Hearing the knock on the door, Shen Tangning snapped out of her thoughts and rubbed her temples: "Come in."
Yuan Zhao came forward and clasped his hands in greeting: "Master, I have investigated the maid named Yun Que that you mentioned. She is an orphan. Her parents died during a famine when she was a few years old. She was sold to Yanjing after several transfers and entered the Ningyuan Marquis's mansion two years ago."
He paused for a moment, then said, “On the surface, there seems to be no problem, but her past experiences are hard to verify because many people died in her hometown during the famine, and now the population is mostly from outside the area.”
Shen Tangning put down her pen, staring at the table with an ambiguous expression: "Her parents died from famine, but she, a child of only a few years old and a girl, survived."
Yuan Zhao paused slightly: "Does Master mean that her background might be fake?"
“I just have some doubts.” She raised her head, her eyes darting around. “When famine is at its worst, the most treacherous thing is human nature. Have you ever heard of people exchanging their own children to eat?”
Yuan Zhao instinctively frowned, a look of disgust flashing in his eyes: "There is indeed such a saying."
When they were starving, they dug up tree roots and ate everything edible on the mountain. Then some of them set their sights on their own kind.
Children are already unlikely to survive in such a disaster, and in order to save food, they either have to be sold or become food for others.
If you can't bring yourself to harm your own child, then exchange them.
In such circumstances, even boys who are expected to carry on the family line might be abandoned, so the lives of girls are even less valuable.
Yuan Zhao's expression shifted: "Under those circumstances, it is truly a miracle that she, at only a few years old, could survive."
Shen Tangning lowered her gaze slightly. Looking at it this way, it was highly likely that Yun Que's background was fabricated.
She went to great lengths to infiltrate the Marquis's residence, her target being Chi Jingyu.
Her eyes suddenly flashed, and she thought of Chi Jingyu's allegiance to Yan Xingzhou, so she couldn't help but wonder if Yun Que was one of the Third Prince's people.
However, when she married Chi Jingyu, he was already having dealings with the Third Prince.
Now that Chi Jingyu and she are irreconcilable enemies, the possibility of him becoming a member of the Crown Prince's faction is extremely small, and the only one in the court capable of competing with the Crown Prince is the Third Prince.
It goes without saying what Chi Jingyu will choose; the Third Prince has no need to go to such lengths.
Under such circumstances, what benefit would it bring to the Third Prince to let Chi Jingyu accumulate debts and get into trouble?
Shen Tangning felt that something was wrong, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
etc……
She seemed to have overlooked one person: the Fourth Prince, Yan Jue.
Aside from the Third Prince, he was also capable of vying for that position, but he was frail and sickly, and the imperial physicians predicted that he would not live past the age of twenty-five, so most people subconsciously ignored his existence.
Shen Tangning frowned slightly.
Why would she ignore Yan Jue? Because he did indeed die young in his previous life.
——
Shen Tangning specially rented out a workshop, hired artisans, and signed contracts to address a series of issues, including wages and keeping the secret recipe confidential. Everything was ready.
Mr. Chi never interfered in these matters, while Mrs. Chi watched her daughter-in-law busy herself with a smile, without giving her any advice.
It's just a loss anyway; her son used to spend far more than this when he was a spendthrift.
Although Shen Tangning was a little nervous, she was not intimidated.
After the first finished product was developed and she personally tested it, she finally felt relieved.
Because of the high production costs, she and Chi Yan shared the same idea: to target aristocratic families rather than ordinary people.
In a prosperous place like Yanjing, there is no shortage of wealthy people.
She personally oversaw the quality of the goods and then began preparing for the opening of the new store.
In business matters, Shen Tangning's identity makes it inconvenient for her to personally show herself. Besides, she will have other things to do in the future, so she can't devote all her attention to the shop.
So she personally selected a trustworthy and experienced manager from the shops under Chi's mother's name.
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