The madam quickly welcomed Lianxiang into the room. After hearing Lianxiang's sobs, the madam felt extremely remorseful.
"I thought the Ji family, being powerful and wealthy, would be a good destination for you. I never imagined I was pushing you into a pit of fire."
"Mother, what's done is done. There's no use in dwelling on it. The old matriarch of the Ji Mansion said that as long as the second young mistress is around, I'll never have a chance to rise. Mother, it's time to offer that woman to the second master."
"Do you really have to do this? But won't you lose the second master's favor then?"
Lianxiang smiled bleakly.
"I don't have the second master's favor now either. Right now, the most important thing is to secure the position of the child in my belly."
The madam sighed and said, "Well... if you've really made up your mind, I can help you. But you have to be prepared. Once that woman is given to the second master, you'll never gain the second master's favor again in your life."
Lianxiang hesitated for a moment, then reached out to touch her still-flat belly and nodded.
"Mother, it's okay. I've already thought it through."
Hearing this, the madam didn't say much. She got up, patted Lianxiang on the shoulder, and went out to give orders.
On the other hand, the tea-tasting banquet was coming to an end. Ji Shisu had an appointment with Chen Chuliu, so he had to leave first. He only said that he would bring gifts to the Zhao Mansion to apologize in the evening.
Zhao Luoning nodded in agreement.
Just after seeing off Ji Shisu, Feixing appeared.
"Miss, the third young master has been detained."
"Detained?" Zhao Luoning was puzzled. "By whom?"
"People from the Sima family."
Mentioning the Sima family, Zhao Luoning just remembered that she seemed to have promised to meet Sima Yi before. But when her eldest brother had an accident, she forgot about it.
"What do they want with Zhao Luoming?"
"Sima Yi said he wants to see you."
"See me?"
Zhao Luoning understood.
Sima Yi wanted to see Zhao Luojing.
At this moment, Zhao Luoming was sweating profusely with anxiety in the meeting hall.
He knew that the Sima family was well-known, so he naturally didn't dare to offend them. He had already sent someone to the mountain to ask for instructions from Zhao Luojing, but there was no news for a long time.
"Brother Sima, my second elder brother has always been in poor health. It's no use waiting here. How about I arrange a guest room for you so that you can rest first?"
Sima Yi smiled and sipped his tea. He replied unhurriedly, "I'm not in a hurry. I can wait."
Sima Yi was from a nomadic tribe. He looked different from the people in the Central Plains. His skin was dark, and his facial features were more profound. Moreover, the nomadic people were famous for being tall and strong. Even when he spoke softly and unhurriedly without smiling, he still made people feel pressured.
This man had been waiting here for two hours.
He could afford to wait, but Zhao Luoming couldn't.
He still had the finishing work of the tea-tasting banquet to do. He couldn't just leave this big customer. He was almost dying of anxiety.
Just when Zhao Luoming was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, a voice came from outside.
"I've kept the honored guest waiting for so long."
"Zhao Luojing" walked in from the door, waving a folding fan.
Dressed in men's clothing, Zhao Luoning had an extraordinary air. Holding the fan, she paced in. Against the background of the misty tea mountain, her elegant figure was like a tea leaf immersed in water. For a moment, people were completely entranced.
Zhao Luoning gave Zhao Luoming a look, and the latter immediately understood. He exchanged a few words of greeting and then left.
Zhao Luojing, accompanied by Feixing, came to meet Sima Yi.
Sima Yi was stunned for a moment when he saw Zhao Luoning. Then he got up with a smile.
"Second young master of the Zhao family, I've long admired your name." As he said this, he reached out his hand to Zhao Luoning.
Zhao Luoning glanced at his thick, calloused hand, smiled, and made a bowing gesture with the fan.
Sima Yi didn't say anything. He smiled and retracted his hand.
There was a reason why Sima Yi was eager to see Zhao Luojing.
He took a fancy to the cloth from the Zhao family's silk and satin shop and wanted to cooperate with the Zhao family to sell the Zhao family's cloth overseas.
"It's not that I'm making things difficult for the third young master. I know that the matter of the Zhao family's silk and satin shop can only be discussed with you."
Zhao Luoning frowned. What did he mean?
