Jinghong Tower

Chapter 401 Brother
As a female general who is as capable as any man, Li Jinxiu has fully demonstrated her strength.
Although the first generation Marquis Wu'an was a founding hero, he was inferior to Li Jinxiu in terms of achievements or fame.

Therefore, the old marquis tried hard to promote the marriage between his eldest son Lu Zhong and Li Jinxiu. Lu Zhong was as handsome as Pan An and Li Jinxiu was pretty, so the marriage became a natural outcome.

After Li Jinxiu married into the Lu family, her parents-in-law gave her all the power inside and outside the family. Whether when she was young or now, Li Jinxiu has the final say in the Lu family.

Li Jinxiu disliked the wife of Marquis Wu'an as her daughter-in-law from the bottom of her heart.

After all, the main reason was that the wife of Marquis Wu'an was obsessed with having a child. She prayed to gods and Buddhas everywhere in the hope of having a son. Li Jinxiu sneered at her, and the wife of Marquis Wu'an couldn't understand why her mother-in-law always mocked her for wanting a son, while she thought there was no mother-in-law who didn't want a grandson.

As a result, a rift arose between the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law. Later, Lu Zhen was nearly kidnapped by spies and was raised to be weak. Li Jinxiu was furious and left Lu Zhen in the capital, but asked the wife of Marquis Wu'an to accompany him to the border. They were away for many years. When the wife of Marquis Wu'an returned to the capital, she was shocked to find that Lu Zhen was no longer close to her. All he had in his eyes and heart was his grandmother, but not his biological mother.

Lady Wu'an Hou was heartbroken, and when she heard that Li Jinxiu wanted to arrange a marriage for Lu Zhen, she became anxious.

She immediately dropped her trump card and told them about her marriage to the He family in Zhending.

This happened a long time ago, and the wife of Marquis Wu'an was at the border for more than ten years in between, with no sign of returning to Beijing, so even she herself had forgotten about it.

If she had not wanted to compete with Li Jinxiu, Lady Wu'an Hou would probably have forgotten that she had ever had an arranged marriage in her lifetime.

When she heard about this marriage, Li Jinxiu sneered.

Keep pretending! I want to see what kind of good marriage you can arrange for your son.

Therefore, Li Jinxiu could not avoid being ridiculed, and when these sarcasms reached the ears of the wife of Marquis Wu'an, she became worried and anxious. On the one hand, she was glad that she finally had the upper hand, but on the other hand, she felt sorry that her outstanding son could only marry a girl from a humble family.

Conflicts between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law have existed since ancient times. It can only be said that Li Jinxiu is an extraordinary woman who cares about the world and is righteous, but when facing her daughter-in-law, she is just an ordinary person.

Now that she knew that Lu Zhen was driven away by the wife of Marquis Wu'an, Li Jinxiu called the wife of Marquis Wu'an over and scolded her, saying, "Now you know how anxious I am. If it weren't for your actions back then, my grandson would have been married long ago."

Of course, Li Jinxiu said this, but she was muttering in her heart that it was all thanks to this idiot who was so smart, otherwise she wouldn't know when she could meet the boss.

Mrs. Wu'an Marquis felt extremely aggrieved. He Ran became the head of the He clan, and it was clearly you who said that this marriage did not count. If you had not disagreed, my son would have married the head of the He clan long ago. No, it was the head of the He clan who would have become my daughter-in-law long ago.

Although Lady Wu'an Hou did not want to have a daughter-in-law who was more powerful than her mother-in-law, she would not object if that person was He Ran.

Although her son is not close to her, she knows her son's thoughts clearly because no one knows him better than his mother.

As long as her son likes it, she will agree even if she has to grit her teeth.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law parted unhappily.

The wife of Marquis Wu'an returned to her courtyard in a bad mood, and saw Cai Yinlan with a fawning look on her face.

The wife of Marquis Wu'an was even more upset.

What's the point of being so cautious?

She was so confused that she actually thought that she could just find a woman who looked somewhat like He Ran and make her son fall in love with her at first sight.

The wife of Marquis Wu'an did not hesitate. She found an excuse the next day, prepared a generous gift, and sent Cai Yinlan out of the house.

But the wife of Marquis Wu'an underestimated Cai Yinlan. Cai Yinlan had finally stepped into the Marquis's mansion with great difficulty. How could she be sent away with just a generous gift?
She said she wanted to go to the street to buy gifts for her family, so she left a day later. The wife of Marquis Wu'an didn't care and even asked the maid in the mansion to accompany Cai Yinlan to go shopping for gifts.

That night, Cai Yinlan developed a high fever. The next day, Lady Wu'an Hou learned that Cai Yinlan was ill. Although she felt that the illness was strange, she couldn't send her away knowing that she was ill. She could only let her recuperate in the mansion first.

