Favoring the concubine and killing the wife? She divorced the concubine and lived with her concubine

The whole family was curious about the incense that cost 15 taels per box.

You smell it, I smell it. Xin'er wanted to smell it too, but frowned as she did so. "It doesn't smell good!" Jiye smelled it and also thought it didn't smell good. Since the two children didn't like it, Xiaobai returned the box that Fang Qingqing had given her.

"I'm with the young master and the young lady. If they don't like the taste, I won't use it."

"It's okay, just pretend and use it when you're alone."

Mother Xu took the incense in her hand and looked at it. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, this porcelain box alone is worth one or two taels of silver. The fragrance is indeed good, but it's not worth so much money."

"Oh, you don't understand. This is the fashion here now. It's fashionable. It's said that all the ladies with some basic knowledge use it."

As she spoke, she applied a little with her fingertips and applied it behind Xiao Lan's ear, "Apply this!"

Xiao Lan smiled and didn't care, letting her do whatever she wanted.

As they played and laughed, the night grew late. Xiao Lan felt pain in her body, so she went to a separate room to prevent Fang Qingqing from sleeping restlessly.

Before going to bed, I thought of the fragrance again, so I opened it and took a little bit and put it in the palm of my hand. The warmth of my hand made the paste melt slightly. I rubbed my hands together and put it on my neck. The fragrance instantly filled the air, giving me a sense of peace.

Xiao Lan felt extremely comfortable and didn't feel any pain. She lay on the bed covered with a warm quilt and had a dreamless night.

It was not until the morning when Xiaobai shouted for a long time and no one answered the door that he hurriedly found Liu Hu and used extraordinary methods to open the door.

Xiao Lan was sleeping soundly. She looked at Liu Hu with a worried look on her face and asked lazily, "What's wrong..."

"Are you okay?" Liu Hu saw that Xiao Lan's face was red, so he touched her forehead. Fortunately, the temperature was not high.

Xiao Lan whimpered, turned over and tried to sleep again, "It's okay..."

"Madam, we have to go see Boss Cui today." Fang Qingqing came in and reminded him when she saw that he was half asleep.

Xiao Lan sat on the bed in a daze. Fang Qingqing dragged her out of bed before she slowly got out of bed.

Liu Hu was a frequent visitor to Xiao Lan's bedroom, and he had never seen her like this before. He glanced at the dressing table, opened the perfume, and instantly guessed what was going on.

Turning to Fang Qingqing, he asked, "Did you use the ointment last night?"

Fang Qingqing shook her head. She slept with Xiaobai, but Xiaobai was afraid that the child would be contaminated by the smell and not like it, so there was no point in her doing that.

Suddenly she seemed to remember something, "The shopkeeper said that this ointment has the effect of relaxing muscles and promoting blood circulation, and is good for sleep."

"Is that all?" Liu Hu was puzzled, seeing that Xiao Lan seemed to be more sober.

"how do you feel?"

Xiao Lan looked up at him puzzledly, "I haven't slept so soundly in a long time. My body doesn't hurt anymore!"

Xiao Lan recovered and felt still comfortable. She told everyone not to worry, and prepared to go out after dressing up.

When she left, she took another look at the ointment, and then thought of Liu Hu's suspicious look, so she finally didn't apply it.

Xiao Lan had originally wanted to send a visiting card, which would have been their first formal meeting. But the old shopkeeper said Cui You had no house or residence, so there was no place to send him. He simply told Xiao Lan to wait in a private room at a famous Beijing restaurant at noon that day, and Cui You would appear.

Such a mysterious person has expanded the Xiao family's business to the homes of various princes and nobles. It is impossible for Xiao Lan not to be suspicious.

But she had been living in the South City since she was a child, and she knew nothing about the capital, let alone the affairs of the officialdom. She had wanted to ask Su Ze last night, but Su Ze had not appeared since he returned to the Pan family that day, and she had no time to go find him specifically.

Xiao Lan took Liu Hu and Fang Qingqing out of the house. When they arrived at the restaurant, a waiter came to them and asked them some questions, then led them into a private room.

As I walked in, I saw someone sitting at the tea table. The person, dressed in plain clothes, sat cross-legged on a futon, busying himself with the tea utensils, looking elegant and calm.

"Master Xiao is here, please take a seat." Cui You did not stand up to greet him, but raised his hand to invite Xiao Lan to sit on the cushion opposite him.

Liu Hu and Fang Qingqing just thought that this guy was quite arrogant, while Xiao Lan seemed to be nonchalant as she lifted her skirt and knelt down.

"I've heard of Mr. Cui's name for a long time. It's an honor to meet him today." Xiao Lan took the tea handed to her by Cui You with both hands, and while smiling, he looked at the man silently.

Cui You was short, with an ordinary face, as if he were hard to find in a crowd. He had no distinctive features, no features, and dressed in plain, coarse cloth, not much different from any other street vendor.

"I had a deep friendship with your father. Now that he has passed away suddenly, I am deeply saddened." Cui You picked up the small tea bowl in front of him and drank it in one gulp. "This tea is good, Master Xiao, please try it."

Xiao Lan could no longer see any pain on this person's face. She knew that he was just saying it casually and that he and Xiao Zongshan must have only a business relationship.

Xiao Lan took a sip, not wanting to savor her tea. She just wanted to close the deal quickly. "I took this business in a hurry, and there's no male heir at home, so there's no one who can take on the responsibility. I'm also forced to do this now. In the future, I may only be able to take care of South City and won't have time to take care of this place. Besides, you're the one who runs our business here, but the name is ours after all. It's really inappropriate to bury Boss Cui's achievements."

"Why not? We can mutually benefit, right? The payment I give you isn't simply the purchase price!" Cui You looked up at Xiao Lan. There was no trace of ruthlessness in his eyes; there was even a hint of a smile on his face. Yet, even such an ordinary person gave Xiao Lan a great sense of oppression.

She lowered her head and fiddled with the teacup, actually thinking about something she hadn't had time to think about yesterday. These shops were all rented by the Xiao family, and even the employment contracts used the Xiao family's seal. If anything went wrong, the Xiao family would be unable to deny the connection.

But what could possibly happen?

It doesn't matter if you can't figure this out. Xiao Zongshan is reluctant to give up his huge fortune, but Xiao Lan is willing to.

"Boss Cui, my father told me before he died that he wanted all of the Xiao family's businesses in Beijing to be transferred to you after his death. Firstly, it's to repay your kindness in supporting the Xiao family, and secondly, he hopes that I can focus on taking care of my mother, and those workshops can also be transferred at the same time. What do you think, Boss Cui?"

"Oh? You're giving it to me for nothing?" Cui You threw away the tea leaves and started washing and fiddling with the tea again without even raising his eyes.

"Yes, all of it will be given as a gift."

Cui You seemed calm when he heard this and just fiddled with the tea set. Xiao Lan was not in a hurry either and just stared at his movements.

Liu Hu and Fang Qingqing looked at each other and instantly understood what Xiao Lan meant.

When Xiao Lan returned yesterday, she spent a long time discussing why Cui You, despite his considerable talent, chose to share the Xiao family's profits instead of earning his own. He was simply using the Xiao family's name to hedge his bets. His grandfather, eager to expand his family business and establish a presence in the capital, had partnered with Cui You. By the time Xiao Zongshan realized the Xiao family had no influence in the capital's business, it was too late. But he couldn't bear to part with the lucrative profits, so he simply let things slide.

So Xiao Lan came here today just to get out of this situation. But she could also imagine that Cui You wouldn't be so easy to talk to.

"It's too late to get out now."