Chapter 26: The bookstore is closed and brought under its control.
Chang Gung Bookstore is gone?
Zhang Ting was slightly taken aback, then asked, "Why so suddenly?"
Luo Zijun lowered her head, her tone heavy: "It's not sudden. Chang Geng Bookstore was founded by the Zong family. Now that the Zong family is gone, the bookstore naturally couldn't be saved."
Zhang Ting was surprised. He had put a lot of effort into even those from humble backgrounds; no wonder they could become the head of the Qingliu faction.
To be conservative, a bookstore of this size would cost tens of thousands of taels of silver to set up, and it would be a money pit that never comes out.
"The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel actually submitted a memorial falsely accusing the Zong family of corruption, bribery, abuse of power, and even collusion with foreign enemies, causing great chaos in Zhangzhou Prefecture that year..."
At this point, Luo Zijun's face showed indignation. "The Zong family is a distinguished clan, how could they covet mere wealth? His Majesty holds great power, and the current dynasty is well-governed. Where has there ever been any abuse of power or chaos in governance? The Zong family is highly respected and virtuous, how could they betray the country for personal gain and ruin their own reputation?"
She slammed her hand on the table in anger, “The most ridiculous thing is that His Majesty actually turned a blind eye to it, he is utterly incompetent and foolish!”
The young woman was quite bold. Zhang Ting was startled and quickly covered her mouth. She looked around before she felt relieved.
Frowning, he hissed in a low voice, "Are you out of your mind?! How dare you say such a thing?"
Seeing that she was still angry, Zhang Ting pressed down on her shoulder and coaxed her to sit down first.
He then picked up the kettle on the table and poured her a bowl of water to help her calm down and regain her composure.
Zhang Ting knew what she was angry about. First, she felt that the Zong family had been framed and she hated evil as if it were her enemy. Second, the bookstore was shut down and her family was poor, so she had no way to pursue her studies.
She said, "The entire clan has been executed. Even if they were framed, it's too late to undo the damage. My sister is very astute. In this tense situation, you must not speak recklessly, lest you bring disaster upon yourself."
Unable to contain her anger, Luo Zijun slammed her fist on the table in frustration, gritting her teeth: "With treacherous officials in power, are we just going to let this go like this?"
Zhang Ting sighed: "Whether it counts or not is not something you or I can decide. Even if the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel wanted to change his mind, he couldn't."
The Crown Princess stands behind the main family. Accusing the main family of selling out the country for personal gain is tantamount to saying that the Crown Princess has a problem.
Who in the world has such power to openly target the crown prince of a country?
Luo Zijun, however, did not understand and remained immersed in her own pain.
Zhang Ting was powerless to change the trend, but she knew the importance of investing early, so she left Luo Zijun a one-hundred-tael silver note.
"This is my sister's heartfelt gift. The world is tough, Ziju, please take care of yourself. If you encounter any difficulties, just come to Pear Blossom Street in the west of the city to find me."
Luo Zijun held the silver note, wanting to return it to her, but couldn't bring herself to say it.
Without Sister Zhang's help, she wouldn't have had any money to buy rice for the next month.
Zhang Ting patted her shoulder and said gently, "Your sister is truly kind to you, Zijun, please don't be distant with me."
Luo Zijun clutched the silver note, tears welling in her eyes, "Thank you, sister."
Her family was struggling financially, and Zhang Ting didn't want to stay for a meal, which would only worsen their situation. After chatting for a few more minutes, she made an excuse to leave.
Luo Zijun saw her off, and Zhang Ting held her hand affectionately, saying, "If you have nothing else to do, Zijun, feel free to come and discuss academic matters with me. I will certainly welcome you with open arms."
Luo Zijun felt she was in a deep slump, but she never expected to be valued so much by her, and she was deeply moved.
Back home, sitting down on the stool again, she secretly vowed that if she ever became successful, she would repay Zhang Ting with all her might!
On her way back, Zhang Ting passed by Xu's Braised Food shop and bought some more to take home, planning to treat herself to a nice meal that evening.
