Chapter 4

◎Do you still miss Xue Lingyu?◎

Jiang's father carefully selected several families from the matchmakers who came to the door. They were all from prominent families, with handsome young men of suitable age, and they seemed to be a perfect match for Jiang He.

When choosing a husband, the most important thing is that he must be virtuous. Although the Jiang family is a merchant family, if the master comes from a humble background and cannot even show the demeanor of a head of the household, how can he be a good wife and manage the household?

With this in mind, Father Jiang removed some of the notoriously docile young masters from the candidate list, leaving only three households.

The second son of the Marquis of Yingwu, born into a military family, usually enjoys practicing martial arts. The Marquis of Yingwu is known for his magnanimity and open-mindedness, and has a good relationship with the Jiang family. He doesn't mind Jiang He's previous reputation at all and is willing to marry his second son to her.

The youngest son of the Left Prince is said to have been well-versed in poetry and literature since childhood, and is indeed a virtuous and gentle man of noble birth, but he is not the son of the principal wife.

The last one was a bit special. It was the He family, which was selected as a royal merchant in the same year as the Jiang family. The head of the He family was a shrewd businessman with a keen eye for business. Apart from the North Ward and Water Ward controlled by the Jiang family, the other two wards in the capital were under the He family's name. The He family only had one young master who never left the house. It was said that his appearance was also ordinary. Considering the benefits of the marriage between the two families, Jiang's father kept him as a candidate. As for who would be chosen in the end, it would have to be decided after Jiang He took a look.

When the preliminary list reached Jiang He's hands, she had just finalized the decision regarding the jewelry shop manager, Ms. Li. Jiang He directly removed her from her position for deceiving her master and attempting to get away with it, and notified all of the Jiang family's shops that she should not hire her again.

Such swift and decisive action, without any hesitation, made him seem less like a young business owner new to the market and more like a seasoned veteran, effectively deterring other shopkeepers who wanted to cheat or shirk their responsibilities.

“Miss, the master has selected several suitable gentlemen for you to review, and said that you should finalize your choice of husband as soon as possible.” Yuange showed Jiang He the names, family backgrounds, and portraits of the candidates one by one.

It has to be said that among these three young masters, the youngest son of the Left Prince is the most handsome and has a good figure. Even Yuan Ge almost thought that Jiang He would be attracted to him at first glance.

Jiang He looked at the portraits of the three people without any change in expression. She rubbed her tiger's mouth and finally understood why Zuo Pinggong had been so eager to invite her to a gathering since she returned to the capital. Although he deliberately concealed it at the banquet, he had been testing her all along.

Especially when Xue Lingyu was mentioned, it was clear that they wanted to know her attitude.

It turns out that the Zuo family had the idea of ​​forming a marriage alliance with the Jiang family. The Zuo family was a royal family, and marrying off a son of a concubine would win over the Jiang family, a royal merchant family. No matter how you looked at it, they would not lose out.

Jiang He waved her hand, showing no interest in choosing, and said to Yuan Ge, "Let's put it away for now and look at it when I have time."

The portrait was delivered in the morning, and in the afternoon, Jiang's father sent someone to inquire about Jiang He's opinion. When he couldn't persuade Jiang He to come, the person came to the courtyard where she lived.

"Tell your father the truth, are you still thinking about Xue Lingyu? You said you were willing to get married, so why are you so uninterested now and have no intention of marrying him?"

These words from Jiang's father touched the deepest, most painful spot in Jiang He's heart. Ever since returning to the capital, everyone had been trying to find out, openly or secretly, about her attitude toward Xue Lingyu, wanting to know if she still missed him.

“Father, you choose for me. I trust your choice,” Jiang He said.

“This is your own husband. If you don’t like him, then he’s nothing to you.” Father Jiang frowned as he looked at Jiang He and said earnestly, “To tell you the truth, His Majesty is planning to arrange a marriage for his younger brother. There are only a handful of eligible unmarried young ladies in the capital whose status is worthy of a prince. If you don’t settle down soon, you might be forced into a marriage by His Majesty.”

