My wife has a secret

Chapter 255 Nylon Thread

"Did you see it just now? The most talented lady in the capital was so beautiful that she looked like a fairy... I can't believe there is such a beautiful lady in the world."

Although Shen Shuangxu's father is well-known both at home and abroad, she herself rarely appears in public.

When solving several strange cases, Shen Shuangxu was usually able to predict the situation and would stay in the government office where the crime occurred, letting Mingzhu act on his behalf.

Therefore, this first appearance in public made the people watching very excited.

"If you ask me, although the eldest wife Shen is pretty, her expression is a little too cold... Besides, when my husband comes home, why would I let my concubine speak up? In my opinion, the gentle, charming and graceful fourth wife Qin is prettier."

"Yes, yes, Qin is also very much to my liking! My second uncle is responsible for delivering food to the Xu family. I heard that...Fourth House Qin is in charge of the family business and keeps everything in order. And she smiles to everyone she meets, and the smile on her face can melt people's hearts."

Many people have the same feeling about this statement. No matter how beautiful Shen Shuangxu is, she exudes a kind of coldness that can only be admired from a distance and not touched.

What really makes the public yearn for her is a beautiful courtesan like Qin, who is an expert in everything from dressing to makeup, not to mention how capable she is, handling many matters for the Marquis' Mansion.

"Is there no one who likes the Third House Lu family?"

"I think the second wife Yang is also good."

Everyone was chattering non-stop, causing a huge commotion in front of the Marquis of Guangping's mansion, and it took a long time for the crowd to disperse.

……

Xu Qing was completely unaware of what was happening outside; his attention was focused on the women in front of him.

This was the first time that the four beauties appeared in the same frame, so Xu Qing was afraid that these women from different backgrounds would have some disputes, causing a fire in his backyard and making him restless.

But judging from the current atmosphere, there seems to be no problem.

Qin Shuying was wearing colorful clothes embellished with delicate embroidery, which made her look particularly charming.

She led everyone to the lobby, then turned to Xu Qing and said, "My dear husband, you must have been exhausted on the journey. Please come in."

"it is good."

Xu Qing had just taken two steps when he saw Lu Wanhe, dressed in white, approaching him. He coughed twice and asked, "Husband, the palace is tight on information. Sister Shen's Chengxuanfang can't get any useful information. Are you...having a good life in the palace? Are you suffering?"

Raising his eyes slightly, Lu Wanhe's soft and graceful face with a worried look came into view.

Naturally, Xu Qing couldn't reveal all his experiences in the palace, so he could only reply with "Not bad".

Ji Xia stood behind Lu Wanhe. Although she didn't dare to say anything in front of everyone, she pouted and secretly glared at Xu Qing.

"It must be tiring standing outside. If you have anything to say, come in and talk."

Hearing Qin Shuying's urging in the hall, Xu Qing and Lu Wanhe walked in one after another and sat in their seats.

The current Guangping Marquis Mansion is completely different from when he first arrived, and everything in the mansion is brand new.

The high-hanging glass lamps illuminate every corner of the hall, like stars scattered in this wide space. Even the furniture is made of agarwood, each one is carved with exquisite patterns, exuding a simple and elegant atmosphere.

The furnishings and arrangements here are all carefully planned, from various antiques to auspicious ornaments, from flowers to scrolls, all of which showcase the status and taste of the owner of the mansion.

Xu Qing's seat was on the left, while Shen Shuangxu had taken his seat earlier and had tidied his clothes.

Her expression was cold, noble and inviolable.

"Why are you so serious?"

After Xu Qing asked his question, Qin Shuying, who was sitting at the end of the table, glanced at him and said in a delicate voice: "Lord Xu, you know that our family's expenses are tight and we can only hold on for another month."

Among the four wives and concubines, only Lu Wanhe thought that the four rooms were gathered together today to welcome the guests.

The other three families all knew that the current saint was Xu Qing's aunt, and the previous appointments and protection alone were enough to show the love and care she had for her.

Today's meeting is mainly about miscellaneous matters in the mansion.

Before the wives and concubines moved into the marquis's mansion, they each had their own place to live and didn't have to worry about these trivial matters. But now that they all live together, they always have to worry about the daily necessities of life.

This sudden situation was obviously beyond Xu Qing's expectations, and he couldn't help but ask: "Why is it so little?"

