♂?，，

  Lin Lan happily locked the letter into her exclusive treasure box.

  Li Mingyun still maintained the pose of putting down his pen, recalling word by word and sentence by sentence. Just now, in response to her request, he seemed to have added another sentence. Later, all the words he wrote, as well as the salary and silver he earned, and the gifts he received, would all belong to her... Hmm! Doesn't that mean that if he offends her, he might end up penniless? And be penniless for a lifetime?

  "That...Lan'er, I think there's something not quite right about this place..." Li Mingyun shouted.

  Lin Lan had already put away her pen and paper, turned around with a smile, the smile was radiating from within: "What's wrong? What's not right?"

  It's rare to see her so happy, Li Mingyan took a deep breath, and his lips slowly curled up into a perfect arc: "Nothing, if it feels right then it's right." Anyway, he wouldn't take another concubine, this oath was either kept or not.

  "Now let's talk about what happened in the past when Father called?" Lin Lan moved Jin Xun to his side, sat down next to him, and rarely affectionately held his arm.

  "But it's just asking me to evaluate how well my brother did on this test!" Li Mingyu seemed to be enjoying her pampered life, genuinely thinking that a piece of paper was worth a lifetime of peace of mind.

  "What does big brother think of his exam? Is there hope?" Lin Lan had taken a tranquilizer and even her voice was exceptionally gentle.

  "There is still hope. The ten major principles are all correct, and the timing of the strategy... One answer was pretty good, while the other two were so-so."

  Han's family was thoroughly disappointed, a mouthful of air stuck in her throat, unable to go up or down. Originally, she could have closed the door and cursed a few sentences to vent, but unexpectedly, the old lady came, sitting for more than half a day, saying she came to comfort her, but those comforting words were simply like pouring salt on her wound, suffocating her to the point of almost vomiting blood on the spot.

  It was a relief when the old lady finally left, but Han's mother had already cursed so much that she couldn't curse anymore, rolling her eyes and almost fainting again.

  Cuizhi poured hot tea and Jiang's mother supported Han Shi, feeding her two mouthfuls, then helped her massage her back and smooth out her breath for a long time before Han Shi finally caught her breath.

  "Didn't Lin Lan always think that Liu Niang was suffering from a cold womb and was being treated for it? How did she suddenly become pregnant?" Han Shi couldn't figure it out.

  Jiang's mother gave Cuizhi a signal and told her to go down.

  Cui Zhī hastily retreated.

  "Madam, maybe it's an accident..." Mrs. Jiang comforted the madam, also comforting herself. Otherwise, how could she say that? Perhaps we were all deceived by the second young mistress... If that's really the case, then it's terrible. This means that the old master already knew someone was poisoning him, and what's even more frightening is that he knew but endured it for so long without saying anything. It's really unbearable to think about.

  "Unexpected, is it really unexpected?" Han's eyes were filled with fear, and her voice trembled. The hidden worry in her heart grew stronger. When she heard that Liu Niang had become pregnant, she wasn't furious, but frightened. According to the doctor, with such a large dose of mercury, it was impossible to conceive, yet Lin Lan had been treating Liu Niang for infertility all along. Now, she was unmistakably pregnant. What did this mean?

  "Perhaps it's... after a long time, the toxicity of mercury has faded!" Jiang Mama understood her husband's thoughts very well.

  Moreover, Qiu cut out the medicinal dregs and stole them out, and Lao Nu also took them to test, and indeed they were medicine for treating palace cold syndrome.

  Han Yu silently for a long time: "It's better to be cautious, tomorrow go and invite a doctor back, ask him to carefully examine Liu Niang's body to see if there is anything wrong."

  "Yes! I'll go and take care of it early tomorrow morning." said Jiang Mama.

  Han scolded again, "Yu Lian that cheap slut hasn't been dealt with yet, and Liu's wife is pregnant with another illegitimate child. What kind of bad luck have I encountered?"

  "The old slave said that Miss Yu was not simple, looking honest and humble, who knew that she would suddenly cry and make a fuss, and even exposed the mistress. The old lady kept saying that someone from the Yu family should come to give an explanation to the madam."

  Han's silver teeth secretly bit: "I really regret inviting her, not helping at all, but instead being suppressed by her everywhere. Don't even mention how good the words are, what kind of grievances the daughter-in-law knows, the mother-in-law has always only recognized this daughter-in-law... actually, she only has her own son in her heart, with fairness hanging on her lips all day long, I think the saying 'the beam is not straight and the column is crooked' is really suitable for her."

  "Isn't it? When Old Lady Liu became pregnant, the old lady was overjoyed and couldn't close her mouth. Jiang's mother indignantly said: "Originally I had hoped that the old lady would take pity on the mistress and help her out a bit, but in the end! Whatever nonsense Master says becomes justified through her mouth."

  "Mrs. Jiang, help me think of a way to get this old woman back home as soon as possible. I don't expect her to do anything for me anymore. Just you wait! I won't believe that I'll be stuck on this one path forever."

  The next morning, Jiang's mother invited a doctor to come and went to Liu Niang's room. The old master was also there and was dismissed by the old master with one sentence... From then on, Liu Niang's body and the fetus in her belly were handed over to Er Shao Nai Nai for care, and others did not need to worry about it.

