"I heard that Luo Jing used the Zhao family's money to open several shops on his own outside."
Master Zhao was extremely shocked. "Really?!"
"I just found out about it. I heard that the most famous rouge shop in the city is under Luo Jing's name. And, sir, haven't you noticed over the years that the first branch has become less and less respectful to you? Take the incident of Luo Ning last time..."
As soon as the matter of Zhao Luoning was mentioned, Master Zhao's face instantly fell.
"Luo Ning is already married. Don't mention this matter again. If others find out, it will only do harm, not good, to either Luo Ning or your Luoyue."
Madam Zhao, the second wife, quickly changed her tune. She rubbed her head against Master Zhao's chest and spoke softly.
"Don't worry, sir. It's only in front of you that I pour out my heart to you. I definitely won't breathe a single word to others. So, sir, you should also be more careful. Not everyone is like me, whole - heartedly devoted to you."
"If Luo Jing really opened shops behind my back, I'll teach him a good lesson!" Thinking of this, Master Zhao stood up. "I still have to go to Ji Shisu's banquet. Otherwise, I'll really be kept in the dark and be made a fool of."
Seeing that her goal had been achieved, Madam Zhao, the second wife, was all smiles. She praised Master Zhao for his wisdom several times and seemingly casually mentioned,
"Sir, actually, Luoming is also very talented. What do you think if..."
Master Zhao shook his head as soon as he heard this.
"If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten. How many days has Luoming been away? First, get your good son to come back and focus on family matters."
As Master Zhao said this, he pushed Madam Zhao, the second wife, away and got up to leave.
Watching Master Zhao's departing back, Madam Zhao, the second wife, gritted her silver teeth so hard that she almost broke them.
She truly hated.
How could the wife of the first branch, such a timid woman, give birth to such difficult - to - deal - with triplets?
One was removed, but there was still another, and each one was more troublesome than the last.
Seeing her own fading beauty with age, it was impossible for Madam Zhao, the second wife, not to be anxious.
On the other hand, Master Zhao had already left the mansion with his servants.
As soon as Master Zhao got into the carriage, the young servant at the door turned around, took out a carrier pigeon from the porter's lodge, and released it.
The news soon reached Zhao Luoning's ears. She was on a mountain tea plantation, overseeing the progress of the new tea.
Zhao Luoning was a bit surprised. "Is Father being so cooperative this time?"
She had even prepared herself for the possibility that her father might scold her for not wanting to attend the banquet.
Feixing was not as talkative as Caixue. If Zhao Luoning didn't ask him, he would just stand there silently.
"Any movement from the Ji family?"
The Ji family seemed very busy these days. There were always people coming and going, but none of them were related to Furong Courtyard.
Feixing remembered Caixue's instructions in the letter not to let the young lady worry too much. There was no need to tell the young lady all the things that had nothing to do with her.
Thinking of this, Feixing replied concisely, "No."
Zhao Luoning nodded without thinking too much. She looked out of the window at the tea workers who were busy processing the tea.
These people trusted her so much that they had no complaints even though they were working day and night.
Their unconditional trust was both a responsibility and a pressure to her.
When Zhao Luoning felt tired, she would think of her grandfather's last words.
"Luo Ning, I'm entrusting the Zhao family to you."
These last words were like a shackle, trapping Zhao Luoning in this cage.
"Feixing, if one day I really abandon the Zhao family, do you think Grandfather will blame me in the afterlife?"
Feixing nodded and replied very honestly, "Yes."
Zhao Luoning: "..."
Feixing added, "But the young lady doesn't have to care. The old master was just using you."
Zhao Luoning: "Feixing, do you have to be so blunt?"
Feixing still spoke in that calm, unchanging tone. "I'm just stating the facts. If the young lady doesn't like to hear it, I'll stop."
Zhao Luoning: Sobs, Caixue is so much cuter!
Although Feixing's words were harsh and went straight to the heart, they were all true.
