Upon hearing General Gu's report on the court's affairs, Jiang Shuwan immediately went to find Li Chengyun.
Having known each other for so long, this was the first time she had taken the initiative to approach Li Chengyun, and the first thing she said was, "Sharpening fee."
Li Chengyun's use of borrowed knives to kill and fish in troubled waters was truly masterful.
As a weapon, it shouldn't be used for nothing.
Li Chengyun nodded in agreement, then ordered a servant to bring up a tray covered with a red cloth.
The red cloth is made of the finest satin, and the tray is made of the best mahogany.
Jiang Shuwan rubbed her hands together excitedly, knowing Li Chengyun's extravagant lifestyle and how generous he was.
They had previously gone to listen to a play together, and Li Chengyun thought the singer's performance wasn't very good, so he gave them a lot of silver.
Her knife is so useful, Li Chengyun should at least give her a gold bar.
"I'm still a bit broke lately, yet I get excited about a gold bar."
Jiang Shuwan thought to herself, then excitedly lifted the red cloth, revealing a glass flower on it.
That's the one she used to pay off her debt last time.
Jiang Shuwan: "..."
Holding the worthless glass flower, Jiang Shuwan felt the wickedness of human nature, especially that of Li Chengyun.
Jiang Shuwan gave the other person a thumbs-up and went home, with Li Chengyun's arrogant laughter behind her.
You damn bastard...
After a long internal struggle, Jiang Shuwan returned to the Marquis's residence to receive the midwife and doctor who had returned from the north.
Not long after the New Year, Sun Wanwan gave birth to a big, healthy son. The baby weighed nine pounds at birth. Doctors usually recommend a cesarean section for babies weighing around eight pounds, let alone in the current medical environment.
Sun Wanwan was unable to give birth for a long time and faced numerous dangers.
Finally, the doctor took the risk and performed a cesarean section. Although he had practiced it many times before, it was the first time he had done it on a human.
Thankfully, both mother and child are safe in the end.
General Sun even wrote a letter to thank Jiang Shuwan for this. The midwife and doctor who performed the surgery also allowed them to stay in the north for a while to teach them the relevant techniques before they were asked to return.
The doctors and midwives would be gone for several months at a time, and the journey was long and arduous. In addition to the reward money, Jiang Shuwan specially prepared a feast to reward them.
In the courtyard, the doctor and midwife ate meat and drank wine while talking about the dangers of childbirth.
The maids in the room were so frightened that their faces turned as white as paper, especially Chun Jiao, who had married the head guard of the front courtyard at the beginning of the year and was now carrying a baby in her belly.
Jiang Shuwan told her to rest, but she insisted on going to work. She could work and prepare for childbirth at the same time without any delay. However, after hearing the midwife describe how Sun Wanwan was screaming in pain on the bed, she experienced phantom pain, and her calves started shaking uncontrollably.
"Okay, don't scare yourself. If you feel unwell, you can go see a doctor regularly."
After patting Chun Jiao on the shoulder, Jiang Shuwan discussed the matter of Donglai Street with Chun Jiao.
Currently, Brother Nai is the top leader of Donglai Street, and Song Huaizhang is the second-in-command. Brother Nai is currently dealing with matters related to pearl farming in cooperation with merchants from the south, so Jiang Shuwan has brought Chun Jiao to the office to be the third-in-command.
Chun Jiao cherishes her current job and speaks eloquently about everyone on Donglai Street.
Business on Donglai Street isn't very good, and there are occasional disturbances.
Jiang Shuwan had anticipated this, and in these turbulent times, she chose to settle things peacefully, turning a major issue into a minor one, and a minor one into nothing.
"Yes, I understand." Chun Jiao nodded, as she was aware of the recent predicament of the Marquis's mansion.
Even though Jiang Shuwan was a county princess, she was still ostracized by various aristocratic families and royal family members.
The land reform truly offended the powerful and privileged class.
Since they can't touch the Marquis's mansion, they can't help but cause some trouble on Donglai Street.
"We may have a tough time in the coming period, so everyone should be on their guard," Jiang Shuwan said.
The next day, Yao Zhijie took Pei Shushu back to her parents' home.
After dinner, the family drank tea in the tea room. Yao Zhijie also brought up the issue of land reform. He had tried his best to stop Pei Yanzhi, but to no avail.
"Sister-in-law, are you alright?" Yao Zhijie has been showing Jiang Shuwan more and more respect lately.
"It's alright, apart from the business on Donglai Street, nothing else is going on," Jiang Shuwan said while drinking tea.
Pei Shushu sat down beside her and asked curiously, "Sister-in-law, can my brother's reforms really be implemented? I heard that the court is strongly opposed to it, and the local vassal kings are sending memorials to reprimand my brother every day."
As Pei Shushu spoke, she wrinkled her nose, "Those barbarian kings and royal family members all hold large tracts of fertile land; how could they possibly give it up?"
"This little girl is quite concerned about national affairs." Hearing this, Jiang Shuwan smiled gently.
"It's all because of what you taught me. You told me not to stay in the inner quarters all day. I'm just listening to you. Besides, I'm not a little girl anymore. I'm married now," Pei Shushu said proudly.
After saying that, he leaned closer to Jiang Shuwan and said, "Sister-in-law, tell me what's going on. The people of the capital are very concerned about this matter right now."
Setting down the calming tea in her hand, Jiang Shuwan said softly, "Our Great Jing Dynasty has only been in the hands of His Majesty for two generations. There are only a few vassal kings, and they are far away. Whether the new system can be implemented depends on two things: first, the pressure from the eldest prince and the crown prince; second, the attitude of the various powerful families; and of course, most importantly, His Majesty's determination. If His Majesty's determination is strong enough, it should still be implemented despite the pressure from all sides..."
Pei Shushu guessed, "What exactly is His Majesty's attitude? The land reform issue has been debated for a while now, but it's just hanging in the air, neither going up nor down. We don't know what His Majesty really means."
Jiang Shuwan sighed, "Hanging on is also a kind of attitude."
A few days later, the land reform was still unresolved, and trouble broke out again on Donglai Street.
A burly man with a fierce face and a muscular build, accompanied by several thugs, swaggered into Jiang Shuwan's glass shop.
The exquisite glass artifacts shimmer with iridescent colors under the sunlight.
The burly man's face was flushed and he reeked of alcohol. As soon as he entered the shop, without saying a word, he kicked over a glass shelf placed on the side of the shop.
The glass artifacts crashed to the ground with a clatter, shattering into pieces, and the flying shards even cut a little girl's arm.
"How dare you! Who is causing trouble here!" Meixue rushed forward immediately.
"So what if it's me, the big bastard!" The burly man glared fiercely at Meixue, smashing things as he shouted outside, "Since your shop dares to sell substandard goods, you should be prepared to have them smashed!"
"You heartless bastard! I bought a glass flower from you for a thousand taels of silver, and you gave me a flawed one."
"Come and see! They're selling substandard goods here!"
The weather in August was exceptionally hot, and with the deliberate resistance from aristocratic families, there were already few pedestrians on the street. But after the big man shouted like that, the crowd gathered and surrounded the shop entrance.
"When did you buy anything from my store? What proof do you have?"
"This is the proof."
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