a young man who is looking for someone named 'Chu Xiuning'. I don't know Mrs. Ning's name, but the young man's eyebrows are somewhat similar to yours, so I came to ask for her."
Manager Yi said, taking out the items left by Chu Xin, "I don't want to bother you and the master, mainly because the young master has a lady from the Hanlin Academy by his side..."
When Chu Xiuning heard the steward say her name, her expression tensed slightly, but when she saw the sandbags and the coarse cloth with embroidered words, her eyes became somewhat surprised.
"Young Master?" Chu Xiuning was stunned for a moment, then reacted and let out a soft "ah".
"I'm afraid I've found the wrong person." She handed the item back calmly, and then asked casually, "This sandbag may be their important keepsake. Can you tell me when you'll pick it up?"
After that, he paused and added, "The front of the main office needs to be renovated in the next two days. It will be a bit dirty and messy, but you must be careful not to neglect the masters of the Hanlin Academy."
"Don't worry, they agreed to pick it up in five days." Manager Yi bowed.
Chu Xiuning took note of it secretly in her heart.
…
The next day, Qiao Youyou and Xiao Wan felt a little uncomfortable as soon as they stepped into the gate of the Ministry of Revenue.
The looks that the people around them gave them seemed... strange.
Qiao Youyou couldn't tell what was strange about it, but it was very different from usual.
Several colleagues from the Ministry of Revenue came towards them. When they saw Qiao Youyou and Xiao Wan, smiles immediately appeared on their faces, and they even took the initiative to exchange a few words with them before leaving.
Alarm bells suddenly rang in Qiao Youyou's heart.
His and Xiao Wan's popularity in the Ministry of Households was not very good. There must be something wrong when these people suddenly changed their attitude!
It was only after those officials from the Ministry of Revenue walked a long distance away that they finally revealed their true expressions, which were tinged with disdain and a bit of jealousy.
In the past, when they were dismissed from office, they would just stay a little longer so that Min Yuan and other superiors could see them.
But ever since Xiao Wan came, she has been busy in the yamen until late at night every day, making it difficult for them to leave their shift early, for fear that their superiors will see them and think they are slacking off. They can only endure it in the office like they are in prison. Who doesn't feel resentful?
Xiao Wan is fine. She is indeed efficient and has made many contributions. It is not unacceptable for the Minister and Lord Min to promote her to the new position of Langzhong of the Ministry of Revenue.
But what about Qiao Youyou?
How could a person who works on duty at twilight hour every day be appreciated by the Minister?
"Oh, forget it. The Minister of the Court simply mentioned his appreciation for the two of them. Hasn't the Minister of the Court made the final decision on whether they can be promoted to the position of Doctor? We'll see what the discussion will turn out later."
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