  Han's family received the news and was so angry that he couldn't swallow his breakfast or lunch.

  Li Mingyun's assessment was still quite accurate, and three days later, the results were announced. Ming had indeed passed, with a mediocre ranking. The Han family was overjoyed, and after several gloomy days, they finally saw some sunshine today. It made her believe that her luck was about to change. At the same time, her heart also broadened, and her vision became more far-sighted. Her mother-in-law and husband were unreliable, only her own son was trustworthy. As long as Ming had a good future, what was there to fear from Li Jingxian or Li Mingyun? Not to mention those concubines, who were just jesters.

  Ming then took the Ming Jing, and next he had to prepare for the trial of the Ministry of Justice. Li Jingxian and the Minister of Justice Ge had a good relationship, coincidentally on April 10th, Minister Ge's elderly mother was celebrating her 70th birthday. The Han family decided to take this opportunity to send a big gift, and get closer to Madame Ge again, paving the way for Ming.

  "Madam, you wanted a small Tianhuang stone, and I've found one. The quality is superb, the color is vibrant, it's absolutely a top-grade Tianhuang stone, and it's the treasure of our store." Zhao replied.

  "Never mind, how much did he ask for?"

  Zhao stretched out three fingers slowly.

  "Three hundred taels?" Jiang Mama took a cold breath.

  "It's gold." Zhao Guan added.

  "So expensive? The previous one already cost a thousand taels of silver, and this one is three hundred taels of gold..." Jiang Mama thought about it and felt heartache.

  "This is a top-grade Tian Huang, and the price isn't expensive at all. Even if you have money, it's not guaranteed that you can buy it. The seller only agreed to sell because they knew it was for our estate." said Zhao the steward.

  "Three hundred taels is just three hundred taels, as long as it's helpful to Master, spending any amount is worth it. Zhao, go tell the owner of Jibaozhai that we'll take the goods and pay the silver in two days." Madam Han said resolutely. If it were normal times, 300 taels of gold would be nothing to her, she wouldn't even bat an eyelid. The problem is that now is not a normal time, last month she was still scrambling to pay the interest on the borrowed money, and this sum of money still needs to be figured out.

  "Madam, it's gold." Zhao reminded.

  Mr. Han waved his hand impatiently: "I know, just go and come back like this."

  "Yes..." Zhao Guan Shi bowed and retreated.

  "Madam, this gift is worth around five or six thousand silver coins in total. Isn't it too much?" Mrs. Jiang asked tentatively. She was most aware of the madam's difficulties. Did she have to send these things? Weren't there still several treasures in the warehouse?

  Mr. Han sighed and said, "Aunt Jiang, don't you understand? This imperial examination is crucial. If we can get a good evaluation, Master will have an easier time getting a good assignment later on. Besides, giving gifts isn't just about being expensive, it's also about making others happy. That's called catering to their tastes, and it'll be twice as effective. I've already made some inquiries, and Governor Ge likes calligraphy and wood carvings, so that's settled then. It may be difficult, but we can hold on for just this short period of time. They say there will be good news from Shanxi in April, let's just hang in there!"

  That's true, but where does the money come from? Jiang Mama reminded: "This month we still have to pay interest on the loan!"

  "Let's just forget it, every time I think about interest, my head is going to explode."

  After some deliberation, Mrs. Han said: "I remember that the Jinxiu weaving and dyeing workshop mentioned wanting to buy out the storefront at Dongzhimen..."

  "Madam, you're planning... but that shop belongs to Second Young Master."

  Han's face sank: "What Second Master, those are all the old master's, go ask them if they still want to buy." One shop front sold out, what gifts of silver, interest on stamp money were all small matters.

  "The old slave is afraid that Second Master will find out in the future and..." Madam Jiang hesitated.

  Han sneered, "What if he knows? Can he still go and accuse me of selling his shop? If he can afford to lose face like that, then let him go ahead and accuse me. I'd love to see how he'll survive in the officialdom from now on."

  That Ye also really is a shrew, unexpectedly putting the eighteen rooms and a villa all under Ming Yun's name, causing trouble for her. However, no matter how Ye calculates, things that have fallen into her hands, does she think she'll hand them over? Not a chance. She will slowly dispose of these shops and then acquire new assets, all in Ming Ze's name. Don't the Li family value their reputation? At the root they're rotten, but on the surface they still want to appear radiant. She might as well be more thorough in her rot, do things more absolutely, see how they can deal with her.

  The old witch collects treasures everywhere, Li Mingyun and Lin Lan know about it.

  "Could the old witch still have a fortune in silver?" Lin Lan could understand the old witch's eagerness for her son, but she really couldn't comprehend where the old witch got so much silver from. The monthly allowance of over 10,000 taels was already enough to make her suffer, not to mention the expenses of such a large household.

  Li Mingyun sneered, "What hidden wealth does she have? Unless Father took out his own money, but as far as I know, Father didn't give the old witch any silver. Instead, he secretly gave Liu Niang two properties."

  Lin Lan was astonished: "I couldn't tell, Father really likes Liu Niang."

  Li Mingyu sneered, "That's what his father prepared for the son who hasn't been born yet. The old witch is now racking her brains to make money everywhere, I reckon she's got her sights set on my few shops."

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