Cai Yinlan secretly rejoiced. That night she gritted her teeth and poured a large bucket of cold water on her head. But she was worried that this was not enough, so she stood in front of the window, dripping wet, to get some fresh air.

Fortunately, she was really sick.

Lu Zhen won’t stay in Zhending forever, so I will stay sick until he comes back.

What happened here soon reached Li Jinxiu's ears. How could such a little trick be hidden from Li Jinxiu's eyes?
She was about to call the wife of Marquis Wu'an over to reprimand her when she heard something.

Zong Qi, the Huizhou businessman who was once summoned by the boss, is now courting his own granddaughter!
Lee Chin Hsiu.
The confidant said, "Mr. Zong sent Miss Chang a pair of saddles a few days ago. This is the first time I have seen such a gorgeous saddle in my life. It is inlaid with gold and jade. It is obvious that the girl likes it."

"Did Chang'er accept it?" Li Jinxiu thought to herself. Her granddaughter had seen all kinds of good things, but a saddle was not something Chang'er liked.

The old woman said, "Miss Chang accepted it, and immediately put on the saddle and rode out of the city."

Lee Chin Hsiu.
"How does that person know Chang'er?" Li Jinxiu asked.

The confidant whispered, "It seems that it was because of buying a house. Zong Qi bought two houses in the capital. Miss Chang found them for him, and even the craftsmen who repaired them were found by Miss Chang. By the way, that Mr. Zong is not an ordinary person. He is not only the head of the Huizhou Zong family, but also the new leader of the Cao Gang. The head of the He family thinks highly of him. Since he came to Beijing, he has been summoned several times, and all of them were in Laomofang Hutong."

"Laomofang Hutong?" Li Jinxiu's expression became serious.

There is a huge difference between being summoned in the palace and being summoned in Laomofang Hutong.

Li Jinxiu paced in the room. The fact that Lu Chang could find a house for Zong Qi and help him with renovations showed that Lu Chang at least did not dislike this person. As for the saddle, forget it. She should go meet Zong Qi first.

Zong Qi is actually very busy. Whether it is the Zong family's business or the affairs of the Cao Gang, he has to do many things personally, not to mention the tasks assigned to him by He Ran.

Even so, Zong Qi still took time out of his busy schedule to curry favor with Lu Chang.

Today, before he even left the house, he received a return gift from Lu Chang.

It was a folding fan, with a painting of hundreds of boats competing in the current on the fan.

With hundreds of boats competing in the current, it is very appropriate to give this fan to the leader of the Cao Gang.

Zong Qi was overjoyed, and then he looked at the seal on it, which was the word "Qing Huan". Huan Chang, Qing Huan?
Zong Qi smiled. This small seal engraved with the words "Qinghuan" was most likely Lu Chang's casual seal. So this fan must have been painted by Lu Chang himself.

Zong Qi was overjoyed and wished she could see Lu Chang right away, but she knew that Lu Chang must be busy at this hour, so she decided not to disturb her.

Today a batch of rice and grain shipped from Wuxi arrived at the shore. Zong Qi led the horse and prepared to go to the dock.

It is about a hundred miles from the capital to the dock. Even if we ride at full speed, we will arrive in the afternoon. We will have to stay at the dock today and will be back tomorrow at the earliest.

Zong Qi went to the dock with only four followers. As soon as he got off his horse, he heard a quarrel.

I could only see a group of people gathered in front of me, but I couldn’t see what was happening inside.

Zong Qi winked and one of his men went over. After a moment, he came back and said, "Boss, Wuxi sent out fifty ships, and now forty-nine have arrived. The other one has not arrived yet. The government officials have arrived, and the brother who is leading the navigation is arguing with them."

These fifty ships of rice were government grain. Fifty ships were sent out, but only forty-nine arrived, with one ship missing. This must be the responsibility of the Cao Gang.

"Shouldn't we go find a boat first? Why are we arguing?" Zong Qi's face was gloomy.

The subordinate lowered his voice and said, "There are government officials on that boat. The brother who is now piloting the boat said it is none of our business and that it was the government officials who asked us to turn the boat around. The government officials who came to pick up the boat naturally refused to believe it, and the two sides started arguing."

Zong Qi was startled and said to his men, "Call the pilot over here."

Soon, a sturdy man in his thirties came over. Those who can serve as pilots are all experienced, including this one.

His name is Fu Dajiang. He started following adults on a boat when he was seven years old, and it has been thirty years now.

Seeing Zong Qi, Fu Dajiang hurriedly saluted. Zong Qi asked, "Why is there a government official on the boat? Who is that person?"

Fu Dajiang said: "When the brothers were loading the ship in Wuxi, four people came. They said they were from Yuhang. They were new officials sent by the court to Yuhang for internship. Now their term is up, and they are going back to Beijing. They want to take our ship to Beijing together.

