Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 292 Misunderstanding deepens
As one of the four major families in Jinling, the Xue family does not have much business in Suzhou. Apart from the Feng-branded silver shops that are almost everywhere in Jiangnan, they also have one of the most famous teahouses in Suzhou, Cuihuaxuan.

The Xue family's current business depends on Yue Ling, and has gradually shifted from the initial silver shops and pawnshops to grain and salt, and the focus of their business has gradually shifted northward.

Most of the old shops in the Jiangnan area are managed by the old managers of the Xue family over the years.

Without the pillar of the Xue family, the widow and orphan were bound to be looked down upon. What's more, the only male in the family, Xue Baochai's brother Xue Pan, was a piece of useless person who didn't care about business matters and only wanted to play cockfighting and horse riding all day long. Many shops in the Xue family were taken advantage of by the shopkeeper.

The accounts presented over the years have become increasingly uglier. Almost every business is losing money, and the Xue family is only able to maintain its dignity by making a profit at a loss.

If Xue Baochai had not focused all her energy on expanding trade routes in the north, she would have wanted to go to the south of the Yangtze River to conduct an investigation long ago.

Before, she did not have such great authority in the family, but now, relying on the good wind, she can call the shots within the Xue family.

The old shopkeepers of the Xue family all knew that the Feng brand was now showing signs of revival, all due to the continuous efforts of this eldest daughter, and no one could underestimate her as a girl anymore.

Although her current life was too peaceful and smooth, Xue Baochai clearly understood how she got everything she had now, so she did not stay idle at home, but went out early in the morning. Even if Yue Ling had no errands, she would try her best to do something to help Yue Ling.

After riding in the sedan for about an hour, Xue Baochai arrived at the market town in Wu county. The street was prosperous and populated, comparable to Ningrong Street in the capital.

There were rows of shops on both sides of the road, each with its flags filled with goods, and countless merchants coming and going.

Among them, the three-story building with blue-gray tiles is Cuihuaxuan.

There is a constant flow of people coming and going in front of the door, and it is very lively.

Xue Baochai lifted the curtain of the sedan chair and took a look, then said to Xiangling, "Let's go to the backyard first. Don't tell me who I am. Go upstairs and wait for a while."

"Okay, girl."

As an unmarried girl, Xue Baochai was not suitable to show her face in front of the main entrance, so she sent Xiangling to open a tea room first.

Teahouses have always been a place where people go to chat after meals, and it is also the place where news is most spread.

Today, the tea drinkers at every table in the teahouse hall were discussing what happened at the Canglang Gathering yesterday.

"Did you know that the weather in Suzhou changed yesterday?"

A man asked mysteriously to the people at the table.

"How could I not know? This matter has spread. Marquis Anjing suddenly turned hostile at Canglang Pavilion and arrested Lord Qian, Master Zhen, and Master Xu. As a result, many people were implicated and imprisoned. Now in Suzhou City, Marquis Anjing is the boss. He is really a powerful man."

"Of course everyone knows this. What I want to tell you is the inside story. My third uncle's cousin's brother-in-law's neighbor's brother-in-law went to the Canglang Elegant Gathering. He saw with his own eyes that the Marquis Anjing who came by boat was someone Marquis Anjing hired to impersonate him, and the real Marquis Anjing has been in Suzhou for more than a month."

Hearing this, everyone took a deep breath, "There is such a thing? What about the disaster relief before?"

"Yes, it's all the work of Marquis An Jing."

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, shocked by the news.

Seeing everyone's surprised expressions, the person who released the news was satisfied and comfortable, as if it was more comfortable than drinking a cup of warm tea. He was really pretending to be a big shot.

Then, he continued: "Don't talk about this, I know more secret information."

He drummed the table with his fingers and put on a rather proud look. People around him immediately understood what he meant and knew that they had to offer him tea to hear his words.

"Boss, another pot of tea, the best Longjing tea, and two plates of snacks."

"Okay, wait a moment."

Everyone around gathered around and listened to the man continue to talk nonsense: "My second uncle's cousin's wife's good friend's brother-in-law works in the government office. He just saw the prefect yesterday and left the government office in a daze."

"Is this also related to Marquis Anjing?"

The man slammed the table and said, "Of course, you don't know that the Prime Minister no longer has an official hat on his head!"

