Qiao Peilan's coy demeanor was fully caught in Shen Yuning's eyes. A twinge of sourness welled up in her heart again. Although she clearly felt that Zidu was not Xuanzhi, she still had this strange feeling as if her Xuanzhi had grown up, and now there were other women eyeing him covetously.
The young girl below the carriage, clutching her silk handkerchief tightly, stared blankly at the woman half - reclined by the carriage window. For some reason, every time she saw Shen Yuning, she was always in awe of her elegance and nobility.
Shen Yuning was slender and delicate, not at all associated with the word "stately". But at this moment, her languid posture made her seem like a celestial beauty of peerless charm, while she herself standing below the carriage felt like a maid in comparison.
Qiao Peilan didn't like this feeling of being oppressed. She tried hard to adjust her mood and summoned her courage: "You... don't think that just because you have the support of the Marquis Mansion, you're so great. Anyway, you're just a merchant's daughter. If you dare to have thoughts about Young Master Zidu, don't you even check if you're worthy?"
Shen Yuning burst out laughing. She always heard such words from Xue Yujiao. How come she was hearing them from Lady Qiao today?
"Lady Qiao's words are really ridiculous. It's true that I'm from a merchant family, but Lady Qiao, you're also from a merchant family! Moreover, precisely because I was once a village girl and then a merchant's daughter, I'm well - aware of the ways of the world. There are people of all kinds of identities. Where is there any talk of high or low, worthy or unworthy? It's you, Lady Qiao. Why do you belittle yourself and think that the merchant class is inferior?"
Qiao Peilan was completely enraged by this scolding and said recklessly in a fit of anger: "Shen Yuning, if it weren't for the Xue family, you'd be nothing. And don't think that just because you have the Xue family, you're so great. My aunt is a concubine in the royal palace. She's on the royal register. There's no mistake about it. Moreover, what's the status of the Qiao family? They're the number one imperial merchants of the Great Zhou. Your small embroidery workshop can't even be compared! As long as the Qiao family exists, your Shen family will always be an unknown small business."
Shen Yuning frowned and looked at Qiao Peilan. If such a woman was the legitimate eldest daughter of the Qiao family, it would be a laughingstock. The Qiao family was really poor in terms of upbringing. She thought of the case of Maid Cen. Although she was skeptical about what Lord Wan said, the Qiao family was really at odds with her.
At this time, Lord Wan walked over from the alley entrance. He sneered and said, "Lady Qiao, are you so self - important? The number one imperial merchant of the Great Zhou, the Qiao family? You're right, but Lady Qiao, don't forget why Lady Shen was rewarded by the emperor. Lady Shen spoke for the common people and traveled to various towns of the Great Zhou. How much has she contributed to the people of the Great Zhou? On the contrary, aren't you the one who would be nothing without the family's protection?"
Qiao Peilan was so angry that she felt a sweet taste in her throat and spat out a mouthful of blood. Her maidservant tugged at her for a long time before she could calm down a bit. She hastily bowed and said, "Uncle Wan."
Lord Wan waved his folding fan and continued, "As the leader of the merchants in the Great Zhou, what Lady Shen has done is what the Qiao and Wan families should do. As a junior, I won't blame you for not understanding these things. I just want to remind you that being cautious in speech and actions is the way to last long."
Qiao Peilan endured her anger and reluctantly replied yes. Then she took her maidservant and hurriedly got into the carriage and left quickly.
Looking at Qiao Peilan's appearance, Shen Yuning's doubts grew. The Qiao and Wan families had comparable family backgrounds, and the Wan family was slightly inferior. If Lord Wan was just an ordinary nephew of the direct branch, why would Qiao Peilan be afraid of him?
Lord Wan laughed heartily and made an inviting gesture: "Since we've met, I wonder if Lady Shen would do me the honor of tasting the tea and snacks at Yuxiang Tower."
Yuxiang Tower was an old - established shop on this street. It didn't used to be called Yuxiang Tower. More than a hundred years ago, when an emperor traveled incognito, he entered this teahouse to taste tea and praised that the tea was no less fragrant than that in the imperial kitchen. That's why it was renamed Yuxiang Tower.
Shen Yuning arched her hands, got off the carriage, and walked with Lord Wan towards Yuxiang Tower. She asked, "I've known Lord Wan for many years, but I didn't even know your name. I'm really careless."
Lord Wan laughed heartily: "My name is Yan."
Wan Yan.
Shen Yuning was startled and bowed seriously: "So you're the head of the Wan family."
Wan Yan nodded and smiled: "Being the head of the family is just a nice title. The Wan family has come to this stage not just because of the head of the family. The hard - working descendants of the family are the ones who support the whole family. All I can do is know people well and put them in the right positions."
Shen Yuning had long heard of Wan Yan's name. The Wan family had always been a wealthy merchant family, but it was only in Wan Yan's generation that it truly flourished. At that time, the wealth of the Wan family was even greater than that of the Qiao family, and they almost replaced the Qiao family.
Later, Wan Yan withstood the pressure from his family and donated most of his family fortune to the court, which helped ease the external threats and internal turmoil of the past two years.
It was precisely because of the half of the family fortune he donated that the Wan family, which used to be at the top, suddenly became mediocre. As for the entanglement between the Qiao and Wan families, the outcome was also decided.
