Chapter 53

After Qin Yan left, the inner room felt somewhat empty. Su Mi fumbled to put on her inner garment and sat in a corner, holding a blanket.

After all the commotion, she couldn’t fall asleep and couldn’t describe the feeling in her heart.

Just now was probably the gentlest moment she had ever seen from Qin Yan, but her doubts grew deeper. She had followed the instructions on the illustration, and she felt the intense heat decrease, so why was it still not right?

Su Mi’s heart was filled with sweetness and bitterness as she thought randomly, finally falling asleep in the dim light of dawn.

The next day, when Su Mi woke up, it was already late morning. After she finished grooming in the room, she noticed that the surroundings seemed particularly quiet. Feng Bao sat with his back to her, dozing off in the courtyard.

Su Mi walked quietly to the study. Looking through the window, she saw that it was empty. It seemed that the Lord had probably gone out.

Feng Bao leaned on a broom with his eyes half-open, drowsy. Although he was sleepy, those who served others were most sensitive to sounds. As soon as he heard footsteps, he immediately became alert.

“Madam, you’re awake.” Feng Bao rubbed his drowsy eyes and walked towards Su Mi.

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“Wldt Jys, R’x psaau qsa oyjkdt usw wr.” Fw Yk pxkzle.

“Ls osaaklp, vbkp plahydv eslpd’v pzllr ewakdt vbl eyu.” Wldt Jys zsolale bkp blye yde pvkqzle y uyod, osdelakdt obu vbl xypvla oldv vs vbl cyvbbswpl zypv dktbv. Pked’v bl dlle vs blyv vbl oyvla yde ralryal vbl nzsvblp?

Oyazu kd vbl xsadkdt, vbl xypvla bye vs ts swv okvb Nkdt Gd, ps vblu bye vs ralryal calyjqypv. Tl byed’v nzsple bkp lulp vbl obszl dktbv.

“Yyeyx, zwdnb kp alyeu. Vzlypl ts yblye yde lyv,” Wldt Jys pyke.

Fw Yk dseele, blpkvyvle qsa y xsxldv, yde nswzed’v blzr cwv ypj, “Ebld okzz vbl xypvla alvwad vseyu?”

“Mbkp plahydv eslpd’v jdso.”

“Txx…” Fw Yk vwadle yaswde vs ts vs vbl ekdkdt assx yde pweeldzu alxlxclale psxlvbkdt: “Ju vbl oyu, obyv ycswv vbyv tkaz, Dkysmkys?”

Wldt Jys vbswtbv Fw Yk oyp pwprknkswp yde nbwnjzle, “Yyeyx, vbyv osxyd oyp pldv vs vbl Hbsw alpkeldnl lyazu kd vbl xsadkdt.”

***

In the Zhou residence in the city, due to the master’s anger throughout the night, the entire household’s servants dared not even breathe heavily or make a sound when walking.

Last night, Zhou Feng was determined to have Xiaoxiao from Qingnan Chun, but unexpectedly, someone intervened, infuriating him to the point of having his men search for the situation of that young master from the Su family all night.

At this moment, a follower was reporting in the hallway.

Zhou Feng lay on a bamboo armchair, propping up his legs, holding a bunch of purple grapes, and occasionally taking a few bites.

“How’s the investigation going?” Zhou Feng spat out a grape peel and spoke with a cold face.

“Master, I asked the madam and also investigated the carriage from Jiaozhou. It is indeed the Su family from Jiangling City, the prosperous local family that operates the RuiYu Silk Estate. However, it seems to have some connection with the Chief of the Eastern Bureau,” the follower hesitated for a moment. “The second daughter of the Su family married the chief of the Eastern Bureau.”

“No wonder he dared to rob me of a woman. There are eunuchs backing him!”

After Zhou Feng finished speaking, he felt a twinge of uneasiness and instinctively glanced around his surroundings. Rumor had it that there were Eastern Bureau spies lurking everywhere , but it seemed unlikely that they were specifically watching him.

“Master, I don’t think it’s the case either. Based on the information I found, it appears that the chief is at odds with the Su family. In fact, he recently broke the hand of the Su family’s son-in-law in Jiangling City.”

“Is that so? Why did he break Su’s son-in-law’s hand?”

“I’m not sure about the exact reason, sir.”

“Master, master!” The servant from the gatehouse hurriedly approached and called out.

“Why are you so reckless? Can’t you see that I’m about to report the matter to the master?” The attendant reprimanded the gatekeeper directly.

The servant’s face changed as he knelt down and kowtowed. “I apologize for my mistake, master. There is a carriage outside, and someone has sent a woman.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Feng immediately jumped up from his chair and ran to the gate of the Zhou residence without hesitation.

He pulled open the curtain of the carriage and saw that it was indeed Xiaoxiao, just as he had expected. She seemed to have spent the entire night sleeping in a carriage in one of the mansions without even seeing that young master from the Su family.

The carriage was rented temporarily. Zhou Feng had a fierce appearance, and the coachman approached him tremblingly and handed him an invitation card. “Master, this is from the gentleman who rented the carriage, asking me to give it to you.”

Zhou Feng took it and opened it with suspicion. It was an invitation from Su Qi to go to He Yi Tower tomorrow.

He Yi Tower was not far from the Zhou residence and was a restaurant that Zhou Feng often visited. He looked at Xiaoxiao sitting in the carriage and suddenly had a thought: Su Qi seemed to want him to do something for him!

“Master, should we go or not?”

“Let’s go.”

He was well-informed about the happenings in government. The news of the Chief of the Eastern Bureau going to Bingzhou this month had long been rumored. With the chief absent, would he not dare to meet a pointless person, especially when the person came to him for help?

***

The next day, close to noon, He Yi Tower in the city was bustling with customers coming and going.

