Chapter Twenty: The Day of Returning to the Capital

  Sister, go back and tell your mother, will she be happy or not? Xu Mingjin said.

  "Madam is certainly happy, but Miss, how will you explain the jade pendant to her?" Mrs. Xu asked. "Miss has forgotten? Before leaving, Madam specifically instructed you not to enter the embroidery workshop." Xu Mingjin heard this and thought for a moment before smiling and saying: "Then let's just gloss over the part about the jade pendant! As for what Mother said about not letting me into the embroidery workshop, I won't say anything, you all can explain it!"

  Madam Xū and Chun Xing were both speechless.

  "Right," Xu Mingjin suddenly remembered something and said to Chun Xing, "You find a chance to ask Zhang Shuozi if he wants to go to Beijing with us?"

  Chun Xing heard this and laughed with great joy: "No need to ask! Miss, Zhang Shuozi told me the day before yesterday that he has already quit his job at that shop. He asked me to ask you if it's possible for him to go to Beijing with us?"

  Xu Mingjin smiled ambiguously: "Oh? You went to see Zhangzi the day before yesterday? How come I didn't know?"

  Chun Xiang said with a smile: "Miss, you're teasing me again! The day before yesterday, didn't you ask me to find Zhang Shuozi to deliver the embroidery pattern to Fan Zhuangzhu? Have you forgotten?" Xu Mingjin responded with an "oh" and said: "I really forgot."

  "Spring Apricot"

  Xu Mingjin said, "You don't ask him if he wants to go to the capital, but you should at least tell him that Miss agrees with his going!" Chun Xing rolled her eyes and said, "Miss, he's already outside, he must have heard our conversation, so I won't bother."

  Xu Mingjin said: "Oh, I see." After a pause, Xu Mingjin said again: "Ah, I forgot to bring the picture I drew last night. How about this, Chun Xing? You can make another trip tomorrow."

  "Spring Apricot"

  Chun Xing's silly expression made several people burst out laughing.

  Back at the mansion, it was just in time for lunch. Xu Mingjin had been starving all morning and greeted Madam Fan before having lunch with her. Since today was not only the opening day of the embroidery workshop but also Xu Mingjin's birthday, Madam Fan made an exception to the usual simple and elegant meal by adding many dishes that Xu Mingjin and her siblings loved. Xu Mingjin was truly hungry, so she finished all the dishes that Madam Fan served her. Mingxuan also enjoyed his meal immensely.

  After dinner, Mrs. Fan handed a small brocade box to Xu Mingjin, who took it and said, "Thank you." Mrs. Fan chuckled and said, "Still being polite with me?" Xu Mingjin then realized what she had said and couldn't help but blush, this was all because of her habit! In her previous life, saying thank you was a basic courtesy. Xu Mingjin changed the subject: "Mother, can I open it and take a look?" Mrs. Fan shook her head: "Wait until you're back in your room."

  Mrs. Fan pulled Xu Mingjin into her arms, stroking her head and saying: "Jin'er, Mother owes you an apology, I couldn't make your birthday lively and festive, it's all my fault!" Xu Mingjin shook her head and said: "Mother, I'm very happy today, besides, I'm still so young, others are celebrating their 40th, 50th, 60th birthdays and so on, that's when they have a big celebration with many guests. If you had made a big fuss over my birthday, I wouldn't have been able to handle it."

  Madam Fan still felt wronged by Xu Mingjin.

  "If we were in the capital, your father would definitely give you a birthday banquet." Madam Fan was overjoyed.

  Xu Mingjin restrained herself from splashing cold water on her. This girl, was too simple-minded? Let Xu Ruoyi give her an illegitimate daughter in the Shangshu Mansion to celebrate a grand birthday? Then Xu Ruoyi's old face would be completely lost! Xu Mingjin shook his head, and suddenly he didn't have that excitement about celebrating birthdays anymore. But thinking again, after going to the capital, she probably wouldn't think about celebrating birthdays for years to come. Xu Ruoyi didn't care about her legitimate daughter, why would she care about an illegitimate one? Even if they celebrated birthdays, would it be her turn? Even if Xu Ruoyi cared about her and gave her a birthday celebration, wasn't she afraid that the Shangshu Mansion's madam would tear her apart?! In this world, only Fan's wife remembered her birthday, only Fan's wife felt guilty for not having a grand celebration for her. How could she show an unhappy expression to make her unhappy?