This was also the reason why Shen Yuning admired the Wan family more. People said that the Qiao family was the number one imperial merchant. How could the later - rising Wan family compete? But in Shen Yuning's opinion, the Wan family not only donated most of their family fortune but also refused the emperor's rewards. They were truly a magnanimous family.
When they reached the third - floor, the most luxurious private room, Shen Yuning only then realized that the famous Yuxiang Tower in the capital was actually a property of the Wan family. In the past, when she and her sister came to drink tea, they only had access to the private rooms on the second floor, while the private rooms on the third floor were only for the head of the family.
Wan Yan got straight to the point: "Lady Shen, in a few days, I will leave the capital and go to various places in the Great Zhou to raise food and supplies."
Shen Yuning was shocked: "Food and supplies? Has there been another battle on the border?"
Wan Yan nodded: "Yes. The northwest border was originally guarded by General Gao, but this year General Gao fell ill. As you know, most of the Gao family's descendants are engaged in literary pursuits, and the few who are in the military are not up to the task. For a while, there was no one available."
The Gao family was now thriving in the court. Many people didn't even know that, like the Zhu family, they also rose to prominence through military achievements.
Shen Yuning's mind was in turmoil. Throughout the generations of the Great Zhou, there had been a preference for the literary over the military. Sacrificing one's life on the battlefield was not as highly regarded as a few hasty words from a civil official or a refined scholar.
In times of peace, it might be okay, but now the Great Zhou was in a precarious state, yet this situation still persisted. Among the noble families, except for the Zhu family, no general had emerged for many generations.
Take the Gao family for example. Their ancestors were military generals who had fought alongside the founding emperor on the battlefield and had received high - ranking official positions and generous emoluments. However, they were now reluctant to let their descendants go to dangerous places.
In the battle at Wuyun that lasted for more than two years, most of the junior generals who were awarded were from poor backgrounds. Many of them only relied on brute force and couldn't even read a single character. They made military decisions based on momentary impulses and had no sense of assessing the situation.
Shen Yuning pondered and asked, "Is it going to be Prince Zhu who will be sent to fight in this battle again?"
It was the duty of military generals to fight in battles, but there were not a few military generals in the Great Zhou. They couldn't just rely on one family. The Zhu family didn't have many members. It had only been a little over three months since they returned from Wuyun.
Perhaps feeling that it was unfair, Shen Yuning's question was filled with strong dissatisfaction.
Wan Yan just shook his head lightly and showed a very calm smile: "Both blessings and misfortunes come from the emperor's grace. The emperor's will is unpredictable, and it's not for you and me to judge. However, it's not easy for a wise emperor to rule in troubled times. In times of trouble, weighing the pros and cons becomes of utmost importance."
Shen Yuning calmed down and realized that Wan Yan's words were true. Those in high positions were used to weighing the pros and cons, but the pros for court officials often favored themselves, while they usually shifted the cons onto others.
When she looked up again, she was suddenly enlightened: "If Lord Wan doesn't mind, I'd like to go with you."
Wan Yan was quite surprised. He looked Shen Yuning up and down and rarely clapped his hands and said with a smile: "In the alley, although I scolded Miss Qiao, it was mostly because I thought that the daughters raised in the inner courtyard were spoiled. Now that you're a lady of the countryside and also a daughter of the Xue family, I thought you'd be like other noble ladies, raised delicately in the inner courtyard, waiting to marry a good husband."
Shen Yuning laughed along: "Daughters raised in deep boudoirs read a few more books and think they're extremely smart and clever. It's ridiculous. They're actually like frogs in a well. Only by going out, traveling a thousand miles, and seeing the rivers and mountains of the Great Zhou can one truly gain wide knowledge."
These words were aimed at those noble ladies who often held tea - flower poetry gatherings, and also at herself in the past.
Seeing the young girl in front of him being so heroic, Wan Yan nodded in approval and said, "Regarding the matter of raising supplies, I've made an agreement with the fourth young master of the Chen family to set off on the fourth day of next month."
The fourth young master of the Chen family, Chen Wenwei?
Shen Yuning frowned slightly. It wasn't that she didn't like Chen Wenwei. It was just that she always heard others trying to match her with Chen Wenwei. These days, she had been trying to avoid him as much as possible. She not only avoided Chen Wenwei but also rarely saw the Chen family members. She just didn't want to have any association with him.
If they were to travel together for this mission of raising food and supplies, even with Lord Wan around, rumors about them would probably spread.
Actually, Shen Yuning didn't think that a woman's so - called reputation was that important. But...
But she still had unfinished business and didn't want to get married. She didn't want to drag others down either.
More serious than the battle in the northwest was the disasters in many places of the Great Zhou. There was a severe drought in the northeast for the first time in many years, and a plague broke out in the southwest after the floods. The most serious one was the collapse of the Xishan silver mine, the largest silver mine in the Great Zhou. Countless miners were buried under the bottomless mine.
The domestic turmoil and external threats were even more serious than those of the past two years.
At this moment in the court, the voice that emerged was not about rescue and disaster relief in various places, but a plea from the Imperial Observatory. The divination of the Imperial Observatory showed that these disasters were caused by the planet Jupiter, and metal was needed to overcome it.
As soon as this was said, the court fell into silence. No one dared to say another word.
The crown prince's name was Fusu, which meant a small tree.
A few months ago, the second prince's concubine gave birth to the third imperial grandson, who was born at a time corresponding to metal. The emperor loved him and named him Yin Shijin.