Actually, if she thought about it calmly, her grandfather had mostly used her.
When did her grandfather start using her as a pawn?
Counting it up, her life seemed to have been under her grandfather's control since she was born.
Back then, the Ji and Zhao families were on good terms. The Ji family wanted to betroth a Zhao girl in a baby - match. At that time, there were two Zhao girls.
Madam Zhao gave birth to triplets: the eldest daughter, Zhao Luoning, the son, Zhao Luojing, and the youngest daughter, Zhao Luoyu.
The two daughters among the triplets born to Madam Zhao were the candidates for the betrothal: the eldest daughter, Zhao Luoning, and the second daughter, Zhao Luoyu.
So, although the Ji and Zhao families didn't explicitly say who would be betrothed, under the circumstances at that time, the Zhao family members all silently assumed that the eldest miss, Zhao Luoning, was the one.
When Zhao Luoning was ten years old, her twin brother, Zhao Luojing, was bedridden due to poor health.
Seeing that the first branch was being forced to a dead end by the second branch, someone from the first branch urgently needed to stand up and support the family. So, Zhao Luoning had to put on her brother's clothes and pretend to be him to go on business trips with her grandfather.
Half a year later, "Zhao Luojing" became the pillar of the Zhao family.
And Zhao Luoning was discovered by her extremely shrewd grandfather, who had been in business for many years, to have new value to be exploited.
The old master of the Zhao family regretted it.
Although the Zhao family had many descendants, few of them were useful.
Master Zhao, his son, was muddle - headed and only had eyes for his beautiful concubine. The eldest grandson, Zhao Luochun, was mediocre, a hopeless blockhead...
Looking around, the only person the Zhao family could rely on was actually this little girl, Zhao Luoning!
This granddaughter was born to be raised as a grandson and do great things!
The old master of the Zhao family wanted to break the engagement.
But he didn't dare to offend the Ji family.
By that time, the Ji family was no longer the poor friend who had been destitute and relied on the Zhao family's help when the engagement was made.
The old master of the Ji family had entered the court as an official and was highly favored by the emperor. The Ji family was at the height of its power.
Coincidentally, the old master of the Ji family was a man of deep affection and righteousness. He was grateful for the old master Zhao's help when he was in poverty and insisted on fulfilling the engagement between the Ji and Zhao families. As soon as his second son, Ji Shisu, reached the marriageable age, he sent someone to the Zhao family to ask for the girl's birth details.
At this time, Zhao Luoning was in men's clothing and couldn't get married, and Zhao Luoyu had already passed away unexpectedly. Her death had become a family secret that couldn't be mentioned and was removed from the family genealogy.
The only one left was the concubine - born Zhao Luoyue.
The old master of the Zhao family was very sly. He didn't say which granddaughter he was going to marry off and sent Zhao Luoyue's birth details, using her clan name, Zhao Xinyue, on the paper.
In Huangcheng, the custom always respected the clan. The clan name was different from the family name and was generally used on important occasions.
This rule actually made it convenient for the old master to deceive others.
After the birth details were matched and the horoscopes were compatible, the marriage was settled.
The old master of the Zhao family was so afraid that others would find out his deception that he then ordered Zhao Luoning not to show herself in public. The Zhao family members, not knowing the inside story, thought that the old master disliked Zhao Luoning, so they rarely mentioned this eldest miss for fear of upsetting the old master.
The second young master of the Zhao family became famous far and wide, while the eldest miss of the Zhao family was gradually forgotten.
And Zhao Luoyue was dragged by Madam Zhao, the second wife, to many gatherings. She showed off her beauty and stole the show for a while, becoming extremely popular. As a result, the whole of Huangcheng thought that the Zhao family only had one miss, Zhao Luoyue.
This was exactly what the old master of the Zhao family wanted.
On his deathbed, he not only left his last words but also forced Zhao Luoning to swear!