Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
The two were chatting in the room when they heard Qiao'er come in to report that Sun Liuxiang had arrived.
Upon hearing this, Xia Yuhan smiled gently and said, “Qiao'er, please invite Sister Liu Xiang in!”
Second Madam knew that Sun Liuxiang was not a good person, and she was unaware that Sun Liuxiang had already allied with Xia Yuhan.
She worried that Xia Yuhan might be at a disadvantage and quickly said, “Yu Han, I fear that Sun Liuxiang does not come with good intentions. We should be cautious!”
“Mother, Yu Han understands. You can rest assured. You just returned from outside and must be tired; why not take a break?”
Second Madam still hesitated, “But… but Yu Han, you must be careful…”
Before Second Madam could finish her sentence, Sun Liuxiang walked in with a bright smile, greeted by Qiao'er: “Sister, you’ve been unconscious for several days. You look much better now; you must be almost fully recovered! Oh, Second Madam is here too; greetings to you, Second Madam!”
Second Madam wore an unnatural smile, fearing that Sun Liuxiang was here to cause trouble again: “Hello, Miss Liu Xiang!”
Xia Yuhan smiled sweetly: “Thank you for your concern, Sister! I’ve rested for a few days and feel much better! Please have a seat, Qiao'er, why don’t you prepare some tea for Sister Liu Xiang?”
“No need to be polite, Sister! Today I brought some excellent medicine for your scars. You must use it well because it will ensure that no scars remain on your body in the future.”
“In that case, I will accept this kind gesture from you, Sister!”
The two continued their conversation casually for a while.
Overall, this was unexpected for Second Madam. Unlike usual, where Sun Liuxiang would provoke right away upon meeting, she instead spoke warmly and affectionately this time. This eased her worries; after all, having one less enemy in Xia Manor was a good thing: “Yu Han, you two take your time chatting. I still have some things to finish! I need to get them done early today and also prepare some dishes in the kitchen.”
“Alright, thank you, Mother!”
In the meantime, Qiao'er brought over several cups of tea and gently placed them on the table.
Seeing that Second Madam was about to leave, Sun Liuxiang quickly praised her: “Not only is Second Madam talented and virtuous, but she is also so kind and gentle. It’s truly rare to find someone like you. Please take care on your way out; let me see you off!”
"There's no need to be so polite, you can continue your conversation."
The Second Madam left Xia Yuhan's room with an extremely unnatural expression.
After the Second Madam left, Xia Yuhan picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip, only to wrinkle her brow in displeasure. She turned to Qiao'er, who was standing to the side, and scolded, "Qiao'er, what kind of tea is this? Such poor quality tea is being served to Sister Liu Xiang? What kind of manners are these?"
Qiao'er felt incredibly wronged and looked very aggrieved. "Second Sister, forgive me. This is the best tea in your room. The good tea that was left over last time was used to entertain the aunt from the palace..."
"Impudent!" Before Qiao'er could finish, Xia Yuhan sharply reprimanded her. "If there’s no good tea, can’t you go to the storeroom to get some?"
"Second Sister, the key to the storeroom has always been with Madam. Madam only gives me these every month, and I dare not disobey Madam's orders..."
"How dare you! Qiao'er, your master is me, Xia Yuhan, not Madam! Just because Madam tells you to do something, does that mean you do it without question? If you’re afraid to disobey Madam's orders, does that mean you can disobey my orders? What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and go to the storeroom to get some good tea to serve Sister Liu Xiang!"
"Yes, yes, Qiao'er will go right away!"
At this moment, Xia Yuhan exuded an undeniable aura that intimidated Qiao'er into nodding repeatedly as she hurriedly retreated.
After Qiao'er left, Sun Liuxiang asked in confusion, "Sister, why make things difficult for a maid? The storeroom has always been managed by Madam. If Madam doesn’t want to give it to you, the maid can’t do anything about it. If you have pent-up frustration with nowhere to vent it, feel free to take it out on me."
Throughout this exchange, Sun Liuxiang's tone had become increasingly submissive! Perhaps realizing that Xia Yuhan had repeatedly escaped danger successfully, she must have thought there was nothing she couldn't do now?
"Sister may not know; I did this just to send Qiao'er away without her realizing I was doing so."
Although Sun Liuxiang was quite scheming, she was also straightforward: "Sister sees that I even have to guard against my own servants; life is truly exhausting! I heard that Qiao'er was personally chosen by Madam to be your maid."
"It’s precisely because of this that Yu Han cannot refuse! Alright sister, now that we’re alone, let’s get back on track! How did that matter I asked you to handle last time go?"
Upon hearing this, Sun Liuxiang tensed up and moved a little closer to Xia Yuhan. "Sister, I had someone secretly investigate. All the land rents in Xia Manor are managed by Madam. However, those tenants are extremely dissatisfied privately; they are full of complaints! And guess what I found out during my investigation?"