You can lose anything but your own mouth.
Carrying the braised food, she stepped into the inner courtyard and arrived at the main hall. After careful observation, she found it was indeed much cleaner, which immediately lifted her spirits.
This proves that her teaching is highly effective, and her students are happy to study diligently.
He placed the food on the table and turned to ask Du Zaolang to set the table, but saw a handsome young man with a face full of sweat, holding a damp cloth and glaring at him fiercely, his eyes filled with anger.
To be sweating so much in the dead of winter, you must be exhausted.
She looked up at the sky guiltily, then, as if remembering something, she said to him with a serious expression, "Xiaoyi, you've really worked hard today. I specially bought some braised food outside to reward you."
The other person looked at her suspiciously, but when they saw the food on the table, the anger in their eyes gradually dissipated.
He still remembered his identity and bowed to Zhang Tingying, saying, "This servant thanks my master."
Being young and easily fooled, Zhang Ting told him to get up and then called Du Zaolang to set out the meal.
She then told him, "From now on, you can call me 'Miss' along with the others."
Most people wouldn't dare to ask the family for the reason, but he was different.
Zhang Ting's lips twitched. What else could it be? The information explosion had exposed him to a lot of unclean content, and even hearing him shout like that made him feel like a pervert.
But she only said, "It's just a unified title."
The other party believed it and nodded naively.
The meal was served, a table full of spicy dishes, but Zhang Ting found it tasteless, longing for the braised dishes she had bought.
Thinking that the boy always used very little, I was about to offer to help him if he couldn't finish his food. But when I looked from afar, I saw that his cheeks were puffed out, and he was focused, as if he was savoring some exquisite delicacy, eating with great relish.
Never mind, it's just a dish.
After the meal, Zhang Ting strolled around the courtyard and happened to run into Du Zaolang. For reasons unknown, she said, "From now on, please make a couple more light and savory dishes for the meals."
She regretted it as soon as she said it; wasn't this just wasting money?
But Du Zaolang had already agreed, and it would be inappropriate for her to take back her decision. She shook her head and returned to her study to continue studying policy proposals.
In the dead of night, the entire mansion was silent and asleep, except for one magnificent courtyard, which was brightly lit.
A woman with half-gray hair, dressed in casual clothes, stood quietly in the courtyard, gazing up at the bright moon high in the sky, her expression inscrutable.
The sound of the night watchman striking his clapper came from outside, and she shouted, "All is well!"
The steward, who was standing by, worried that his master might catch a cold, and advised, "Sir, it's getting late, you should rest."
The woman gently shook her head, her eyes filled with sorrow, as if asking her confidante, as if asking the moon, or as if murmuring to herself: "What do you think the fate of our Xu family will be..."
The steward was puzzled. His master had just defeated the chief minister, and no one in the court could match her in terms of seniority and power. She was about to ascend the throne and should be riding high. Why was she worried?
The steward reassured her, "Your Excellency, as the Second Minister of Personnel, a second-rank official, you will soon be appointed Prime Minister by His Majesty. You will surely lead the Xu family to even greater heights and leave a lasting legacy."
The woman gave a bitter smile and said, "I regret not getting involved in this mess in the first place. Now, I can't extricate myself from it."
All she had planned was that Grand Secretary Zong would be suspended from his post, and the Xu family would take the opportunity to pledge allegiance to the Crown Princess, but things turned out far beyond her expectations.
The Zong and Lin families were wiped out, and more than 4,000 people were killed in an instant, leaving her terrified and feeling like she was walking on thin ice.
The butler didn't understand her meaning. "Sir?"
The woman sighed, "Never mind, I'm too old to care about so much."
"Xu Feng, take me back to rest."
...
For seven or eight consecutive days, Keyinglou was packed with customers, doubling its revenue, which made Zhang Ting go to sleep with a smile on her face.
Just as it was the first birthday celebration for Manager Wang's daughter, she brought Zheng Er and Li Ruilian to the house with generous gifts to offer her congratulations.