They had official credentials in their hands, and after I looked at them, I agreed to let them take my boat. Originally, I wanted them to take my boat, but later they started chatting with Wang Dayu. One of them was from the same hometown as Wang Dayu, so he told me that he wanted to go on Wang Dayu's boat. Could I say no?
In this way, the four of them boarded Wang Dayu's boat. Wang Dayu's boat was at the end of the line, but it disappeared halfway.

I was worried about delaying the trip, so I sent Li Er and Zhao Wu with a dozen brothers to find boats, and I took the 49 boats to Beijing first. "

Zong Qi frowned and asked, "What are the names of those four people?"

Fu Dajiang said the names, and Zong Qi asked one of his men to return to the capital quickly and go to Laomofang Hutong, asking Xiaoli to ask if these four people were there.

After his men left, Zong Qi started chatting with the people sent by the government to pick up the boat: "Don't worry, the Cao Gang will definitely take responsibility for this matter to the end."

After pacifying the government officials, Zong Qi ordered his men to unload the ships. There were forty-nine ships of rice and grain, and all the porters at the dock were mobilized and were busy.

Suddenly, Zong Qi saw an old lady among the porters coming and going, looking around in a panic.

Zong Qi walked over and said to the old lady, "Old lady, we are working here. Are you here to look for someone? Be careful, don't let them bump into you."

The old lady glared at him unhappily: "Who are you looking for? Can't I just come here to watch the fun?"

Zong Qi saw that although the old lady was wearing only linen clothes and had not a single piece of jewelry on her body, her neck was straight and her chin was slightly raised when she spoke. She did not look like an old lady but more like a general commanding thousands of troops. It was obvious that she was not to be messed with.

"Okay, then you can watch the fun here. It's safer here." Zong Qi said.

The old lady snorted coldly: "They were transporting grain for the government and even lost the boat. This is really a big deal."

Seeing her rude words, one of his men was about to say something but was stopped by Zong Qi, who said, "Don't worry, old man. Since this matter is the responsibility of the Cao Gang, the Cao Gang will be responsible to the end. You may not be able to see the excitement you want to see for a while. Where do you live? I'll have someone take you home."

The old lady's expression eased a little. She looked Zong Qi up and down and suddenly said, "I just heard someone say that there were four officials on the boat you lost. This matter could be a big deal or a small one. How do you want to deal with it?"

Zong Qi was stunned. Is this really an old lady who has nothing to do and comes to watch the fun?
His eyes dropped slightly, and happened to fall on the old lady's cuffs, where half of a bracelet made of small-leaf red sandalwood was revealed.

Zong Qi was startled, as his sister had said that Madam Zhongyi liked skewers!
It's because he's blind.

Who else in the world could be this old lady with such a majestic look that could kill people except Li Jinxiu?

Zong Qi's hair stood on end. It was his fault. He should have sought his grandmother's consent before pursuing her granddaughter.

Mrs. Zhongyi wouldn't think he is a lecher, would she?

But then again, if I get my grandmother's consent first, how is that different from an arranged marriage?
He wanted to obtain Lu Chang's consent first, and then go to the Lu family to propose marriage.

Zong Qi's expression remained unchanged. He had someone bring a chair and serve tea. While watching people coming and going on the dock, he sipped his tea and chatted with Li Jinxiu about the customs and people along the canal.

Li Jinxiu fought in many battles when she was young, but in the past twenty or thirty years, she has not been anywhere. She is eager to know the situation of the people in the south of the Yangtze River after the war.

When Lu Zhen came back, she asked a few questions, but Lu Zhen was either fighting or preparing for war, and he knew very little about how the people were doing. Li Jinxiu couldn't get anything out of him, so she stopped asking.

But Zong Qi is different. No matter he is a businessman or a gang leader, he is a commoner. What he sees and hears is far more detailed than Lu Zhen who only knows how to fight.

"Few people in Jiangnan fled? Why? Aren't they afraid of war?"

Li Jinxiu still remembers that before the army arrived, the people had fled with their families. There were refugees everywhere, wearing tattered clothes and starving. Some sold their children, and some even exchanged their own sons for food. It was so miserable.

Zong Qi shook his head. "Since the Ran army went south to start the war, I haven't heard of any civilians fleeing when they heard about the war. Even if there were, they were definitely not civilians. They were either officials' families or merchants. Some villages farther away didn't even know about the war outside. The Ran army never entered the villages. When they needed supplies, they only sent a few people into the villages. Although the civilians in the county town were afraid of the war, they didn't flee. Most of them stayed indoors. They didn't go out until the war was over. Then they went to the streets to buy rice and vegetables."

This was the first time that Li Jinxiu had heard of these things. She was amazed. It was not like this when Lu Zhen attacked Zhending. She heard from Zuo Xiaoai that the city gates were closed for several months at that time to prevent anyone from escaping.

It was only a few years later that the people's reaction changed completely.