In the private room on the second floor, the table was filled with various dishes from the capital. Chopsticks flew in the air, and the one holding the chopsticks was Zhou Feng.

Qin Yan sat opposite him with a faint smile on his lips. He wore a light-colored silk robe that exuded elegance. Ling An stood behind him, still expressionless, but when his gaze swept over Zhou Feng, a hint of disgust flashed in his eyes.

“This time, I have to thank Lord Zhou for honoring us.” Qin Yan subtly pushed aside the plate of food that accidentally moved closer to Zhou Feng while he was picking up a dish.

“No problem, no problem,” Zhou Feng mumbled with a mouthful of meat.

In fact, he was somewhat apprehensive before coming today, unsure of the Su family’s intentions. When he saw this person’s outstanding appearance upon entering, he felt a bit dissatisfied.

But who would have thought that when that man called him ‘Lord Zhou’, he instantly felt much more comfortable.

For all these years, acting as the middleman led by Lu Wenguang, people would address him as “Master” out of respect for his position as the Minister of Revenue’s nephew. Who would call him “Lord”? Now that someone addressed him this way, he felt like a person in the officialdom.

After Zhou Feng had eaten and drunk his fill, he rubbed his round belly, bit on a toothpick, and asked, “Tell me, you’ve gone to great lengths to see me. What do you want?”

“Naturally, I have something to ask of you, Lord.”

Zhou Feng naturally understood that there was no such thing as gratuitous courtesy. But he took a roundabout approach and asked, “Why didn’t you directly send Xiaoxiao to Qingnanchun? Don’t you know I’m in Qingnanchun?”

“Lord, you were also in Qingnan Chun at that time?” Qin Yan placed the fan against the palm of his left hand, showing surprise that didn’t seem feigned.

Zhou Feng looked at Qin Yan’s expression and thought to himself, “True, how would this commoner know his whereabouts?

Moreover, although the delivery was a night late, it actually made Zhou Feng feel more satisfied, giving him a sense of regaining something that was lost. When he thought back to the passionate night with that woman with the green hairpin, he also found this young master from the Su family quite pleasing to the eye.

“Never mind, what do you want to ask of me?”

Qin Yan chuckled lightly. “To be frank, our Ruiyu Silk estate has been wanting to move to the capital for a long time, but we have been struggling to find an opportunity.”

With just this sentence, Qin Yan stopped talking and instead looked at Zhou Feng with a faint smile.

Zhou Feng narrowed his eyes upon hearing this. He understood the meaning behind these words very well. In the Mingyin Dynasty, if merchants wanted to open a shop, it was not just a matter of money. They needed the approval of the local government. It was easier in smaller towns, but in the bustling capital, there were only a few slots available each year, and countless wealthy people from various places were vying for them. Without connections, it would take at least three to five years.

“Why don’t you seek help from your brother-in-law?” Zhou Feng glanced at Qin Yan, thinking that with the support of the chief, why would they need him?

Qin Yan calmly replied, “Lord Zhou seems to be unaware of my brother-in-law’s situation. He sought the chief’s assistance to procure it from the Shangyi Bureau and ended up with a broken hand. How could we dare to approach him again?”

“Just for that?” Zhou Feng had heard about this incident yesterday, but now he realized that it was for such a trivial matter. It sent a shiver down his spine.

“Yes, that’s why we have to rely on Lord Zhou.”

After Qin Yan finished speaking, Ling An immediately handed over a silkwood box. He opened the box in front of Zhou Feng, revealing a stack of thick silver notes.

Zhou Feng stared at the pile of silver coins, deep in thought. Qin Yan didn’t rush him and used his fingertip to draw circles along the rim of his teacup before finally lifting his gaze to look at him.

Zhou Feng’s smile gradually widened, and he gave a subtle gesture to the attendant beside him, who then took the wooden box from Ling An’s hand.

“Well, considering Mr. Su’s sincerity, I will give it a try on your behalf.”

…

After Qin Yan left, Zhou Feng turned to the attendant beside him and asked, “Did your investigation match what he said?”

“Master, as mentioned before, Su’s son-in-law did indeed have his hand broken not long ago.”

“Also, it seems that the Su family has been seeking an opportunity to come to the capital for about two years. However, they don’t have any connections in officialdom, so they haven’t been able to make it happen. It seems they have no other choice but to curry favor with you, Master.”

Zhou Feng chuckled. “Hmph, they married their daughter off to an eunuch and haven’t gained any benefits from it.”

“Then, Master, should we inform Lord Lu about this matter?”

Zhou Feng glanced at the silver notes in the box. “Why bother? Just give him his share of the money, and it’s done.”

Although he was only the intermediary, he could handle these small matters of finding the district official with Lu Wenguang’s influence. If Lu Wenguang were to find out, he might start meddling in various affairs, making things more complicated.

In fact, this matter was quite easy. He just needed to arrange for a district official to take care of it, and it was a guaranteed gain. However, he had also left a contingency plan, which was the account book.

***

On the official road back to the southern mansion, a carriage sent by Qin Yan from Jiaozhou was traveling. Ling An rode a horse alongside the carriage, matching its pace, and leaned over to the window.

“Master, I have already sent someone to follow Zhou Feng. We should be able to find that account book.”

Zhou Feng had an account book that contained recent news that had come back. However, he kept it well hidden, with no one around him aware of it. The hiding place also changed frequently. Despite tracking him for a long time, they hadn’t seen him recorded in the account book. Therefore, this was also an attempt to lure him out.

However, Ling An seemed to think of something. “Master, when we obtain the account book, should we remove the records of the Su family from it?”

“No need.”

“Understood.”

“As for the matter in Jiaozhou, is everything prepared?”

“Report to the Master; everything is ready.”