Qin Shuying answered calmly in a soft and pleasant voice, "We inherited the palace of the Prince of Dongwan. The specifications here are higher than those of ordinary palaces. In addition, the Prince of Dongwan has expanded it privately, and has added buildings and areas in various parts of the palace, making it the most luxurious house in the capital."

When Xu Qing heard the title of the No. 1 luxury house, he realized something was wrong.

"The cost of maintaining such a mansion is already sky-high, and now that my husband is a marquis, he needs to take care of the six ministries and the upper and lower levels."

"Take care of it?"

Xu Qing asked, "I am already a marquis, aren't they trying to curry favor with me?"

"There are some flatterers, but since you have taken advantage of others, you should at least help them, right? Do you want to ask the saint for mercy for these people?"

Xu Qing was speechless.

Qin Shuying continued, "Besides, if I don't do these favors, where will I get the news and connections?"

"Uh."

"The expenses for each room and courtyard are also a large sum. The Marquis doesn't want us wives and concubines to wear patched and torn clothes and be seen by others and gossiped about, right?"

Qin Shuying finished speaking in one breath, and Xu Qing realized that being a marquis in ancient times was not an easy job.

He had to rack his brains to think of some solution.

"I heard from Lord Lianhua that the palace will arrange three thousand taels of gold."

Qin Shuying stared at Xu Qing with a bright gaze and asked, "My Lord, how long do you think three thousand taels of gold can last? Previously, the Prince of Dongwan had a rich family background, with countless rare treasures and antiques, which were more than enough to cover the expenses of the mansion. Now..."

Qin Shuying suddenly changed her tone and asked Xu Qing, "I thought my husband had devised a clever plan to send refugees from Huangling Pass, and I had already made preparations. Now it seems that my husband has left me no escape route at all."

"Cough cough..."

When it comes to sarcastic remarks, Qin Shuying is definitely the leader among the four.

This speech made Xu Qing blush and feel useless... He really didn't think about the long-term, and at that time he only wanted to solve the problem of refugees.

These things were caused by Huangling Pass, so Yang Xianning, who was sitting in the second seat, couldn't bear to watch it. She took the initiative to stand up and said: "There are some valuable items among the things that the Yang family brought out from Huangling Pass..."

After taking off her armor skirt, she was wearing an emerald green silk long skirt with a thin white belt tied around her waist, which complemented the long skirt and made her look slender and graceful. Such a beautiful lady naturally became a hot topic outside the palace.

Many people did not believe that the famous General Yang could be so beautiful and doubted whether she could lift the knife.

But before Yang Xianning could finish her words, Qin Shuying took the initiative to refuse.

"If we want to expand our household expenses, we can only increase income and reduce expenditure... Sister Yang's method can only be used as an emergency measure. In another month, we will still be on the verge of bankruptcy."

Hearing this, Lu Wanhe, who was originally planning to raise his hand to speak, became disheartened and sat back in his seat silently.

She originally wanted to borrow some money from the Nie Mansion, but it doesn't mean she doesn't have to pay back the borrowed money, so there is no substantial difference between what the second house did.

"Then do some business."

Shen Shuangxu, who was sitting next to Xu Qing, suddenly asked, "Are there any businesses you are familiar with?"

When Shen Shuangxu asked this question, everyone in the room looked at Qin Shuying at the same time.

Even though Qin Shuying's face had been tempered through thousands of trials, it couldn't help but turn slightly red and feel a little hot.

"Wait! I have a good living!"

Xu Qing's interruption drew everyone's attention in the room to himself.

He said excitedly: "I had met a medicine merchant from Yunnan before, during my aunt's coronation ceremony."

"Drug dealer?"

Shen Shuangxu is indeed a remarkable man, with a memory far beyond that of ordinary people. He was able to discern the man's identity based on just the two pieces of information revealed in Xu Qing's words.

"Are you talking about the Huang family in the southern border of Yunnan and Yunnan, Huang Sheng?"

"Yes."

"The selection of imperial merchants is extremely strict, and as far as I know, the wild medicinal herbs sent by Yundian were first presented to Princess Danyang by Huang. After the fall of the Princess's Mansion, this line was drawn to the Ministry of Revenue."

Shen Shuangxu was not very optimistic about this business. Interfering with the medicinal materials sent to the capital by the Huang family was equivalent to touching other people's cake.

"I'm not talking about medicinal herbs."

Xu Qing pretended to be mysterious and whetted people's appetite, and said with a smile: "I heard from Huang Sheng before that there is an ancient pond somewhere in southern Xinjiang, which is regarded as a miracle by the locals. It is said that it is the habitat of a certain dragon. It once spun silk and cocooned in the pond, leaving a large number of relics in the pond."

