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墨書 Inktalez
Knowing oneself and knowing the enemy leads to victory in every battle. Therefore, Qing Luan had gathered information about Prime Minister Huang's connections and grievances with the Zhou family, pondering how to find a formidable opponent for him.
She was a merchant; her focus was on business, not on political affairs. If she could bring down Prime Minister Huang, that would be excellent; otherwise, she would have to wait until Zhao Yun grew up.
Since returning, she had kept Zhao Yun at Bai Lu Academy, instructing him not to get involved in these matters and to keep their acquaintance a secret. This way, she could retain a trump card.
Zhao Yun had once said that the grudge of losing one’s family must be avenged personally. Thus, she could only take small steps to dismantle their outer forces. However, confronting Prime Minister Huang head-on with her current abilities would be unwise; it was better to play slowly and find some enjoyment in the process.
"Miss, four years ago, after you defeated the Zheng Family, the Huang Family's troubles began," A-Song summarized after reviewing the information gathered from the flames. "Prime Minister Huang holds a significant position and wields great power, but his income is limited. The Zheng Family was his main source of revenue back then, so now he is constrained by the Zhou family."
"The Zhou family?" Qing Luan asked, somewhat confused. "Why is that? No matter how high-ranking the Zhou family is, they can't surpass the Prime Minister!"
"Heh heh, Miss, have you forgotten? When you helped Hu Ye resolve his issues with Qian Ming, do you remember who the Imperial Merchant was back then?" A-Song recalled this incident clearly since he had been working closely with Hu Ye.
"Oh, so the Zhou family has the support of an Imperial Merchant!" Qing Luan nodded in realization. "No wonder Prime Minister Huang, such an arrogant person, sent his granddaughter away; it turns out he was short on money!" She hadn't expected that her moment of anger back then had severed one of Prime Minister Huang's arms—what a relief.
"This world claims merchants are lowly, yet in the end, everything relies on money. Heh heh, with those people's salaries, they probably can't even support themselves!" Sister Yun sneered from the side, her tone dripping with disdain.
"That's self-deception," Qing Luan replied while looking over the materials A-Song had provided.
While Qing Luan remained at ease, Prime Minister Huang was nearly driven mad as he pressured Gui Mama to find someone, leaving her feeling distressed.
"Madam, I've checked everyone who followed that day and found no one resembling Chen Qingluan," Gui Mama reported cautiously. Seeing the change in her mistress's expression, she hurriedly added, "Except for those who delivered gifts from Jade Pavilion that day!" She genuinely feared her mistress might throw a teacup at her; her forehead injury hadn’t healed yet.
"Jade Pavilion?" murmured Qing Luan softly as she raised her head to glare at Gui Mama. "Make sure to investigate thoroughly; we must get to the bottom of this." It seemed that place was specifically set against her—Chen Qingyuan had gone missing there; Yan'er had also encountered trouble while buying jewelry from Jade Pavilion. If Chen Qingluan truly was involved with Jade Pavilion as well, then if there were no ulterior motives there, she would never believe it even if it cost her life.
To let those with intent find her, Qing Luan donned the attire of the Jade Pavilion and stood inside, assisting customers in selecting jewelry. These items were originally crafted based on her designs, which made the young ladies and madams delighted, boosting business even further.
"Ah, it's such a pity that your young lady is a Boss," Sister Yun remarked, watching the figure below who was thriving in her role.
Qin'er felt a wave of annoyance wash over her. What did Sister Yun mean by that? Did she think it was a waste for the young lady to be a Boss, while selling jewelry was not? In Qin'er's mind, it was truly a pity for the young lady to be merely a Merchant's Daughter. She couldn't help but wonder what kind of man the young lady would end up with; it filled her with both anticipation and anxiety.
"What are you thinking about?" Sister Yun asked, noticing Qin'er’s silence. When she turned to see Qin'er's expression, which clearly hinted at some scheme, she couldn't help but be curious.
"Nothing," Qin'er replied coldly, snapping back to reality at Sister Yun's question. Hmph, the young lady was indeed the Boss but was doing menial work while Sister Yun enjoyed herself. Just looking at it made her angry.
"The little girl has quite the temper," Sister Yun said lazily, not wanting to argue further. She turned and swayed her hips as she descended the stairs seductively.
"Not afraid of straining your waist," Qin'er muttered under her breath as she followed behind.
That day, Qing Luan busied herself in the Jade Pavilion just like the previous days when troublemakers came looking for her.
"Madam, look, it's her," Gui Mama said after identifying someone who closely resembled Fourth Miss and promptly brought her Madam over.
Huang stood frozen as she gazed at the gentle smile of the girl across from her. "She..." Just as she was about to ask something, a voice from beside her left her stunned.
"Qing Luan, Miss Lin's dress is ready; let her try it on!" The girl passing by Huang said with a soft smile.
"Sure," Qing Luan responded brightly, fully aware that Huang had entered. She then turned to Miss Lin and said, "The master has finished making the dress. Miss should try it on; if anything is amiss, we can fix it right away so as not to delay Miss's time for the banquet!"
"Mm!" Miss Lin appeared somewhat aloof, her expression cool and distant.
Qing Luan completely disregarded these matters; as long as someone was willing to spend money to buy things, it didn't matter what their temperament was. For the sake of money, she could even make them cry.
Huang snapped out of her initial shock. Seeing that the person in front of her not only looked like her but also had the same name, and with so many people around, she realized it wasn't a ghost. Suppressing her anger, she led the crowd over.
"Stop!" After approaching, Huang thought that seeing her would at least frighten or humble her. However, she was taken aback when Qing Luan acted as if no one was there and tried to pass by her. Huang squinted and shouted angrily.
The Jade Pavilion was frequented by people of status and importance. Those patrons valued their manners highly, speaking softly and politely. Moreover, since there were snacks and meals available on the upper floor of the Jade Pavilion, most people would invite a few peers to dine and chat after shopping. Thus, despite the quiet atmosphere of the Jade Pavilion, it was still quite populated.
Huang's shout startled a large number of people. The young ladies who had come with their maids sent someone to investigate.
"Madam, is there something you need?" Qing Luan feigned ignorance and asked with a puzzled expression.
"Chen Qingluan, what are you pretending for?" Recognizing that this was the person she had been searching for, Huang recalled the series of events that had transpired and realized she had been set up by her. She also understood that Qing Luan had ruined Yan'er's chance at happiness for life; the hatred on her face was impossible to conceal.
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