Everyone was puzzled. Logically, the Prime Minister was also in Canglang Pavilion. If he was involved in some major case, he should have been arrested together with the earlier group of people. But why was he only taken off his hat and robes? It was really strange.

Everyone pondered for a long while before asking, "What happened? Did the Prime Minister offend the Marquis?"

The man nodded, "Of course I am offended, and deeply offended."

Looking around, he continued, "Even people walking around the streets of the capital know what the Marquis likes. The Xu family also knows it, and spent 30,000 taels of silver to buy the small opera troupe from Changzhou just to present it to the Marquis. Those little girls are so pretty. Have you ever heard that their cheeks are so pretty that water will come out if you pinch them?"

"Your Excellency is not satisfied with this?"

"It's not that I'm dissatisfied, it's just that the offering from the Prime Minister didn't satisfy the Marquis' appetite."

When everyone heard this, their mouths suddenly became dry and they couldn't help but drink a few more sips of tea.

"My Lord is so powerful?"

"Of course, the Marquis is a man who took the head of the Northern Barbarian Khan among thousands of soldiers. There is more to it than that. Have you heard of it, Censor Lin?"

"Lord Lin, the Imperial Censor of the Lianghuai Salt Inspection, who hasn't heard of this? Who in the Jianghuai area wouldn't give them a wide berth? Those salt soldiers are very fierce, much more ferocious than the inspectors."

"It's him, his beloved daughter, who is now accompanying Marquis Anjing. Yesterday, Marquis Anjing was furious because she won the first place in poetry and the others did not allow it. Moreover, this girl is not even of marriageable age yet."

"Just because of this matter, you arrested Mr. Qian and his men. Isn't that right?"

"Maybe he was testing whether Lord Qian and his men would do things according to Marquis Anjing's wishes. Otherwise, why would he send someone to Suzhou in disguise while Marquis Anjing was hiding in the dark and doing his work?"

Everyone thought this made sense and nodded silently.

The old woman who had been listening on the side squeezed in and asked, "Is it true that the Marquis of Anjing who came by boat was a fake?"

"Of course it's true. When the Marquis entered Canglang Pavilion, he had an argument with many students and answered the first question at the entrance. Many people saw it. But at that time, they didn't know that the man was Marquis Anjing. He used the name of Liu Xianglian, a descendant of the Duke of Liguo in the capital."

"Liu Xianglian?" Upon hearing these words, the old woman's mind was suddenly struck by thunder and she was stunned on the spot.

"Guests, the snacks are here. Drink more tea while you eat to moisten your throat."

The teahouse was bustling with noise, and a young girl came to the counter. She was outstanding in appearance, with a rouge mole on her forehead, which was very eye-catching.

"Boss, please open a tea room on the second floor. I want some strong and fragrant black tea, and some cakes. Boss, please bring them all over."

When the shopkeeper heard the visitor say that he would deliver it himself, he raised his eyes and looked at it carefully.

The shopkeeper wanted to deliver it personally probably because he wanted to gather some information, and selling information was definitely more profitable than selling tea, and it didn't have to be recorded in the accounts. The shopkeeper of Cuihuaxuan could become extremely wealthy because of this profit.

Looking at the little girl's attire, one could tell that she was a maid from a wealthy family. Her appearance was extremely outstanding, so the shopkeeper did not dare to neglect her and immediately responded to her request.

"Okay, okay, the guest will wait in the tea room. I will serve the tea, and the fee will be quite high. If the young master in the family is stingy with money, you can find a waiter to do it."

Xiangling took out a hundred-liang banknote from her sleeve and placed it on the counter.

The shopkeeper's face lit up with joy, knowing that the man was an expert, and he said hurriedly, "Okay, dear guest, please wait a moment. I will go and make some tea."

As soon as Xiangling left, she was noticed by an old woman who squeezed out from the crowd behind her.

"Yinglian?"

The old woman hurriedly pulled out the waiter who was serving tea and asked, "Which teahouse was that girl in?"

……

"Excuse me for waiting, dear guest. I want the good strong tea you requested."

As soon as the owner of Cuihuaxuan entered the door, he stood behind the screen that spanned the tea room. He would not move forward rashly without any response.

After all, no one who came to inquire about the news was willing to reveal their true appearance. Then, a little maid came out from behind the screen and took the brocade plate from the shopkeeper. This little maid looked different from the one just now, and she looked familiar.

A businessman has to meet a thousand customers a day. Maybe he has met this person before, but the shopkeeper can no longer remember who he was.