"Sister, what have you found out? Why are you being so mysterious?" Xia Yuhan asked in confusion, secretly thinking that it was the right choice to pull someone in back then; at least both of them knew what they wanted.
Perhaps because this matter was too mysterious or involved too much, Sun Liuxiang looked around to ensure no one was eavesdropping before lowering her voice and cautiously said, "Madam has opened several restaurants in the capital behind General Xia's back. These restaurants practically monopolize the entire capital."
"Oh? Is there such a thing? If these restaurants are under Madam's name, she wouldn't be able to keep it completely quiet!"
"You don't know, sister. These restaurants are not under Madam's name but under the name of a local wealthy merchant—Jia Gu. If it weren't for someone in your household having a good relationship with Jia Gu, we wouldn't have known about this."
Xia Yuhan couldn't help but exclaim, "That's quite a clever move! Choosing a wealthy merchant proves that this person has the ability to run a restaurant, and using a wealthy merchant's name means that Madam can easily control him. Therefore, she wouldn't worry about him revealing anything about the restaurants."
"What are you planning to do, sister?"
Xia Yuhan took a sip of tea and countered with a question, "Do you want half of the restaurants in the capital?"
Sun Liuxiang's heart skipped a beat; after all, this was something she wouldn't even dare to think about. If she had half of the restaurants, she would be either rich or noble—wouldn't she have no trouble marrying into a good family?
However, dreaming like this wasn't Sun Liuxiang's style; she preferred tangible things: "Sister, isn't that a bit exaggerated?"
It was clear that Sun Liuxiang felt guilty. Xia Yuhan and Xia Wan'er smiled: "Sister is just asking if you want it. If you do, then I will naturally plan it out with you! If not, then I will have to give up this piece of meat on the plate."
Xia Yuhan's words could be said to be infuriating yet true.
Who wouldn't want these restaurants? But the key was whether they could afford them!
"Since you're so confident, why not tell me what good strategies you have?"
"This matter must not be leaked!"
Sun Liuxiang intended to continue asking questions, but at that moment Qiao'er hurried in with an excited expression: "Second Sister! Second Sister! I went to the storeroom to fetch tea and thought I would only get some inferior tea leaves. I didn't expect that not only did I bring back high-quality tea leaves, but I also got several bolts of fine fabric for you to make clothes!"
In response, Xia Yuhan expressed her surprise. She had only intended to use the opportunity to distract Qiao'er, but she didn't expect to actually bring something back from the storeroom!
Was this person really that snobbish?
"Qiao'er, did you encounter anyone on your way to the storeroom?"
Qiao'er replied with a smile, "Yes, I did meet someone—General Xia..."
After that, Xia Yuhan didn't hear another word. She was only thinking about why General Xia suddenly seemed to care about her. Was it due to external pressures, or was it genuine concern for her?
Sun Liuxiang noticed that General Xia was concerned about Xia Yuhan and couldn't help but feel happy as well. After all, everyone hopes that the person they are attached to has significant power behind them. "Sister, this is a good thing. Why do you still look so worried?"
Xia Yuhan glanced back awkwardly. "Hehe, maybe I just feel a bit tired and want to take a nap?"
"You haven't fully recovered yet; it's better for you to rest more in bed. Since you're tired now, I'll come to see you another day."
"Okay, sister, please take care on your way back. Qiao'er will see you off."
Qiao'er obediently responded, "Yes, Second Sister!"
...
In the Azure Dragon Kingdom, at the Right Minister's Residence.
The steward watched as his master stood in the courtyard staring blankly at a string of red flowers and felt a bit frustrated. Following Jiang Tingyu, he absentmindedly picked a flower with many petals and began counting them one by one.
Jiang Tingyu noticed and turned around to scold him, "Jiang, how can you be so cruel to living things?"
The steward continued counting the petals with a frown. "I was just trying to guess your mood at this moment—whether it's good or bad."
"Ha!"
Jiang Tingyu was instantly amused by the butler: "Jiang, do you think counting petals can reveal my mood?"
"Of course I know! I not only know that you are in a bad mood, but also that you are worried about that Xia Yuhan."
"My lord, what’s so great about Xia Yuhan? Everyone is revolving around her. First it was Longhui Prince, now it's Prince Yile, and you too!"
Jiang Tingyu's tone became stiff: "Jiang, why are you still being so childish?"
"My lord, am I not standing up for you? You are working hard worrying about Xia Yuhan, and she—Xia Yuhan—first thanked Prince Yile, and she hasn’t even decided whether to thank you yet!"
At this point, the butler paused, as if realizing something, blinking his eyes at Jiang Tingyu: "My lord?"
He elegantly responded: "Hmm? What is it?"
"Have you fallen for Xia Yuhan? Is that why you care so much about her?"
Jiang Tingyu: ...
Comment 0 Comment Count