The Zhao family's silk and satin shop had been transferred to Zhao Luoning's name when the old master of the Zhao family was still alive. It had been separated from the Zhao family.
The old master of the Zhao family knew about this. At that time, the Zhao family's silk and satin shop was in a complete mess. He had already planned to close it down. Zhao Luoning proposed to keep it and give it a try. She would be responsible for the profits and losses, which had nothing to do with the Zhao family. Only then did the old master of the Zhao family agree.
This was also the last thing the old master of the Zhao family regretted before he died.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Luoning revitalized the Zhao family's silk and satin shop in just one year.
In just three years, she had made the Yunjin brocade a tribute item and famous all over the country.
But by then, the Zhao family's silk and satin shop had already become Zhao Luoning's personal property. Besides being envious, the Zhao family master could do nothing.
This was also what surprised Zhao Luoning.
Only a few people knew about this. Even her father, the Zhao family master, was kept in the dark. Because the silk and satin shop still bore the name of the Zhao family, the whole world thought it was still the Zhao family's business.
Zhao Luoning looked at Sima Yi warily. Did this man know the inside story, or was he just talking casually?
Sima Yi also understood Zhao Luoning's wariness. He smiled and changed the topic.
"I wonder if the second young master of the Zhao family has a sister who looks very much like you?"
"Sister?" Zhao Luoning was stunned. She was about to ask if he meant Zhao Luoyue, but then she thought that although Zhao Luoyue was her sister, they didn't look alike at all.
Zhao Luoyue looked more like her stepmother. She had an oval face and almond-shaped eyes, beautiful yet charming.
People who were jealous of Zhao Luoyue's title of "the most beautiful woman in town" often said behind her back that she was the reincarnation of a fox spirit. In fact, there was some truth to it.
But Zhao Luoning's face inherited more of her mother's gentleness. She was completely different from Zhao Luoyue's overbearing beauty.
Even if Sima Yi's eyesight was really bad, he shouldn't think that Zhao Luoyue looked like him.
"Why do you say so, Brother Sima?" Zhao Luoning asked curiously.
"Oh, I'm just asking casually. Don't be nervous. I had a chance encounter with the young lady of the Zhao family. Her eyebrows and eyes are quite similar to yours. So when I saw you, I suddenly remembered and just asked casually, just casually."
Only then did Zhao Luoning realize that she was also Zhao Luoning's sister. So she explained:
"I guess the sister Brother Sima is talking about must be my elder sister. Luojing and my elder sister were born of the same mother and are close in age. There are indeed many similarities in our appearance."
Hearing about Zhao Luoning, the two people from the Ji family also became interested and asked,
"Is the elder sister mentioned by Brother Luojing the current second young mistress of the Ji family who married into the Ji family not long ago?"
Zhao Luoning nodded and took a big gulp of wine. Hearing this, Sima Yi couldn't help showing a look of regret and remorse.
For some reason, after hearing this, Sima Yi, who had been high-spirited before, suddenly lost his interest.
Before Zhao Luoning could urge him, he had already got up to say goodbye.
Zhao Luoning was completely confused by him. Seeing that he was about to get up, she could only see him off.
Not long after Sima Yi's carriage left, it stopped by the roadside.
In the bushes, there was a rustling sound of leaves rubbing against cloth. Soon, a group of black-clothed men appeared in front of Sima Yi. All the black-clothed men knelt on one knee and greeted Sima Yi in the carriage in unison.
"Master."
Sima Yi didn't even lift his eyelids. He just asked coldly,
"Do you have any results for the matter I asked you to investigate?"
The leading black-clothed man replied,
"The Zhao family master has a legal wife and a concubine. The eldest young master of the Zhao family, Zhao Luochun, the second young master, Zhao Luojing, and the eldest young lady, Zhao Luoning, were all born of the legal wife. The second young lady, Zhao Luoyue, and the third young master, Zhao Luoming, were all born of the concubine. There are only two young ladies in the Zhao family. The second young lady is arrogant and domineering, but because of her outstanding appearance, she is known as 'the most beautiful woman in town'."
Sima Yi nodded. Logically, he should be satisfied with such detailed information, but he still had some doubts, so he continued to dig deeper.
"What about the information about the eldest young lady, Zhao Luoning?"