The princes were all pampered and spoiled, so their tempers were naturally not very good. This arranged marriage was not a good match.

A marriage decreed by imperial decree? Jiang He lowered her eyes and fell into deep thought; she had only just learned of this.

Seeing that she was absent-minded, Jiang's father said helplessly, "Alright, alright. Since you don't want to settle down with a master so quickly, then take a few concubines first. That way, you'll have a family. Maybe then His Majesty won't consider you."

"The concubine must be from a good family and have a gentle temperament. She cannot be the kind of person who likes to stir up trouble and disturb the peace of the household. After you marry your master, if you are worried that he will mind, you can dismiss the concubine before the marriage. That will not be a big deal."

Despite her father's seemingly reasonable explanations and his complete consideration of Jiang He's needs, she remained unconvinced and simply stated, "It's all up to Father. I'm fine with anything."

“I think the youngest son of the Left Prince is quite handsome. I wonder what kind of beauty could catch your eye. Well, the process of taking a concubine is not complicated. As your father, I should pick a few suitable women for you.”

Jiang's father immediately had several concubine candidates in mind. His personal maid, Yang Tao, was of good temperament, loyal and devoted, and most importantly, she seemed like a woman who could bear children easily.

Although the money from selling the hairpin was beyond Xue Lingyu's expectations and was enough to pay for her father's medicine, her mother was still in jail. She needed to bribe officials at all levels, especially since there had been rumors that the crime of selling smuggled salt could be serious or minor. If she could pay twice the profit, the crime could be reduced, and she might even be able to sign a bail agreement.

However, the entire Xue family had been almost completely drained, and Xue Lingyu was now at her wit's end.

No matter how anxious he was, as a young man confined to his room, he was of little use and it was all in vain.

“Although my lord has been taking his medicine on time, the master has been in prison for several days now. My lord is bound to be worried. With such a heavy heart, even the best medicine is useless. This morning, I even secretly saw my lord vomiting blood. Young master, if this continues, I'm afraid my lord will…” the servant said worriedly.

Xue Lingyu understood in his heart that the Jingzhao government was unwilling to accept his lawsuit, Kang Minzhi refused to help, and Xue Taifu was terminally ill. Now, there was only one person who could help him.

Looking at his father's pale sleeping face, Xue Lingyu made up his mind. He instructed the servant, "I'm going out of the manor for a while. You stay here to take care of Father. If I don't come back by nightfall, don't look for me."

Watching his departing figure, the servant girl asked worriedly, "Young master, where are you going?"

"Miss, both the North Workshop and the Water Workshop have submitted their annual account books for your review."

Jiang He put down the vermilion brush, picked up an account book, casually flipped through a few pages, and clicked her tongue, saying, "It seems that they all heard about Manager Li's matter. They are all using the original accounts, and there are no traces of copying."

She looked closely for a while and noticed something special: "The shops in the North Ward sell items from the North, which are not as exquisite as those in the South Ward. Even the hairpins are carved in a simple and rough style. The profits this quarter are getting lower and lower, and some people have even started to secretly sell things from the South Ward."

“It’s because these people are short-sighted. The reason why the four major workshops have been able to survive until now is because of their unique characteristics. If they lose their unique characteristics, they will become just another ordinary person and won’t last long.” Yuan Ge also knew a bit about business and picked up on Jiang He’s words.

"Miss has been back for several days, but she hasn't inspected the two workshops yet. The managers all want to see her."

"Let's do it today then. It'll be a good opportunity to teach these people a lesson." Jiang He put the account book on the table, already having made up her mind.

Back then, the ancestor of the Jiang family came to the capital alone and eventually built up a fortune, which led to the Jiang family's current foundation. Especially after the Jiang family sent their eldest son to the palace, even though they continued to do business, most aristocratic families still had to curry favor with them.

Xue Lingyu made up his mind and went out. When he arrived at the Jiang residence, the guards at the gate told him that Jiang He was not in the residence. She had left to inspect the four major districts a quarter of an hour earlier.