"Manager Cheng, your tea is really not cheap. A pot of Mingqian tea shouldn't cost more than 100 taels, right?"

The shopkeeper who was standing outside felt a chill in his heart as he heard a female voice, which was very cold and the questioning tone was somewhat intimidating.

"In our small shop, we never bargain. If you really think it's too expensive, you might as well ask a question first. If you can't answer, you can return the money to the customer as a reward for your hard work."

Xue Baochai waved from inside, and Xiangling stepped forward and led the shopkeeper in.

On the table was the accounts recently submitted by Cuihuaxuan. Xue Baochai was marking them with a pen, and then she looked up at the shopkeeper who had a horrified look on his face.

"After all, it's one hundred taels. I really need to ask Manager Cheng why Cuihuaxuan's tea is sold at such a high price, but why is it still in the red on the books and why does the bank need to transfer money?"

"This, this, this..."

The shopkeeper had already recognized Xue Baochai, sweat broke out on his forehead, and he knelt down and said, "Miss, I have betrayed the madam's trust, I deserve to die..."

Xue Baochai still had a cold expression on her face and said, "When the Xue family was in the most critical period, you withstood the pressure in various places, maintained the Xue family's business, and did not cut off our income. You are also a favor. But if you are like this, taking credit for yourself and breaking the rules of the Xue family, the Xue family will not tolerate people like you."

"Otherwise, take the money and go back to enjoy your retirement. I will leave this teahouse to someone else to manage."

The shopkeeper wept and kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "I hope Miss will show mercy and give me a chance to reform myself."

Xue Baochai sighed softly, "Manager Cheng, please stand up and answer first. Logically, you are all my uncles, so I can't embarrass you. But you should also know who the Xue family is working for now, and we can't tolerate any sand in our eyes."

"It's fine for the Xue family, but if you continue to do such things under the banner of Marquis Anjing, don't blame me for not recognizing our friendship."

"No, no, I dare not. I will definitely make up for the accounts after today and will not hide anything anymore."

Ying'er raised her head and gestured, and then a chair was placed in front of the table for the shopkeeper to sit on.

"If I had known that the young lady was coming to Suzhou, I would have treated her well. Now I feel ashamed to let the young lady see me like this."

Xue Baochai shook her head and said, "When working for the Marquis, business in the capital is secondary. Now the Marquis has something to do, how much do you know about the Xu family's situation?"

"Xu family?"

The shopkeeper thought for a moment and said, "The Xu family in Suzhou is more impressive than our Xue family in Nanjing. When their children travel, even soldiers have to give way to their carriages."

"The Xu family is one of the Zhejiang merchants. In the early years, they made their fortune by smuggling at sea. The previous emperor went south and helped their family, and they successfully squeezed into the officialdom. After operating in the officialdom for many years, they got in touch with the Weaving Bureau and turned to the silk weaving business."

"I have heard a little about the issue of replacing rice with mulberry. Hangzhou did a good job in the beginning, and then they wanted to follow suit in Suzhou."

"If we talk about the backers behind them, there may be no official in the whole Jiangsu and Zhejiang who has not received money from him. Many important officials in the court may have received brocade and silk."

"My Lord, have you made up your mind to investigate the Xu family? That would require uprooting the entire Jiangsu and Zhejiang officialdom, which would be quite difficult..."

Xue Baochai nodded, then shook her head, "As long as the Marquis wants to do it, there is nothing he can't do. During this period of time, send people to keep an eye on the movements in the city, especially the Chamber of Commerce. Suzhou City's finances are not good right now, and it is possible that someone will have evil intentions again."

While the two were talking, someone knocked on the door.

Xue Baochai frowned, and Shopkeeper Cheng said hurriedly, "I didn't know it was Miss before I entered the door. Now maybe someone has walked in by mistake. I'll open the door."

As he spoke, the shopkeeper came to the door, pulled the bolt, and asked, "What's going on?"

An old woman stood at the door and poked her head into the room and asked, "Yinglian, are you in there?"

Xiangling, who had always been standing beside Xue Baochai, trembled, and an inexplicable emotion rose in her eyes.

Xue Baochai nodded, and had the old woman brought in and sat down in the seat where the shopkeeper had sat.

"You go down first."

The shopkeeper nodded, and whispered to Ying'er beside him, "I didn't know that the young lady was here before. There is a third floor in this elegant pavilion, which is better decorated. Let the young lady sit on the third floor later."

