Chapter 58: Opening Embroidered Villas in the Capital

  Xu Mingjin hastily stepped forward to ask.

  Xuan Yuan Jinglin suppressed her anger and said in a low voice: "Let's talk about it on the carriage."

  Xu Mingjin nodded, and for a moment got on the carriage. Xuan Yuan Jinglin then said: "Xuan Yuan Qiyue this turtle egg, one day I will chop him into ten thousand pieces!"

  Xu Mingjin asked in confusion: "What else has he done that's so infuriating and made you so angry?"

  Xuanyuan Jinglin was furious and regretful at the same time, saying: "The chicken that was left yesterday was stolen by him!"

  Xu Mingjin couldn't help but laugh and cry: "It's just one chicken, you really don't have to be so angry. Next time I'll make it for you again."

  Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuan Jinglin's anger had dissipated somewhat, but she was still unhappy. She said, "I originally brought that chicken back for my second brother to eat."

  Xu Mingjin's face turned red, thinking of Xuan Yuanze, it had been a long time since they parted ways at the Zhuang last time, and he hadn't seen him for a long time. He didn't know how he was doing now.

  Xuan Yuan Jing Lin saw the suspicious red flush on Xu Ming Jin's cheek and suddenly lost her temper. She said happily: "You said it! Next time, make some for me, you have to make a few more, no excuses!"

  Xu Mingjin gathered his thoughts and nodded in agreement.

  Xuan Yuan Jinglin was truly delighted, and Xu Mingjin couldn't help but smile when he saw this.

  After traveling for half a day, they arrived at a quiet alley two streets away from the Xu residence. The alley only had one small and unassuming wine house, which was empty of customers when Xu Mingjin and Xuan Yuan Jinglin entered. Xu Mingjin knew that this was because Xuan Yuan Jinglin had ordered someone to clear the place out.

  Two people stepped on the old and unmaintained ladder, slowly climbing up to the second floor. The wooden ladder creaked beneath their feet, making a "creaking" sound. Xu Mingjin was extremely frightened by this sound. As they walked along the middle of the ladder, it suddenly made a loud cracking sound, and the ladder broke in half from the middle, sending both people and the ladder crashing down.

  It turned out that this was just Xu Mingjin's imagination, until he had already walked up to the second floor, and the ladder was still intact.

  "You go ahead! I'll wait for you in the private room." Xuan Yuan Jinglin walked towards a corridor on one side, opened the door of the last private room, and closed it after entering.

  Xu Mingjin also walked towards a private room at the other end of the corridor. Fan Yicheng was waiting for her there.

  Xu Mingjin walked up to the door of the private room, just as he was about to knock, the door opened from inside, revealing Fan Yicheng's face that had not been seen for a long time.

  Xu Mingjin was excited and just about to shout "Uncle" when Fan Yicheng made a silencing gesture. He said in a low voice, "Come inside first."

  Xu Mingjin walked into the private room and unexpectedly found that Yan Yuwei was also there. He couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.

  Fan Yicheng opened the door, walked over and signaled Xu Mingjin to sit down, explaining: "I originally wanted to come alone, but Yu Wei told me that there are so many people in the Xu family watching you. If someone follows you and sees you with a single man and woman in a private room, those people from the Xu family will definitely make a big deal out of it. So I brought her along. Don't worry, she's one of us."

  Xu Mingjin smiled ambiguously: "One of our own? Unless you're my aunt, then you can be considered one of us."

  Yan Yuwei's face turned red with shame, but she didn't deny it. Fan Yicheng also didn't reject her like he did after Madame Fan passed away. He just said, "It's not the right time yet."

  Xu Mingjin heard this and sensed something was up. She immediately exclaimed with excitement: "Uncle, you've already accepted Yan Jie?"

  Fan Yicheng rarely made a big show of himself in front of Xu Mingjin. Yan Yuwei, who was standing beside him, had just dissipated the flush on her face, and it immediately filled up again.

  Xu Mingjin saw the situation and knew that his guess was almost correct. He was happy that his uncle had a lifelong hope, and he was also happy that Yan Yuwei's bitter love for these days finally had a result. It wasn't until after a while that he remembered the true purpose of this.

  "Uncle, how have you been lately?"

  "Everything is fine except for worrying about you."

  Fan Yicheng couldn't hide his joyful expression as he said, "Jin'er, I took the 100,000 taels of silver that your messenger brought and, with Lin Zhanggui's help, opened another embroidery shop. Now business is slowly getting back on track. Within half a year, we'll definitely be making a profit of at least 1,000 to 2,000 taels of silver per month."

  Xu Mingjin asked with interest: "Where is the shop located? What's its name? And who is Lin Zhanggui?"

  Fan Yicheng said, "It's located on Daxing Street, just three streets away from the Xu Mansion. You'll find it very convenient to visit in the future. If I still call it Jinxiu Zhuang, I'm afraid people will associate it with the embroidery shop in Liu City, so I've decided to name it Linglong Pavilion instead. Lin Zhanggui is the manager of Qishi Pharmacy."

  Xu Mingjin had not yet responded when the jade bamboo beside him suddenly exclaimed, "Linglong Pavilion? Is that the Jinxiu Pavilion which has already become famous in Kyoto shortly after its opening?"

  Xu Mingjin curiously asked: "Uncle, is what she said true?"

  Fan Yicheng said with embarrassment: "I had someone embroider another version of the 'Along the River During Qingming Festival' and hung it in the embroidery shop for sale."