Xu You also prepared a generous gift and sent a maid to deliver it.
Manager Wang, dressed in a rich crimson silk robe, personally came out to welcome her in, saying with a beaming smile, "Your presence here, sir, truly brings honor to my humble abode. I am deeply grateful."
Zhang Ting smiled back at her, "Manager Wang manages the restaurant for me and is very good at it. It would have been a shame if I hadn't come today."
Manager Wang held her in high esteem and hurriedly said, "I dare not presume; it is all thanks to the master's excellent guidance."
Zhang Ting laughed and stopped refusing, "Have a few more drinks with me later."
Manager Wang readily agreed.
The guests at the banquet noticed that the host was treating a young woman with great respect, and they couldn't help but inquire about her identity.
A maid who had accompanied Manager Wang to Keyinglou said that this man was Manager Wang's employer.
Everyone had come from Jeju Prefecture to attend the banquet. They were wondering where Manager Wang had made her fortune after moving her entire family to the capital. Little did they know that this young woman was actually her wealthy patron.
Every son in the family who was good-looking had the idea of trying to marry into the family.
Even if she can't become the principal wife, being taken as a concubine would still be comfortable! Besides, this wealthy man is extremely handsome, so she can't lose out no matter what.
Shopkeeper Wang's nephew was also at the banquet. Jeju Prefecture has an open-minded culture, and since they all lived in the countryside, there was no custom of boys and girls not sitting together after the age of seven.
Although his skin wasn't as fair as Zhang Ting's, he had very handsome features and was a well-known beauty in the village. He was also hardworking and down-to-earth, and many wealthy families came to propose marriage to him, but he was proud and arrogant, which his mother rejected them all.
Seeing Zhang Ting's demeanor and appearance at this moment, I was deeply moved.
Shopkeeper Wang's sister was very interested in Zhang Ting, who was handsome and from a wealthy family. She thought that if this young man took her son as his wife, the two families would be betrothed, and her son could then whisper sweet nothings in her ear, and the jobs for her eldest and second daughters would be a piece of cake.
She quietly encouraged her son, "Later, go with your aunt to meet this young man."
The other person clutched the hem of their clothes and nodded shyly.
She chuckled, sensing an opportunity, and when she saw Manager Wang arrive, she quickly pushed her son forward.
She was a farmer who made a living from the fields, barely literate, lacked worldly experience, and was ignorant of etiquette. She bluntly put her unmarried son in the open.
Manager Wang had some education and had worked for two different employers, so she knew some of the rules. She covered her face in embarrassment at the sight, but deep down she longed to tie herself and Zhang Ting even closer together.
So he braced himself and introduced him to Zhang Ting: "Master, this is my nephew, please excuse his poor appearance." He didn't mention his name because he was afraid that Zhang Ting would be dissatisfied and it would ruin his nephew's reputation.
As expected, her nephew was just an ordinary woman and did not win Zhang Ting's favor; she didn't even glance at him.
Manager Wang was filled with regret. He told his nephew to step down and started talking to Zhang Ting about the restaurant's operation, as if the scene from just moments ago had never happened.
Zhang Ting waited until the daughter of Manager Wang had her first birthday celebration, and then specially placed a thick gold lock on it.
The little child was wearing a red bib, with soft baby hair covering his head. He was fair-skinned and tender, with big, round, black, and bright eyes that looked very clever. He grinned and drooled as he tried to grab the most expensive item in the room. He couldn't lift it with one hand, so he used both hands to grab it and then held it up to show off to everyone. He was very cute and made everyone laugh.
Zhang Ting smiled and said at the right moment, "The baby's first birthday celebration involves picking gold, which means he is destined for wealth and prosperity. Manager Wang will be blessed in the future!"
Shopkeeper Wang was so happy that his face turned red, and he picked up his daughter and kissed her.
"I will name my daughter Jin Suo today, to thank the master for the gift!" Manager Wang promised Zhang Ting with bright eyes.
This time, Zhang Ting completely bound Manager Wang to her side.
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