Xue Lingyu pressed for an answer, asking whether it was the North Ward or the Water Ward, but the guard couldn't say. He had no choice but to try his luck.

As he left, he could still hear the guards talking about him. Although he couldn't hear clearly, he couldn't help but quicken his pace, as if he were fleeing in panic.

Young masters from wealthy families usually travel by carriage with guards clearing the way. However, the Xue family doesn't have a single penny of extra money right now, and many of their servants have run away after hearing the news. If he wants to find Jiang He, he has no choice but to walk.

The pampered young master, raised in seclusion, had fair skin that had hardly ever been exposed to the scorching sun. He exhausted most of his strength after just a few steps, not to mention that he was completely unfamiliar with the way to the four major districts. After searching aimlessly, he ended up getting completely confused. Just as he was feeling a bit scared, he found several women with unfriendly expressions blocking his way.

"Isn't this the eldest son of the Xue family? We've run into such a handsome and elegant man today. We're really lucky!"

As he spoke, the man reached out to touch Xue Lingyu.

Xue Lingyu had been walking for so long that he was exhausted. Before he could dodge, the woman grabbed his slender wrist and forced his whole body to lean forward. He looked up and looked at the incredibly strong woman with disgust, but he couldn't break free no matter what he did.

These men were local thugs who usually enjoyed harassing respectable men. Today, however, they had stumbled upon the lone Xue Lingyu, so how could they not take the opportunity to flirt with her?

The woman's gaze fell on Xue Lingyu's fair skin exposed on his chest. She saw his small face, his pink and delicate lips, and especially his glaring eyes, which also had a pitiful quality. How could she resist getting close to such a beauty?

Besides, everyone knows that the Xue family has fallen on hard times, otherwise, how could the eldest young master Xue not even have a servant?

The woman had a wicked thought. She knew that the young masters of noble families were all upright and honest. If they really lost their innocence, they probably wouldn't make a fuss about it. Just then, she saw a dark alley not far away, so she pulled Xue Lingyu and walked into the alley. Several other women around them were also eager to try, whistling impatiently.

Xue Lingyu struggled desperately, but no one dared to come to his rescue. The woman showed him no mercy; red marks appeared on his wrists, and he could only be dragged helplessly into the alley...

“To do such a thing in broad daylight in the capital, if I inform Lord Su of the Jingzhao Prefecture, you will all suffer a terrible fate.” A woman’s voice suddenly rang out.

Before the woman holding Xue Lingyu could react, she was kicked hard to the ground, getting a mouthful of mud. The other women who had been jeering were not spared either; in the blink of an eye, they were all given a good lesson.

Xue dealt with these people effortlessly. After explaining the tasks Jiang He had given him, he smiled smugly at Jiang He, clearly seeking praise.

When the group saw Jiang He, they were immediately frightened by her words. After getting up from the ground, they begged for mercy, "So it's Miss Jiang. We were just joking with Young Master Xue. We're not that kind of people. I suddenly remembered that I have something to do, so I'll take my leave first."

Those people disappeared in the blink of an eye, and Jiang He did not stop them.

She brought her own soldiers with her this time, and they were guarding the entrance to this alley. Those people were just walking into a trap.

This time, she finally turned her gaze to Xue Lingyu, who had just narrowly escaped disaster and was still in shock, his clothes disheveled.

A strange emotion flashed in Jiang He's eyes, then she turned her head away and instructed Ji Xue, "Young Master Xue has been frightened. Fetch him a cloak and send someone to take him back later."

Xue Qian remembered that Jiang He hadn't praised him, so upon hearing the order, he immediately went to carry it out.

However, Xue Lingyu was unwilling to leave, so Jiang He hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "Young Master Xue, things have been a bit chaotic in the North Ward lately. It's best not to go out unless it's absolutely necessary."

"I came to find you." Xue Lingyu put on Jiang He's cloak, her pale lips slightly pursed, suppressing her earlier grievances, and said, "The guards of the Jiang residence said you went to inspect the four major districts, so I came here to find you."

