A husband found in the village? I bought a regent for a penny!

Gu Xixi sighed, thinking to herself, "What a tragedy! Did a single penny really cause him such deep psychological trauma?"

Is it really necessary to still be so hung up on it after all this time?!

But He Jinglan continued, "Not only that, after the person is sold at dawn, every penny will be returned to the Fan family immediately, since it is what they deserve for selling their daughter."

Gu Xixi couldn't take it anymore, "He really does whatever it takes to be sarcastic!"

He Jinglan laughed and said, "That's right. He's been like this ever since I met him. He's a master at making people angry without paying for it."

"However, my brother and I both feel that his skills have improved even further since he came back from the Northwest."

Gu Xixi looked at He Jinglan silently, her eyes filled with complex and resentful emotions.

He Jinglan understood and said seriously, "Of course this has nothing to do with you. He may have been born with a black heart, and now he has just evolved to be more abnormal."

"In the past, people didn't use foul language; their plain and elegant style could make people so angry they wanted to vomit blood."

"Now, besides making people so angry they want to vomit blood, they also have to publicly trample on other people's entire families' faces. My brother said that he has refined and perfected this kind of street thug behavior."

Gu Xixi was silent for a moment before speaking with difficulty, "Although you said that..."

But I didn't receive much comfort.

Instead, she couldn't help but reflect on whether one of her actions had caused Mu Nanzhao to become like this.

Gu Xixi sighed heavily, "However, he probably didn't really intend to sell those girls."

She paused, "If it was just to vent his anger, there were many ways to humiliate the Fan family, but he insisted on choosing the time when there were the most people and making a scene in Pingkangfang, trying to make things as big as possible."

"They also made the guards wait outside the brothel all night, and then deal with it at dawn, which was practically an ultimatum."

He Jinglan smiled, giving Gu Xixi a meaningful look, and said, "I didn't expect that you would know him so well."

"Back then, some people said he was heartless. If he didn't want to accept them, he shouldn't have. What did those girls do wrong?"

"Especially the two illegitimate daughters of the Fan family, no matter how little the head of the family values ​​them, they are still respectable women from official families. How can they be sold to such a place?"

"Because of this, the next morning at court, an official impeached the Regent Prince severely."

Gu Xixi asked, "Were those women taken back by the Fan family?"

“Of course I will accept it.” He Jinglan picked up the apricot-colored begonia-shaped stone teapot on the table and poured two small cups of tea.

The fragrance of jasmine mingled with the aroma of tea, wafting gently through the carriage.

She handed a small, translucent glass of frozen stone to Gu Xixi and said, "We both have the surname Fan, after all. The Fan family can't just stand by and watch their illegitimate daughter become a prostitute."

"Not to mention that many colleagues were watching in Pingkangfang that night, if the Fan family didn't go to pick them up, they would not only become the laughing stock of the whole capital, but also be branded as someone who disregards family ties."

"Furthermore, if these two girls from the Fan family really step into the brothel, not to mention their fate, the reputation of the other sisters in the family will also be ruined."

"It is unlikely that the Fan family will ever be able to use their daughters' marriages to high-ranking families, or to curry favor with or win over others."

Gu Xixi took a sip of tea, the slightly bitter floral aroma making her feel much more relaxed.

"But after this incident, the Fan family has still lost face. Perhaps they hate someone to the core?"

Their attempt to curry favor with the Regent backfired, turning the Fan family into a laughingstock throughout the capital.

The Fan family had no choice but to bow their heads and, under the watchful eyes of everyone, sheepishly took their daughter and the geisha back.

This kind of humiliation is unbearable for most people.

What's more, about Grand Secretary Fan?

He Jinglan sighed and said, "Everyone in the court knows that the Regent's actions are tantamount to a formal declaration of war against the Fan family. From that day on, everyone naturally has their own plans."

"And you probably already know who really gave this instruction."

Gu Xixi understood.

The emperor wanted to eradicate the lingering poison left by his predecessor, but because the Fan family had rendered meritorious service, he feared that people would say he was mistreating his meritorious officials and was like a dog being cooked after the rabbit is caught.

Therefore, he needed someone in the court to check and balance Grand Secretary Fan.

But this person must never get along harmoniously with the Fan family.

Therefore, the emperor was pleased to see the regent openly break ties with Grand Secretary Fan.

Otherwise, given the emperor's suspicious nature, even the regent himself would likely become a suspect sooner or later.

He Jinglan put down her teacup, turned to Gu Xixi, and said seriously, "They were destined to be political enemies, and my brother is naturally on Mu Nanzhao's side."

"So what I want to tell you is that you can rest assured about Lü Jing's matter."

"Whether you met Lü Jing or not, or whether you mentioned it to me today, it won't change anything, and you don't need to worry that this matter will cause trouble for the He family and the Regent's Palace."

Gu Xixi understood He Jinglan's good intentions in comforting her and smiled in response, saying, "I understand."

"I suppose your brother has been keeping an eye on the Fan family, otherwise how could you have found me so quickly?"

He Jinglan said, "That's right. Even if you hadn't come to the capital, they would have had to deal with Old Man Fan sooner or later."

She then laughed and said, "This Miss Lü Jing might be an opportunity, perhaps even pushing the Fan family one step further down the road to ruin."

Gu Xixi asked, "You just said you weren't going to the Prince's Mansion. Did you want to tell your brother all this first?"

He Jinglan shook her head. "No rush. My brother won't be home until evening. We still have most of the day. Let's take care of our own business first."

Having said all that, what is there between two best friends that they don't understand?

Gu Xixi collapsed, utterly exhausted. "He Jinglan! All you've given me so far is a sip of tea, and you still want to drag me to look after the shop. Even a donkey pulling a millstone gets some fodder!"

He Jinglan quickly pulled open the hidden compartment under the tea table, took out cakes and candied fruit, and said with a smile, "I'm sorry, I forgot you were still hungry."

"We just finished discussing important business. Have something to eat first, and you can have whatever you want to eat after you get off the bus."

Previously, the carriage had deliberately taken a detour to make it easier for the two to talk.

Only after receiving He Jinglan's order did the driver turn around and head back towards Dongshi.

Gu Xixi got out of the car and looked around, somewhat incredulous, "You're going to open a dessert shop here?!"

The shop in front of us is located within the East Market, on the main street.

Although it's not in a prime central location, the land prices here are already quite high.

He Jinglan, hands behind her back, smiled smugly, "Isn't it great?"

Gu Xixi nodded, "That's wonderful."

This shop used to deal in silk, but it has closed down and the shop has been completely emptied.

He Jinglan took out her key and opened the door herself.

She deliberately went out without a maid today, wanting to do as she did in the Northwest, only accompanied by Gu Xixi.

The shop has two floors.

The ground floor is spacious, without partitions, with large windows and bright light, making it indeed suitable for a dessert shop.

The two looked around, and He Jinglan asked Gu Xixi for her opinion.

Gu Xixi said, "I can't find any fault with it."

"That's just too good to be true. What if it fails to work out? Wouldn't that be a huge loss for you?"