"It's been several years since I last saw you, and you still look as dashing as ever."
“You’re too kind, Inspector Ge. It was my presumptuousness to come and disturb you. I was unaware that your household was holding a funeral. Please forgive me.”
"Not at all, Your Excellency is unaware. The person who carried out the funeral procession was Chunyu from the second branch of the family."
"Oh? It's her~"
After some polite greetings, Jiang Yue's heart skipped a beat when she heard this familiar yet unfamiliar name.
Good deeds will be rewarded and evil deeds will be punished; it's not that retribution won't come, it's just that the time hasn't arrived yet.
"Now that we're practically in-laws, we should visit each other more often in the future."
Ge Haoran's eyebrows relaxed, and he became more approachable.
To be honest, he admired this woman from humble origins who, single-handedly, orchestrated the entire operation from the shadows and quietly became a county magistrate personally bestowed by the emperor!
He didn't know how the other party educated their children, but he knew that Qingsong was a shrewd and shrewd businessman!
In just three years, it has established a firm foothold in Nanjing.
He owns a hot pot restaurant that rakes in money every day, and a boutique that displays bath products that drive countless dignitaries crazy, such as soaps, shower gels, and bar soaps!
If Fangfang can't be a daughter-in-law, then she can be adopted as a goddaughter.
He felt at ease marrying his daughter to such a promising young man!
"Definitely, definitely."
Jiang Yue's polite words carried a hint of seriousness. She knew that the other party had spent several years plotting this, which could be considered indirect revenge for her.
Ge Haoran took a sip of tea, then put it down and asked:
"How long does the county magistrate intend to stay in Jinling?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yue breathed a sigh of relief, a relaxed smile appearing on her face, and replied:
"Once the results of the autumn imperial examinations are released, my son Qingyun and his brother-in-law Qingshan will see the list and then pack up and return to their hometown, Taohua County. Of course, Qingsong and Fangfang should stay in Jinling from now on, and we will have to trouble our in-laws to help take care of them in the future."
"That's natural."
Ge Haoran nodded upon hearing this. Although he already knew about it, he asked now so that Ge Haoran could arrange for someone to secretly take care of him.
"By the way, does my in-law know if any prominent families in Jinling have any connections with the Western Regions?"
After chatting about everyday things, Jiang Yue steered the conversation to the purpose of her trip.
"The Western Regions? I only know that Liuxiang Pavilion is a place run by people from the Western Regions, a place for men to have fun. There is no other disturbance there. Why does Your Excellency ask this?"
Ge Haoran was puzzled, his brows furrowed, as if he found it difficult to speak.
In this place of entertainment and revelry, where is a county magistrate to be...?
“My dear in-laws, you have misunderstood. I once saw a record of the Western Regions in a book called ‘Strange Tales and Anecdotes.’ It detailed the abundance of rare and precious treasures in the Western Regions, such as Tian Shan snow lotus, insect-repelling chrysanthemum, fritillaria, Cistanche tubulosa, safflower, wolfberry, Ferula assa-foetida, and Apocynum venetum.”
Introducing Tianyao cultivation is unrealistic, but what about trade?
Jiang Yue had no other reliable people to consult, so after much thought, she decided to plan this matter with the Ge family.
"Trade? What does that mean?"
Ge Haoran was a little confused, but his intuition told him that this was a good thing that would benefit the Ge family!
Just as the two were about to discuss things further, an unexpected incident occurred.
The butler rushed in, as if he had something urgent to report.
Seeing this, Ge Haoran put down his teacup, his expression slightly darkening, and said:
“Tell me, there are no outsiders here.”
The steward bowed respectfully to Lady Jiang, his expression turning solemn after the greeting.
"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! Miss Jiaojiao has committed suicide by poisoning herself!"
"What~"
Ge Haoran was shocked. How could his second brother and Shangguan not keep an eye on a young lady!
"After interrogating the servants, they said that when the Second Mistress's coffin left the mansion, the Second Master refused to attend the funeral because it was considered an omen of bad luck. Miss Jiaojiao threatened to commit suicide to force him to stay, but the Second Master still insisted on his own opinion. So, in a fit of anger, Miss Jiaojiao took poison and died."
The butler's expression wasn't much better. On one hand, this was the young master he had watched grow up; on the other hand, the Ge family had already broken ties with the Chunyu family, and Miss Jiaojiao's suicide by poison had given the Chunyu family another handle against her...
“My lady, I have matters to attend to at home and cannot keep you here. We can discuss what happened another day.”
Ge Haoran pursed his lips, quickly regaining his calm and composed demeanor.
"Of course, then I'll take my leave first, no need for you to see me off, in-laws."
Jiang Yue nodded upon hearing this, then stood up and took her leave.
"Butler, see the guests out."
Ge Haoran returned the greeting with clasped hands, acknowledging his rudeness. Now he needed to figure out how to quell the situation with the second wife's family...
After leaving the Ge residence, Jiang Yue strolled aimlessly down the street, stopping and starting as she went, until she came to a small teahouse. There, she found a group of people sitting together, listening to a storyteller. So she found a seat, ordered a cup of tea and a plate of peanuts, and listened with great interest.
"To tell how the Shangguan family rose from humble beginnings as a small merchant household to become one of the four great families, we must mention the sixth young lady of the Shangguan family, Shangguan Xian'er..."
The storyteller spoke with great intonation and twists and turns, recounting the rise of the Shangguan family in detail.
It's simply a matter of how a remarkably intelligent sixth young lady emerged, displaying extraordinary talent and turning the tide, transforming the Shangguan family from a small merchant household into the last of the four great aristocratic families in just a few years—
The Chunyu family!
Jiang Yue listened with great interest, the peanuts smelled delicious, and the story was quite interesting.
It seems this fellow countryman from another time must be a talent in business administration, otherwise he wouldn't be involved in so many fields.
No wonder she's the original female lead; she's so much better than this half-baked girl!
Hopefully they're friends, not enemies; otherwise, it'll just be a case of two people from the same hometown meeting...
After listening to the storyteller's tale, Jiang Yue tipped him with a small piece of silver and was about to leave when she suddenly heard her son calling her—
"Mother~"
"It really is you! I thought I had mistaken you for someone else."
Qingsong jogged over, a smile on his face.
After catching his breath, he quickly explained:
"Mother, this is Manager Liu, from the Liuxiang Pavilion I told you about last time~"
Jiang Yue nodded and looked at the man with the thick beard. Hmm, his hair was still golden curly. He wasn't from Tianyao; he looked like he was from another region.
"Hello, Manager Liu."
"My name is Liu Yugui, and I greet you, Your Excellency."
Liu Yugui spoke with a somewhat exotic accent. Because of her friendship with Manager Wu, she knew that the latter's mother was a county magistrate personally appointed by Emperor Tianyao.
Size is a matter of rank, hence his extremely polite manner.
Jiang Yue winked at her son, then smiled and said:
No need for formalities.
Qingsong, sensing his mother's signal, quickly understood and immediately invited her:
"Manager Liu, there are too many people and too many eyes outside. Why don't we move to the teahouse?"
"There's a saying in Tianyao: 'Respect is not as good as obedience,' so I will naturally obey."
Liu Yugui smiled and nodded, gladly accepting Manager Wu's overtures.
"Please~"
"Please, Your Excellency."
The three moved to the nearest teahouse, ordered a pot of pre-Qingming Longjing tea, followed by fresh flower cakes, soybean powder, hawthorn cake...
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