Chapter 49 Making a Living Under a Skirt
Meng Qingci sensed a hint of mockery and a touch of amusement in Chen Junyan's gaze, and felt embarrassed. She quickly bowed to Chen Junyan again, saying, "I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Seventh Brother."
Chen Junyan straightened Hongxiao, who was leaning against him, and subtly distanced himself from her. He then turned to Jin Yunnian and said with a faint smile, "It is common for young people to fall in love. However, what surprised me was that you are so young and already deeply in love. You are quite the romantic."
Meng Qingci looked embarrassed and nodded slightly, saying, "I am ashamed. I am fortunate that my wife has never abandoned me and has helped me in every way. If it weren't for her help in every way, I would not be where I am today."
When Xue Tianlu, the third young master of the Xue family, saw that Master Chen had personally acknowledged Jin Yunnian, his son-in-law, as his younger brother, he felt a mixture of jealousy and envy, and was quite unhappy.
Xue Tianlu, the third young master of the Xue family, couldn't understand why the eldest young master of the Zhou family insisted on elevating Jin Yunnian. He was just a mere interpreter, a nobody, who could only exchange a few words with the foreigners and make a living by talking. He did not do any work and was even worse than a merchant. How could he be worthy of sitting at the same table as these sons of wealthy merchants?
Xue Tianlu grew increasingly resentful. Not wanting Jin Yunnian to continue his blatant dissent, he changed the subject: "Now the Crown Prince is acting against the natural order, not only poisoning the Crown Prince but also forcing his own father, the Emperor, to his death. I've heard that two governors of the thirteen provinces believe the Crown Prince is corrupt and has declared himself king, intending to march on the capital. With the current turmoil, I fear a bloodbath is about to erupt."
Zhou Jichen sighed softly and shook his head, saying, "This news is from over a month ago. Nowadays, the various prefectures are not only dissatisfied with the Crown Prince, but have long since gone their own way, holding their own armies and wielding their own power, resembling a warlord separatism. It is truly lamentable that the Zhaode Dynasty has only lasted for two generations to reach this state."
Zhao Jinglun, the second master of the Zhao family, sighed: "In this situation, only our Fujian and Guangdong regions are still relatively peaceful. Last month, the rice route from our Zhao family to Datong was cut off. Now, half a month has passed, and I'm afraid that the various prefectures and provinces are already engulfed in war and fighting, and we don't know how tense the situation is."
Those who wanted to curry favor with Chen Junyan quickly smiled and said, "It is thanks to the governor that the people of Fujian and Guangdong can live and work in peace and contentment. We, the noble families and wealthy merchants, all follow the lead of Governor Fu. We just don't know what kind of plan Governor Fu will follow in the future."
Upon hearing this, the room fell silent, and all eyes turned to Chen Junyan. Those present were all prominent merchants from Fujian and Guangdong, and everyone knew that the Chen family was backed by Prefect Yao of Zhejiang, who in turn was a protégé of Prefect Fu. The "close" ties between Zhejiang and Fujian and Guangdong in recent years were an open secret.
The Chen family's influence and influence within the Maritime Trade Office are unmatched by any other family. No one would believe that the Chen family wasn't working for Lord Fu.
Thinking of this, everyone couldn't help but feel envious again. Although the sons of merchants could now participate in the imperial examinations, they were still bound by their birth and often suffered contempt and exclusion from powerful families. If Lord Fu also desired that unspeakable position, then the Chen family would be his rightful heirs, and it was no exaggeration to say that they could rise to power and change their social standing.
Who would have thought that the Chen family, which was destroyed overnight due to a wrongful inheritance case, would climb up to the position of Prefect Yao of Zhejiang through a marriage alliance, and now may even get on the big ship of Prefect Fu, not only to regain their former glory, but also to have the hope of going even further. How can such good fortune not make people envious and jealous?
Xue Tianlu was not a man of deep thoughts. He rolled his eyes, smiled, and raised his voice to ask, "I have heard that Lord Fu has now obtained a great weapon, which is unique in time and extremely powerful. It can not only break through strong city walls, but can also be used to kill enemies on the battlefield. When used, it makes a sound like thunder, which is deafening. However, if you really have such a weapon, I believe that great things are within reach."
Master Chen had been listening to everyone's chatter with a half-smile, a smile playing on his lips, but he remained silent, not truly taking it to heart.
But as soon as Xue Tianlu said this, the smile on his face immediately faded, and his gaze suddenly sharpened as he swept over everyone present, especially scrutinizing the actors such as Hongxiao.
Hongxiao, being quick-witted, immediately understood. She quickly stepped forward, gave a graceful bow, and smiled as she took her leave: "Gentlemen, please forgive us. The sisters are covered in sweat from dancing. Please allow us to change and tidy ourselves up first, and we will come to serve you later."