Ying'er nodded in agreement.

The old woman sat opposite the table and was also confused when she saw Xiangling standing obediently beside Xue Baochai.

If Liu Xianglian is the Marquis of Anjing, then Xiangling must be at least his concubine. Why does she act like a maid next to this girl?

"Yinglian, I am your aunt, don't you recognize me? Your uncle and cousin have been arrested by the government. Since you have a past with Marquis Anjing, can you please speak for your uncle and cousin? I really can't live without them."

Originally, Xiangling's aunt looked younger and prettier than Xiangling's mother, and her skin was well maintained. But today, when she saw her aunt again, her hair had turned gray and she looked a dozen years older than before.

For a woman, it was indeed a big blow to find her husband and son imprisoned.

In the case of Xue Baochai, empathy exists, but reason still prevails.

"This lady, Xiangling, also known as Yinglian, was abducted by a kidnapper and later bought by my Xue family. At first, she was intended to marry my good-for-nothing brother and become his concubine, but later the Marquis took pity on her life and brought her all the way to Suzhou to find her relatives."

Xue Baochai first answered the doubts that flashed across the lady's eyes, and then continued, "So, Xiangling has little affection for the Marquis. Do you think that a person without a name can have weight in front of a banished immortal like the Marquis?"

"Besides, you must know what your husband and son have done. Since they have committed crimes, they must be dealt with according to the law. There is no mercy in that."

"Xiang Ling is already of low rank and has little influence. Don't let your family's affairs make her even more embarrassed in front of the Marquis. The Marquis will not tolerate any sand in his eyes."

Xue Baochai's words directly shut up Feng, who was about to cry.

Seeing Xue Baochai's outstanding appearance and bearing again, her arrogance naturally lowered a few points, "Are you from the Xue family in Jinling?"

Xue Baochai nodded, "That's right. The Xue family works for the Marquis and knows his temper best. If you want to have room for maneuver, I will show you a way."

Feng was overjoyed, as she had no idea where to go. If the Xue family was really willing to help, it would be a good thing.

"Please Miss Xue, please give me some advice. I will definitely remember your kindness."

Xue Baochai said bluntly: "In front of the Marquis, you have no choice but to confess your guilt. If your son is not yet an adult, he must not be deeply involved in the crime and may not be implicated in a serious crime. Only if your husband confesses his guilt and takes responsibility, and does not hide anything from the Marquis, can your family's incense continue."

"Also, you must turn over all the illegal gains in your home to the government to show your sincerity in admitting your guilt. Otherwise, you will have to live alone in the future."

Feng was stunned. What kind of solution was this? Wouldn't it still mean the family would be destroyed?

Xue Baochai saw through her doubts and said, "If you act this way, you will still have a son to look forward to in the rest of your life. If you don't, you will lose both your son and your money. Make your choice."

"If you have made up your mind, you can come to Fengqiao Inn to find me. Ying'er will see you off."

After Feng left, wiping her tears, Xiangling came back to her senses, bowed and said, "I have caused trouble to you again."

Xue Baochai shook her head and said, "It's not a big deal. This woman doesn't look like someone who is easy to get along with. She's your relative, but she's totally different from you. I don't know what you're thinking, but I'm saying this for your own good. If you ask the Marquis for mercy, he'll just think you can't tell right from wrong."

Xiangling lowered her head and said, "Thank you, young lady. I understand. They didn't do anything good."

Xue Baochai stroked Xiangling's head, feeling relieved. "I hope you don't blame me for taking the initiative. If they can confess, it will be a circumstantial evidence for the Marquis's trial. Then you will be considered to have made a contribution, and you can ask the Marquis for some benefits in the room."

Xiangling's cheeks flushed slightly and she stammered, not knowing how to respond.

Xue Baochai breathed a sigh of relief. "It seems that going out for a walk is the right thing to do. I can finally do something for the Marquis. Otherwise, this trip to Suzhou would have been in vain."

Xiangling asked tentatively: "Miss, you care so much about the Marquis. When are you going to express your feelings to the Marquis? Miss Lin and the Marquis have a very good relationship. I'm afraid that Miss..."

Xue Baochai was at a loss for words to answer the maid's honest words. She spat and pretended to be angry, saying, "Bah, why are you worrying about me when you can just take care of your own business? You're just talking nonsense here and disturbing my mind."

(End of this chapter)