Chapter 274 Winning Over
"Really? This is a delicate task, it's best to find a woman to do it, but if a man is careful enough, that's fine too." Jiang Mi wasn't discriminating against men or women, but in some things, men are indeed not as careful as women.
“She’s a very nice auntie. No one in our group has a bad word to say about her. I’ll call her over later, and you can take a look. If you think she’s suitable, you can keep her; if not, then forget it.”
Siqin also wanted to help that aunt: "The aunt is a very good person. Years ago, she almost ruined her eyes by staying up all night to support her son's studies. Now her son has achieved some success, working in the Hanlin Academy. He has married and had children, and everything is going smoothly. However, he has gradually become distant from his aunt. He doesn't come to visit for days at a time. After the aunt passed away, she was also disliked by her son and daughter-in-law. So she lived alone, making a living by selling needlework. It's really pitiful."
Few women are as lucky as Jiang Mi to be able to run such a large business. Moreover, she met Huo Ran. If Huo Ran hadn't needed those sweet potatoes, she wouldn't have had the capital to start a business.
Most women who want to make a living either rely on men, do manual labor, or do needlework. If they are slightly better off, they can open a tofu shop, but it is just a small business and they can barely make ends meet.
“She is indeed a pitiful person. We all come from pitiful backgrounds. Let’s help her if we can. Siqin, you are also a kind-hearted person. Kind people will be rewarded.”
Siqin nodded with red eyes: "That's what I think too. Being able to serve you, Miss, is my reward."
Jiang Mi smiled. Just as the two of them were enjoying their tender moment, Mo Hua woke up and mumbled sleepily, "Miss, you're awake?"
Siqin was both amused and exasperated: "Miss didn't sleep all night, but you slept quite soundly. The two of us talking didn't wake you up, and you were even snoring. How dare you say that?"
Upon hearing this, Mo Hua chuckled sheepishly, "I just couldn't stay awake any longer, so I fell asleep. Miss, are you hungry? I'll go to the kitchen and get you something to eat."
Siqin laughed and said, "I think you're just hungry. As soon as you wake up, you rush to the kitchen. You either eat and sleep all day, or you sleep and eat. You're living like a little piglet."
Jiang Mi and Mo Hua both laughed, and the room became lively for a moment. This was something Jiang Mi had never experienced before; she only had three older brothers and no sisters, so she had never understood the feeling of having sisters. In her past life, she loved to live behind Yang Liu'er and play, believing that girls should play with girls, but unfortunately, Yang Liu'er didn't reciprocate her feelings.
Now that she has Mo Hua and Si Qin to chat and laugh with, she has gone from feeling uncomfortable at first to being happy and at ease with them.
"Hey, what's all this commotion about? What are you all chatting about so happily?"
Jiang Xuan's voice came from outside the door. Jiang Mi quickly asked Si Qin to invite him in, while Mo Hua went to the kitchen to get breakfast.
"Brother, why did you come over so early this morning? I heard you came back quite late last night. Why didn't you get some more sleep?"
Jiang Xuan said with a smile, "I originally wanted to talk to your third brother about something, but he was still sleeping, so I didn't wake him up and let him continue sleeping."
Jiang Mi nodded: "I heard that Third Brother drank too much last night. Didn't you agree to drink less? How come you still drank so much? Was someone trying to persuade you to drink?"
Jiang Xuan nodded: "Of course, some people kept urging us to drink, but your third brother didn't actually drink much. He has a high alcohol tolerance, and he got drunk and passed out after just a few drinks. But it's good, as it also blocked some people's ulterior motives."
Upon hearing Jiang Xuan's words, Jiang Mi immediately became serious, realizing that the other party's intentions were not entirely benevolent.
Who was it last night?
Jiang Xuan originally didn't want to tell Jiang Mi these things, but considering that Mi Tang is already so grown up and very mature in her dealings with people, and has her own unique insights, sometimes even more so than the two brothers, he decided to ask Mi Tang for advice.
"Last night's guest was the Minister of Personnel. He was polite on the surface, but in reality, he was trying to form cliques. His words even contained some threats. He looked down on my and my third brother's background."
They felt we weren't from a prominent family, but they were also afraid we'd be lured away by others, so they rushed over yesterday to curry favor.
Jiang Mi thought for a moment and said, "With such audacity, he must have other people behind him, right? Since he's forming a gang, there must be a 'gang leader' in the gang, and in a high position at that, otherwise he definitely wouldn't be so bold."
Jiang Xuan nodded. Sure enough, he hadn't come to the wrong person. Honey had hit the nail on the head. He sighed and said, "That's why I was being vague all night, pretending to be drunk. Otherwise, I don't know what would have happened. These people are all old foxes. Even if Lao San and I are careful, we might still fall into their trap. We can't go out for the next few days. We need to figure out the factions in the court. Otherwise, we might not even know how we died."
Jiang Mi advised him, "It's important to figure things out. If there are some things you really can't refuse, it's best to remain neutral. However, this can easily offend people. Some people will think that since you're not on their side, you've become an enemy, which isn't good for us either. It would be better if you pretended to be friendly to everyone but didn't give them any concrete advice. After the official positions are decided, you can give the emperor a hint in court, and they probably won't dare to do it then."
Jiang Xuan's eyes lit up, and she praised, "That's a good idea. I'll tell Lao San when he wakes up that it wasn't just the two of us brothers last night, but also that second-place finisher. By the way, you've met him before, Zhou Mo."
Jiang Mi instantly pictured a man in a blue robe standing under a tree reading a book: "I know him. He's actually quite capable. To be able to get second place, his ability and talent must be no less than yours, Second Brother, right?"
Jiang Xuan nodded: "That's right. Although I don't really admire his character and way of handling things, he is indeed very talented. Last night, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel kept trying to win him over, but he was like a block of wood, with a confused expression the whole time. The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel couldn't do anything about him and seemed to think that he was a blockhead who couldn't explain himself."
Jiang Mi chuckled: "Then you can learn from him."
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