Xue Tianlu, oblivious to the unusual atmosphere, still chuckled lightly, "Since you asked, how can I refuse? Go quickly."
Meng Qingci sat upright at the table, her eyes lowered and brows furrowed. She merely held the wine cup to her lips as if to sip, appearing completely calm. However, her heart was in turmoil because of Xue Tianlu's words. She thought: Could it be that Fu Heng had already seen through her scheme to make explosives? If he realized that it was all just a play she had orchestrated, given his obsessive and ruthless nature, he would definitely not let her go.
Thinking of this, Meng Qingci had no desire to continue dealing with everyone. She suddenly realized that Zhou Jichen's special thanks to her today were just a pretext; his real purpose was to use this opportunity to gather wealthy and powerful families from Fujian and Guangdong to pave the way for Fu Heng's grand scheme.
Her mind raced, and she immediately feigned drunkenness. Her wrist slipped, knocking over the wine pot on the table, and her chin nearly hit the edge. She struggled to her feet, her eyes unfocused and her steps unsteady. She bowed apologetically to the crowd and begged for forgiveness, saying, "I am truly unable to hold my liquor. If I continue to get drunk, I will surely be scolded by my wife when I get home. I hope you brothers will understand and allow me to take my leave now. I will apologize to you all another day."
Seeing that she was clearly drunk, and thinking that what happened next had nothing to do with her, Zhou Jichen jokingly scolded her, "You really need to work on your drinking capacity. I'll let you off the hook today, but don't even think about getting away with it next time."
Chen Junyan's eyes flickered slightly, and he asked in a slow voice with a half-smile, "Oh? Brother Jin is leaving already?"
Meng Qingci quickly hiccuped and said with a forced smile, "Seventh Brother, please forgive me. Next time... next time I'll treat you, and I'll definitely drink to my heart's content."
Chen Junyan smiled upon hearing this, and said in a gentle tone, "Since you say so, it is not appropriate for me, as your older brother, to insist that you stay. You should go back and rest quickly."
Everyone else's attention was not on Jin Yunnian; they thought it was good that he left, so they all offered a few words of concern and let him go.
Hongxiao was very perceptive and immediately stepped forward to help "Jin Yunnian" out the door.
After all the irrelevant people had left, leaving only a few key figures in the room, Chen Junyan, his previous casual demeanor replaced by a serious expression, slowly spoke: "How could you and I possibly know Lord Fu's thoughts, let alone military secrets? I am but a merchant, and all I know is that Lord Fu is the pillar of Fujian and Guangdong. Only with Lord Fu firmly in his high position can we enjoy peace. I also advise you all not to ask questions that are not your concern. Just focus on doing your job loyally, and Lord Fu will naturally not mistreat those who serve him faithfully."
He paused briefly, his tone growing serious, each word clear: "I'm sure everyone here is a sensible person. We've always been in the same boat. If the sky were to fall, that would be the truly life-threatening thing."
Xue Tianlu's face turned pale and then flushed, and he was extremely uneasy. He was the one who had started the conversation, and Master Chen's words were like a slap in the face, making him lose face in front of everyone, yet he dared not utter a single word in rebuttal.
He took a deep breath, picked up the wine pot, poured himself three cups, and raised the cup with a face full of shame: "I was impolite and should be punished with three cups of wine. If there is anything the Xue family can do for you in the future, please don't hesitate to ask. The Xue family is willing to serve the governor at the best of times and be his lackeys!"
Having been warned, the others were intimidated and raised their glasses in agreement: "We are all people of Fujian and Guangdong, and we should follow the Governor's lead!"
Seeing everyone's agreement, Master Chen finally showed a satisfied expression. Having achieved his goal, he gave Zhou Jichen a wink.
Zhou Jichen understood and immediately stood up to make arrangements: "It's a rare gathering today, we must drink until we drop! We can't let any of those students like Min desert at the last minute."
Upon hearing this, Xue Tianlu scoffed, his tone laced with sarcasm: "Jin Yunnian? He's nothing more than a son-in-law. It's only because you, Brother Zhou, have given him such high regard. Otherwise, how could he possibly be worthy of being called a brother by Seventh Master?"
Master Chen raised an eyebrow, seemingly suddenly intrigued: "Oh? What do you mean?"
Xue Tianlu thought he had found an opportunity to smear the other party, and his tone became somewhat indignant: "He's just a poor country bumpkin who only got married into the Cen family because he's good-looking and won the favor of Miss Cen. Who in Guangzhou doesn't know about this? He's a man who makes a living under a woman's thumb, what right does he have to sit at the same table with Seventh Master and call him brother? It's an insult to culture!"
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Author's Note: I've definitely reached the word count for this week, and I'll be updating more frequently later.
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