In other words, the Marquis's family was already wealthy enough, so there was no need for them to risk their lives to gain merit in supporting the emperor. She even wanted to pay homage to the Fourth Prince.
Just as Jiang Shuwan was thinking this, she suddenly felt a gaze fall on her.
She turned her head alertly and saw that there was another teahouse on her left, but business seemed to be bad; the entire second floor was empty without a single customer.
Is it just an illusion?
While I was still pondering, the voice of the leading general rang in my ears.
"Young mistress, General Sun is downstairs."
The general leading the group pointed to General Sun downstairs, who was being welcomed by the people lining the streets. General Sun had obviously also seen Jiang Shuwan.
Respecting seniority, Jiang Shuwan quickly bowed to him, and General Sun nodded.
Jiang Shuwan had a past with the Sun family, so there was no need for her to hide it. After leaving the teahouse, she went directly to the Sun residence.
When she entered, Madam Sun was directing the maids and servants to tidy up the courtyard.
There were still some soldiers unloading their gear at the entrance.
"Be careful, these glass items all need to be delivered to Donglai Street, make sure they don't get bumped or knocked..."
"Wan, you've arrived."
Upon seeing Jiang Shuwan, Madam Sun immediately greeted her with a beaming smile.
"Greetings, Aunt. It's been months since we last met. How are you? How is Wanwan? How is Brother-in-law Lu?"
"Good, good, they're all doing well, especially Wanwan and Shaogan. They're so close, like honey. Just as we were setting off back to Kyoto, we found out that Wanwan was pregnant. Otherwise, she would have insisted on coming back to Kyoto to see you."
"What! Wanwan is pregnant! That's wonderful news!"
"That's right. She's pregnant now, and Shao Gan has made great contributions in the north, rising all the way to the fourth rank. Her future is limitless. Come to think of it, it was you who exposed the true colors of the Jia family back then, otherwise Auntie would have missed out on this good marriage with the Lu family."
Seeing her beaming from ear to ear, Jiang Shuwan covered her mouth and chuckled, "It seems that Auntie is quite satisfied with Brother-in-law Lu."
"Satisfied! Very satisfied!"
“Wan’er, your aunt isn’t afraid of you laughing at me. Ever since Shao Gan made so many military achievements, nine out of ten of my girlfriends in the capital have written to me, saying they envy my Wanwan’s good marriage. Your aunt is very grateful to you.”
"And during this battle in the North, the grain and medicine you had the caravan transported really saved us from a crisis. Your uncle and the people and soldiers of the North are all grateful to you."
"And that glass workshop, Auntie blushes just thinking about it. The formula is yours, we're just helping with the forging, how could we possibly accept your shares?"
Madam Sun felt deeply ashamed as she spoke.
Jiang Shuwan held her hand and whispered, "Auntie, you're too kind. Although we have the recipe, we need to keep it a secret to make money. Our glass workshop has been getting a lot of visitors lately, hasn't it?"
“That is indeed true,” Madam Sun said, glancing around as if afraid of being overheard. She pulled Jiang Shuwan inside, speaking to her in a low voice.
“Wan, you don’t know, when we were building the glass workshop, no one came. Later, probably after the first batch of glass artisans went to the capital, God, there was a constant stream of spies, assassins, and those who stole the recipes. We don’t know whose men they were. When we found them, they either ran away or committed suicide. They were all suicide squads, trained quickly and very powerful.”
Madam Sun spoke of the glass workshop with trepidation, and Jiang Shuwan listened with great tension.
She expected someone to go to the glass workshop, but she didn't expect them to even send in assassins.
It keeps happening in batches, without ever stopping.
"Auntie, is Uncle alright?"
"Don't worry about that. Your uncle has been operating in the North for decades. To put it bluntly, even the dragons of the capital would have to coil up before me in the North!"
Jiang Shuwan burst out laughing at Madam Sun's remark.
As expected of someone from a military background, even as a woman, she exudes a heroic spirit.
“Wan, it’s not that your aunt is trying to take credit, but your workshop is only successful because it’s located in the north. Otherwise, the recipe would have been taken by someone else long ago.”
"Of course, that's exactly why I cooperated with my uncle. By the way, Aunt, have you made any progress on the people behind those assassins?"
"No, your uncle just dealt with them. He didn't investigate the identities of the people behind them. He said that with his prestige in the North, only a few people could reach him. What's the use of investigating? They are nobles. Do you really think you can punish them?"
"I'm so angry! The formula is yours, and the factory construction is overseen by our Sun family. It has nothing to do with them. Yet they keep trying to find out. They're clearly being unreasonable, but they're telling us to back down. Is there no justice in this world?!"
Madam Sun slammed her hand on the table indignantly. Then, after a moment's hesitation, she said, "Wan'er, there's something else. Your uncle told me not to tell you, but I've thought about it and decided to tell you anyway. Maybe you can help."
"What's up?"
Hearing her say that, Jiang Shuwan was extremely curious. General Sun was a second-rank official and had made great contributions in the Northern War. She didn't think there was anything that General Sun couldn't do and needed her help with.
"It's still about the glass workshop. Recently, there have been many assassins trying to infiltrate the workshop. Your uncle had no choice but to have soldiers guard it day and night. Somehow, this matter has reached the capital, and many censors have submitted memorials impeaching your uncle, saying that he abused his power for personal gain."
"Damn it! I'm so angry! Those soldiers are indeed under your uncle's command, but they get paid for every day they work. In recent years, the military pay in the north has been insufficient. Your uncle has led his soldiers countless times to either reclaim wasteland and cultivate land, or to act as guards for passing merchants, just to earn some money to supplement the military expenses."
"That's how it's been all these years. Those damned censors, they pretended not to see us when we were so poor. When your uncle asked the court for military pay, they kept making excuses and told us to be considerate of His Majesty's difficulties."
"Everyone tells us to be understanding, but no one is understanding us."
"Fine, if the soldiers' pay isn't enough, we'll earn it ourselves, okay? But now, the moment we send the soldiers to guard the workshops, they submit a memorial impeaching us. Shameless bastards! They don't even mention that the soldiers get paid, and they still have the nerve to say it's a misuse of public resources. Disgusting! They're so righteous and selfless, why didn't they say that before?"
"Shameless scoundrel! It's been two months since the Battle of the North, and the imperial court hasn't given a single penny in compensation. If the workshop hadn't paid to hire those soldiers to work, they wouldn't even have enough to eat, let alone squeeze out any money for the families of the wounded and killed soldiers."
"You corrupt official! You have no conscience!"
Madam Sun shouted her rant, which surprised Jiang Shuwan.
She knew about the glass workshop hiring soldiers. War is expensive, and the northern lands were already a barren place, and they became even poorer after the war.
Since the glass workshop needed to hire people anyway, they naturally took them into consideration, as soldiers from the North have a long history of earning extra money.
Unexpectedly, this also became a stain on General Sun's reputation.
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