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Leaving the General's residence, Zhuo Zishi brought his mother back to their original home.
"Mom, you can stay here for now. When I have time, I'll arrange for you to move somewhere else," he said.
Zhuo Qi noticed something was off about her son's sneaky demeanor. "Have you done something to let down the General's household?"
Zhuo Zishi sighed, "Mom, don't worry. Lin General is not a good person at all; I just realized that today. You think I'm living well, but it's all because of others' kindness towards me!"
Zhuo Qi opened her mouth to say something but ultimately remained silent.
Before leaving, Zhuo Zishi called for a doctor for his mother. After confirming that she had no serious health issues and only needed some medicine to recuperate from exhaustion, he felt completely at ease. It seemed that Lin Manor had indeed helped his mother recover, which complicated his feelings.
Meanwhile, Jiang Han was fiddling with an abacus. Seeing the girl in front of him, he couldn't help but be surprised. "Why are you back so soon?"
This girl was another person from the shop. Initially, she had sold herself to bury her brother out of desperation for money, while also caring for a sick relative at home. Seeing her plight, Jiang Han had bought her to help manage the store.
Cen Ya'an had returned this time to seek medical help for her relative. "Thanks to Shopkeeper Jiang's care during this time, I've saved up enough money to find a really good doctor for my relative. She's quite healthy now and insists on coming to thank Shopkeeper Jiang."
Cen Ya'an looked at Jiang Han with admiration in her eyes. However, she then turned to glance at a girl who was helping with the accounts. This girl was graceful and carried herself with an air of elegance that set her apart from those like herself and Zhuo Zishi, who came from poorer backgrounds.
"Who is this Shopkeeper Jiang?" Cen Ya'an asked curiously.
Jiang Han said with a hint of apology, "I forgot to introduce you to each other. This is Yan Dong, who is here to help us with the accounts. From now on, you two can look out for each other."
Yan Dong assessed the other person. There was no hostility in her eyes, and she didn’t seem as secretive as Zhuo Zishi, so she lowered her guard.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, they both got busy with their tasks. Zhuo Zishi glanced at Cen Ya'an, her expression revealing some unspoken complexities.
Jiang Han found it quite amusing. "So, how's your fiancé doing?"
Zhuo Zishi gritted her teeth and replied, " Shopkeeper Jiang is as perceptive as ever. After my fiancé recovered from his illness, the Lin Manor began to treat him poorly, leaving him without proper care."
Jiang Han smirked and said, "But you still feel grateful to her for saving your fiancé's life, right?"
Zhuo Zishi looked slightly embarrassed, as if her thoughts had been exposed.
Jiang Han waved his hand dismissively. "As for the rest of it, you can handle that yourself; there's no room for you here anymore."
Seeing that Jiang Han was about to drive him away, he knelt on the ground. "It was Shopkeeper Jiang who alerted me this time; otherwise, my fiancé and I would be in grave danger. What does it matter if I saved his life? In the end, we are still treated like ants, easily crushed at any moment."
Jiang Han regarded him with interest. "If you want to stay, you can help me gather some information from Lin Qingyue. Once I have what I need, I’ll arrange a safe place for you and your fiancé—somewhere Lin Qingyue won’t find."
Jiang Han had already given him a way out; how he chose to proceed was entirely up to him.
At Langya Wangfu, he met with five Imperial Merchants in total. Only one expressed disinterest in such matters; he simply wanted to earn a living honestly. The other four had connections to the royal family and were eager to establish ties with Langya Wangfu. They shared much of what they knew with Langya Wang Heir Che Chengyun.
The status of these four merchants was neither high nor low; if they could connect with Langya Wangfu, it would undoubtedly elevate their future business prospects! Moreover, although merchants were considered the lowest class, Su Qianxue seemed inclined to raise their status in recent years. After all, there were already Imperial Merchants personally appointed by Su Qianxue—who knew? Perhaps one day they could be among those chosen as well!
With a bit of luck, one might even secure an official position within the court. Among them, a merchant named Wang Jin was particularly forthcoming with Che Chengyun.
"I know of a young lady of noble birth," he said, "but she doesn't seem like someone who would engage in such matters; however, she has indeed been involved in them."
He continued, "She has a close relationship with the Lingnan King, and it is said that they share a deep bond."
The Lingnan King’s reputation was well-known. It was also clear that he had a poor relationship with the Langya Prince. The two had nearly come to blows over territorial disputes in the past.
Upon reflection, this individual seemed to fit the description of what Che Chengyun was looking for. The Lingnan King certainly met the criteria, but did he truly have such a strong connection with the Empress? This matter required further investigation.
The feud between the Lingnan King and the Langya Prince stemmed from the previous emperor's reign. After losing his territory, the Lingnan King had become so enraged that he never returned to court. If one were to claim he had any ties with the current Empress, it would be hard to see how that could be true.
However, the Lingnan King commanded a considerable number of private soldiers, and given the recent strain on military resources at the borders, it was reasonable for Su Qianxue to mobilize troops from him.
It seemed that our Empress was quite adept at concealing her thoughts! If that were indeed the case, then Che Chengyun would need to ensure that his relative taught Su Qianxue a lesson. He had to find a way to make her understand that her stability on the throne was due to someone else's support.
In front of the Imperial Merchant, he did not voice these thoughts; instead, he smiled and said, "This news is quite beneficial for me."
"I heard you want to open a large fabric shop in the capital, specifically catering to noble patrons?"
Upon hearing this, the Imperial Merchant realized he had an opportunity! He had been planning this for many years, and with his connections to royalty, he could finally make it happen.
"Indeed," he replied eagerly. "You probably haven't seen my fabrics yet; I will have someone deliver several batches of fine materials for you to try shortly."
"If you think it's good, then it clearly means that once the shop opens, it will definitely be a hit! As for the compensation, I'll give you forty percent for helping me with the store setup!"
Che Chengyun lowered his head and took a sip of tea, savoring it carefully. "I want sixty percent."
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