Hearing this, Jiang He laughed, "What does Young Master Xue want with me?"

◎Latest Comments:

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No motivation to write? Grab a bottle of nutrient solution! No inspiration for your writing? Grab a bottle of nutrient solution! Nutrient solution—my deepest love for the author~ Since drinking this nutrient solution, I don't want to do anything but update. Will watering the author with nutrient solution result in a massive 10,000-word update?! Ask me how deep my love for you is, this nutrient solution represents my heart~

[This is ridiculous! With so many suitors, why keep targeting the female lead? Why not ask a few more? What if you succeed? We don't know what's going on, but for the son of a disgraced official, being able to find a place to stay and for the wife to treat your father's illness is already a huge blessing. It's unrealistic to expect others to spend their vast sums of money to rescue your mother as well.]

[The author writes so well! Keep it up!]

It has that old-school gender-swapped feel to it, I admit I love watching it, hahaha.

Um, the male lead mentioned before that he had many suitors, so why did he immediately think of asking the female lead for help among them? The female lead's family is quite powerful now, but the male lead's family can't help them given their current situation. If he just wanted to find money for his father's medicine, why did he act like he was treating the female lead differently? Judging from the previous chapters, they didn't seem to have much contact. The male lead seemed to dislike the female lead's past self quite a bit, and they didn't talk much after the female lead returned.

I don't understand.

[Holy crap! Wasn't that guy surnamed Xue supposed to be high and mighty, looking down on the female lead for being materialistic? What, now that he's down on his luck and desperate, he's all coming to her for help? And he's even clinging to her? LOL! He looked down on merchants, but in the end, he still had to beg the female lead for his attention? Before his misfortune, he was arrogant and haughty, but now that he's in trouble, he remembers how much the female lead loved him and comes running back to her? If he weren't the male lead, he'd just be cannon fodder! He has to suffer!!! I almost had a heart attack after reading a few chapters because I'm such a female lead fanatic!!!]

[Is one of these commenters a reincarnated troll? It's a perfectly good story, and I have to see these trolls attacking others just because they like the male and female leads. And you only like the female lead and not the male lead?]

[The synopsis states that the female lead used to be a notorious playboy... It's normal that the male lead wasn't familiar with her and didn't like her... It's also normal for the male lead to be a bit arrogant given his privileged background... He's just fallen on hard times and has to come to the female lead to save his family, so hopefully it won't be too angsty.]

[Besides, this is ancient times. Merchants had the lowest social status in ancient times; even ordinary families might look down on them, let alone someone from a family like the male lead's. The female lead wasn't outstanding at that time; she was a spoiled brat, and with that kind of background, what qualities did she have that could attract a talented, handsome, and well-connected male lead? Isn't this just a toad trying to eat swan meat? The male lead would have to be blind to even consider her. So the male lead did nothing wrong; his rejection of the female lead is perfectly normal. Just because she's the female lead doesn't mean she should be given a halo and forced to fall in love with a spoiled brat. That would be like those ridiculous novels. I think the author's concept is excellent; only this kind of development can bring them together. I hope the author won't write too much angst. The male lead has already suffered enough; becoming a concubine later must be very difficult for him. Let the male and female leads have a sweet romance; neither of them did anything wrong, so please don't make it too angsty.]

[When a normal person faces a mother in trouble, a father falling ill, and their entire family on the verge of extermination, how could they not try every possible solution? At that moment, they would do anything possible, right? Would they still have the saintly thought, "Oh, this is a former suitor; I can't ask her for help, that wouldn't be right"? The male protagonist was desperate; he had asked everyone he could, and the female protagonist was the only one who might help him. If he didn't ask her, where would he leave his family? He couldn't just watch them die! Those who think the male protagonist is problematic should try to put themselves in his shoes. If you were the male protagonist, and there was someone who might help you, wouldn't you go to her?]

Actually... the male lead is quite cute.

[Put it away quickly!]

[Suddenly seeing someone running with a ball, could this be a sign of abuse?]

-over-