  Xu Mingjin understood as soon as he heard it. It turned out to be the effect brought by that attachment!

  Fan Yicheng took out a thick stack of silver bills and said, "Jin'er, you're really something. You've only just entered the Xu estate and already brought down Mrs. Xu. Well done! But now you must be extremely careful. Mrs. Xu won't let you off easily. Take these silver bills for now and use them. If it's not enough, have Chun Xiang come get more."

  Xu Mingjin took the silver ticket and said, "Uncle, I didn't pull down Madam Xu from her horse, and she didn't let me off either! I'll be careful. Now I really need some silver, so I won't decline it."

  Fan Yicheng saw this and still reminded her to be careful and guard against Mrs. Xue.

  Xu Mingjin listened quietly, and the three of them said a few more things. Suddenly, Xu Mingjin remembered something and said: "Uncle, don't let your guard down on the side of Liu City, you still need to send someone to investigate what happened back then. I don't believe those things have nothing to do with Xu Ruoyi!"

  Fan Yicheng said: "I have always sent people to secretly investigate those things, and now I have a clue."

  Xu Mingjin was overjoyed: "Really? Tell me quickly!"

  Fan Yicheng's face was furious, but his eyes looking at Xu Mingjin were filled with deep sympathy: "Jin'er, as you said, it has something to do with your father."

  Xu Mingjin urged him to speak quickly, but Fan Yicheng stopped talking and didn't say anything for a long time before finally saying: "Jin'er, it's better if you don't know."

  Xu Mingjin said: "Whether I should know this or not is up to me to decide!"

  Yan Yuwei suddenly interrupted: "Jin'er, your uncle didn't tell you, he has his reasons."

  "What's the logic in that? You tell me!"

  "If you investigate further, it will be confirmed that Xu Ruoyi wanted to annul the marriage but didn't want to bear the infamy, so he colluded with the head of the Xu family and framed me, ruining the Fan family's reputation. This led to the death of my parents, and only then did your mother break off the engagement and marry into the Ye family. From then on, his official career flourished."

  Fan Dichen looked at Xu Mingjin with pity and said: "Even if he harmed your uncle's family, harmed your mother, he is still your father. Filial piety is greater than heaven. Even if you find out the truth, can you bring him to justice or avenge your mother by killing him? You cannot, because you are his daughter! So you can only hate him in your heart. In that case, it's better for you not to know."

  No! He's not my father! He's just a stranger! I won't forgive him! Xu Mingjin silently screamed in her heart. But ultimately, she didn't say anything. She couldn't refute what Fan Yicheng had said.

  "I can watch him slowly lose the things he cares about most, his power, status... Xu Mingjin said after a long time: 'For him, death is liberation, and living is more painful than death.'"

  Fan Yicheng was shocked by the words, ah, how could he not have thought of these? He hated Xu Ruoyi to such an extent, and this was just right for him. He looked at Xu Mingjin, and his heart shook again, when had she come to hate Xu Ruoyi to such an extent?

  Yan Yuwei, however, understood Xu Mingjin's hatred. To change the subject, she suddenly said: "Jin'er, do you still remember Zhang Shuazi? He is now working as a shopkeeper at Linglong Pavilion and has saved quite a bit of money. In two years' time, he will definitely be a good catch! How about arranging for him to marry Chunxuan, your maid?"

  Xu Mingjin listened and indeed smiled with joy, she said: "This matter, I have to go back and ask her."

  As they chatted more and more easily, Xu Mingjin saw that it was getting late and was afraid that Xuan Yuan Jinglin would be waiting anxiously on the other side, so he proposed to take his leave.

  Reluctantly returning to Xuan Yuan Jing Lin's place, she found that the girl had ordered many delicious dishes and was eating with great relish. Seeing her come in, Xuan Yuan Jing Lin hastily pulled her into a chair and said, "Hurry up and eat! I'll send you back later, I have something to do."

  Xu Mingjin nodded, and didn't ask her what was so urgent. The two of them finished dinner late, and when Xuan Yuanjing took Xu Mingjin out of the wine house, they found that Fan Yicheng and the others had already left.

  Xuan Yuan Jinglin sent Xu Mingjin to the gate of the Xu Mansion and then hastily left.

  Xu Mingjin returned to Feicui Garden and asked the little maid who had been watching the yard if anything had happened in the mansion.

  The little maid served Xu Mingjin a cup of tea, and only then said: "Miss, there's nothing big happening in the mansion, just one small thing. The eldest miss has suddenly gained the favor of the old lady these past few days, and every day she stays for more than half a day in the Spring Breeze Courtyard."

  Xu Mingjin listened attentively, his face expressionless. The little maid was anxious in her heart, afraid that she would say something wrong and displease Xu Mingjin. After a while, Xu Mingjin asked warmly, "Is there anything else?"

  The little maid heard Xu Mingjin's tone and knew she wasn't angry, so she quickly said "Nothing" and secretly let out a sigh of relief.

  Xu Mingjin waved his hand and let the little maid go down, and he sat there thinking carefully.

  As for Xumingxia gaining the favor of Old Lady, Xu Mingjin didn't care at all. What she cared about was that Xu Mingxia suddenly became clever and knew how to please Old Lady. Was it something she figured out herself or was it Ye Yiniang's guidance? These two women had recently fallen from their positions in the mansion, and Xu Mingjin had long been on guard against their revenge. Thinking of this, Xu Mingjin sent someone to summon Permits' nurse, wanting to ask about her brother's recent days when she wasn't around.