After hearing Xu Qing's mysterious words, even Lu Wanhe, who had always supported him, frowned, thinking that this matter was a little unreliable.

"Huang Sheng thought it was some kind of medicinal material, so he took it to the market to sell, but the sales were not good... But after I inspected it, I found that it was very similar to a kind of nylon thread. We rented a workshop outside the capital, and after special processing, we can make socks with a more novel appearance."

Qin Shuying, who always paid attention to dressing up, looked at Xu Qing and felt that her husband was crazy.

She had worn gold and silver jewelry and various types of dresses, but she had never heard of a pair of socks that would set off a fashion trend and be imitated by women all over the world.

"Believe me, this thing will definitely become a hot-selling item once it is launched."

In order to make his wives and concubines believe in him, Xu Qing even used his personality as a guarantee.

Unfortunately, Shen Shuangxu obviously disagreed with this matter. She just stood up and said calmly: "Shuangxu sees that my husband is tired, so I will go back to the room first... Let's talk about this matter after my husband has rested well."

With the eldest wife setting an example, the wives and concubines in the other rooms also stood up, bowed their heads, and saluted in the direction of Xu Qing.

Xu Qing saw that the lobby, which was crowded just now, was now empty, and he immediately felt that the development of the situation was different from what he had expected.

But when he reached the door, he discovered that there was another room that had not left the yard.

"Although I don't know whether my husband's idea is true or false, but when I opened the Exiled Immortal Tower, I left a workshop near Suzhou. The masters there were all trustworthy people, and I invited them to the Exiled Immortal Tower back then."

Although Qin Shuying still looked reluctant, she tilted her head and said, "If my husband thinks that nylon is useful, please design a draft and make a sample, and give it to me for evaluation. If it is really good enough, I will mobilize the assets of Suzhou and make full efforts to make this happen."

Unexpectedly, there is no way out despite the mountains and rivers, and there is another village with dark flowers and bright flowers.

Qin Shuying, who was originally the least optimistic about this idea, couldn't bear to see her husband's disappointed expression, so she gave him a way out.

Of course, she didn't hold out any hope for this matter, so after saying this, she bowed and turned away.

Yang Liu, who did not follow her young lady, smiled and said to Xu Qing, "My Lord, please don't blame my young lady. She has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. She thinks of you all the time but won't say it out loud."

Xu Qing also felt the same way and asked, "Why?"

"My Lord, I heard that you were having an affair in the palace again."

Xu Qing's heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't help but think, could it be that someone had discovered the affair between him and his aunt?
"She seems to be a maid in the palace named Amber? I heard that when the Marquis goes to bed at night, he always holds her little feet and plays with them for half an hour before going to sleep."

"Cough cough..."

The impact of this sentence was so strong that Xu Qing almost died on the spot.

He was so angry that his teeth itched and asked, "Who said that?"

"The eunuchs in the palace said so. They came to ask the first wife Shen two days ago. They said that the Marquis was very romantic in the palace and liked this maid very much. They asked how to deal with this maid. When they talked about this, my young lady and the second wife Yang were present."

Xu Qing suddenly realized why the women were so cold to him when they met today.

Apart from Lu Wanhe from the third house who expressed concern for him, the other three houses just talked about the matter at hand and did not bring up the topic of the palace.

"But don't worry, my Lord. My young lady is only angry for a moment. She loves you to death in her heart... The mansion has been in a tight spot for a while, and there were problems. It was my young lady who divided and sold the properties of the Exiled Immortal Tower to fill the hole."

Xu Qing was slightly startled and asked, "Why haven't I heard of this?"

"Of course, the Marquis doesn't know that the ornaments and furniture in the lobby are all fine products that my young lady asked each craftsman to carefully polish and carve. Although the value of these things is ordinary, the effort they put into them cannot be underestimated."

Yang Liu counted her tender white fingers and listed the young lady's good points one by one.

Then, she shook her finger in front of Xu Qing and said playfully and cutely, "My lady is not the kind of person who must tell others what she did, but her sincerity to the Marquis is evident. Please treat my lady well, the Marquis."

Xu Qing blinked, then made two promises to Yang Liu, indicating that he had kept them in mind.

Only in this way could Yang Liu put aside the worries in her heart, smile happily, and prepare to leave.

(End of this chapter)