Tianliangyuan

Chapter 91 Even Rough Men Have Tender Words

It has to be said that Xu Zhaozhao's guess was absolutely accurate!

Princess Zhong did indeed arrange for people to keep an eye on Jiang Ning.

Zhao Yue was born into a prominent family and was raised according to the standards of a high-ranking lady from a young age, so how could she not be familiar with the underhanded methods of the inner quarters?

The poisoning incident was due to Zhao Yue's overconfidence. She thought the inner quarters of the Prince Zhong's mansion were her domain, but unexpectedly, someone still managed to infiltrate them.

After this incident, Zhao Yue was naturally much more vigilant.

Zhao Yue sent people to secretly follow Prince Zhong, and she also had people take care of the attendants around Prince Zhong, so she naturally learned of Jiang Ning's existence.

Therefore, Princess Zhong has now linked her poisoning to Jiang Ning.

One was a noblewoman from the Zhao family and the wife of Prince Zhong; the other was the granddaughter of Grand Tutor Jiang and the niece of Consort Jiang.

Xu Zhaozhao was overjoyed and wanted to celebrate. With the Princess Consort of Zhong secretly causing trouble, she could focus more on her money-making path and avoid being distracted by Jiang Ning all the time.

In mid-November, the weather was already quite cold, and Xu Zhaozhao's Ziyuan Garden became the favorite place for the women of the mansion to go.

For example, my mother, my sister-in-law Zhang, and several of my sisters from the second wife all loved to come to Ziyuan to play.

Everyone either sat around the fireplace chatting, or Xu Zhaozhao arranged for them to gather around the fireplace to brew tea, and roast various fruits brought from Sichuan and Chongqing together. They lived a very comfortable life!

Xu Zhaozhao's weaving workshop was still in operation. As the weather grew colder, the business of the two cloth shops in the capital had become noticeably sluggish. Gao Da Kui, having received his master's order, directly took these coarse cloths to sell in some surrounding counties. For more than ten days in a row, the business was booming almost every day.

Xu Zhaozhao's main purpose in increasing production was to make it possible for ordinary people to afford cloth for the winter, even if they stuffed it with paper or reeds, it would still be better than nothing.

Dingxiang brought in a newly made set of winter clothes: "Miss, would you like to try this on? It's silk from Hangzhou, with soft silk wadding inside, but it's not particularly thick, so you certainly won't look bulky in it."

Xu Zhaozhao gestured for her to put it aside, showing no intention of trying on the new clothes.

Xu Zhaozhao couldn't help but marvel at the wisdom of the ancients.

She had thought she would be struggling to make ends meet here, and that she would have to stay indoors by the fire every day in the winter. Little did she know that the life of this true aristocrat was so luxurious.

Winter clothes padded with silk are soft and warm. Adding a fur cloak on top not only blocks the wind but also doubles the warmth.

And those few cloaks embroidered with various patterns, even the worst one was stuffed with cotton. Compared to ordinary people, their lives were simply blissful.

Therefore, Xu Zhaozhao couldn't understand why Jiang Ning and Sun Qian, who were on such a good day, still had to cause trouble.

"Miss, there is a letter from Jizhou."

A look of joy flashed across Xu Zhaozhao's face. The only way the letter from Jizhou could have been delivered to her was by Xie Zheng.

"Miss, besides the letter, there are these two boxes as well."

Xu Zhaozhao nodded and opened the letter first.

Last month, Xie Zheng launched a surprise attack on the foreign tribes outside the pass, covering dozens of miles in a single march, achieving remarkable results.

In addition to bringing back hundreds of slaves, a large amount of spoils of war were also seized.

"I recently killed a member of a foreign royal family and obtained a dagger, which was inlaid with various gems and was dazzling. It is not appropriate for me to use this on the battlefield to kill the enemy. It is too extravagant and may easily demoralize the troops. However, I found that its blade is sharp and can be used for self-defense and self-defense, as well as for appreciation and competition. I have specially ordered someone to send it to the capital. I only wish that Zhaozhao is safe and happy, and then my heart will be at peace."

Xu Zhaozhao couldn't help but smile. She hadn't expected that Xie Zheng would actually capture such a beautiful dagger and even send it to the capital.

This person must be thinking of me.

Xu Zhaozhao was delighted, but after noticing Dingxiang and the other girl snickering, she composed herself, cleared her throat, and put on a stern face.

Her cheeks were flushed, and even the roots of her ears were somewhat alluring. This affected manner made her seem exceptionally charming.

"Open the box."

"Yes, ma'am."

Zisu was ordered to open the boxes. One of the boxes was full of jewels and gold and silver, and the top was wrapped in a piece of red silk. When opened, it contained the gemstone dagger that Xie Zheng had mentioned in his letter.

"Truly exquisite!"

Xu Zhaozhao felt that the item she received was quite substantial.

The piece is inlaid with dozens of gemstones of various sizes, making it extremely eye-catching.

Xu Zhaozhao drew the dagger, pointed at it with her fingertip, and found that the blade was indeed very sharp; it was a fine weapon.

"Sort this box of gems. After sifting the pearls, separate the medium-quality ones into two boxes. I'll send some to the old lady and my second aunt."

"Yes, ma'am."

Xu Zhaozhao then ordered people to select some gemstones of medium quality and have them made into jewelry, which she could then use as gifts.

As for those of slightly lower quality, they can still be processed into jewelry, which can then be used as rewards or as gifts for unimportant people.

Two large boxes were carried into the Purple Garden. Those who heard the news didn't think much of it, assuming that money had been sent to Xu Zhaozhao again. After all, such things happened frequently, and the entire Hou family was used to it.

Xu Lin was wiping away tears at the old lady's side, looking distressed.

"Mother, my life is so hard! There's still no definite answer about Huaizhi's matter, and I can't stop taking Qian'er's medicine. Now I even have to carefully calculate whether I have enough money to buy a bowl of bird's nest!"

This statement is obviously an exaggeration; her current behavior is simply an attempt to gain some benefits.

For her, money is the most practical thing right now.

Of course, she didn't dare to go too far, so she only complained about being poor in front of the old lady. Sun Huaizhi's job still depended on his two elder brothers, so she didn't dare to be disrespectful to her two sisters-in-law.

The old lady only had this one daughter, so naturally she doted on her.

"There are no outsiders here, only my daughter and I. Let me ask you, how did the Sun family squander all of your generous dowry?"

Xu Lin froze, then said with dissatisfaction, "Mother, what do you mean? Don't I need to eat and use things myself? And Huai Zhi and Qian'er, which one of them doesn't need money? Are the two children just going to live off the Sun family's meager wealth? Wouldn't my children be pitiful then?"

The old lady felt a pang of pain in her heart from her rebuke. How could her daughter still not be able to distinguish right from wrong?

"I only ask you, how much of your dowry do you have left? When Huaizhi gets married, how much of the betrothal gifts will the Sun family be able to provide? And how much will you need to contribute yourself? Given Qian'er's current condition, if she wants to live a worry-free life for the rest of her life, she will need even more money. Have you made any plans for these things?"

Xu Lin was stunned; she really hadn't thought about these things.

However, after the old lady's reminder, Xu Lin's mind started working quickly.

"Mother, that's why I've come to you for help. Please just say the word and let Zhaozhao help her aunt too!"