  Xu Mingjin's face was filled with a big smile, and no matter what Mrs. Fan said, she nodded in agreement, echoing her words. The mother-daughter duo chatted for a long time, from Xu Mingjin's childhood to the grand opening of Jinxiu Zhuang today. The pear garden continued to ring out with laughter until the sky darkened, when Mrs. Fan urged Xu Mingjin to return home. Xu Mingjin lingered for a while before slowly returning to Qingyuan.

  As soon as they returned to the Quiet Garden, Chun Xing excitedly said: "Miss, Zhang Shouzi passed on a message saying that the wife of the tribal chief has already bought that 'Clear River and Mountains on a Clear Day' painting." Xu Mingjin heard this and also became excited: "Oh? Has the silver been paid?" Chun Xing smiled with pursed lips: "Fan Zhuanggui is one who pays in full upon delivery."

  Xu Mingjin nodded and thought for a moment before asking: "What kind of person is the matriarch of the Xu clan?"

  Chun Xing's smile immediately turned into an angry face: "It's not something good!" Xu Mingjin was surprised, and her surprise was Chun Xing's reaction, as if the clan leader's wife had some deep-seated hatred towards her. What's wrong with her? Chun Xing said angrily: "Miss, you don't know that when Fan Zhuang originally bankrupted the Fan family, it was said to be because of someone's doing, but no one knows who it was. However, most of the Fan family's property at that time is now in the Xu clan leader's house!"

  Xu Mingjin's expression turned solemn. Was it that the Xu family patriarch was going to destroy the Fan family? If not, how would their property end up mostly in his house?

  She thought to herself, it turns out that the Xu family head and Xu Ruoyi are in cahoots with each other, who knows, they might even be colluding together! She recalled the words of the family head's wife from today, full of arrogance: "No matter what you say, I'm convinced this is Fan Yuexiang's embroidery workshop. Go back and tell her that this 'Clear River and Mountains' painting, our clan has decided to confiscate it, and soon it will be sent to the capital. Xu Shangshu will present it to the Emperor, and he will definitely be promoted one rank, and Fan Yuexiang will also gain some benefits, won't she?" The underlying meaning of these words was too profound. Xu Mingjin couldn't help but connect all these things together. She boldly speculated: what benefit would the family head gain from bankrupting the Fan family, who had a marriage arrangement with Xu Ruoyi? Another voice in her heart replied: "Xu Ruoyi can then marry the daughter of a prominent and wealthy family in the capital. From then on, his official career will rise like a blooming sesame seed."

  Xu Mingjin sneered, this father was indeed one way on the surface and another behind his back. The Fan family had fallen, he broke off the engagement to marry someone else, and at most people would say that he was heartless and ruthless. His reputation remained intact. But what was unknown was whether the downfall of the Fan family was orchestrated by Xu's clan leader or if Xu Ruoyi also intervened? Or perhaps after Xu Ruoyi became a high school champion, the powerful Ye family threw an olive branch at him, and he wanted to break off the engagement to marry someone else. So he wrote a letter to Xu's clan leader asking him to destroy the Fan family. This way his broken engagement would be justified, and people wouldn't say that he was heartless and ruthless, but rather that Fan Yuyao was just a poor girl from a fallen family who wasn't worthy of him.

  What a sinister mind! Xu Mingjin thought, and couldn't help but feel that his uncle Fan Yicheng was not to blame. He had suffered for so many years, often regretful in his heart, yet he didn't know that he wasn't the mastermind behind the crime as he thought, but rather someone else's scapegoat. The real culprit not only escaped punishment, and who knows, maybe the silver used to pave the roads all these years came from the Fan family!

  Xu Mingjin was shocked by her own conjecture, she absolutely did not expect that there were still such hypocritical people in the world! It's simply Yue Buqun!

  Xu Mingjin wrote down everything she thought of in the letter. She had no evidence to prove that her guesses were correct, so someone had to find the evidence. This person, Fan Yicheng, took it upon himself. She couldn't tell her mother about this matter, as she was too obsessed with her father, and what she said would not be believed by Madam Fan. However, Xu Mingjin believed that one day the truth would come to light, and her uncle would be cleared of all charges. The wicked will eventually get their retribution, it's just a matter of time.

  Xu Mingjin's mind was in a mess, she couldn't sleep and went to the study room to practice calligraphy.

  Until she was exhausted, Xu Mingjin finally fell asleep. Before falling asleep, she suddenly remembered that Mrs. Fan had given her a birthday gift, so she took it out and slowly unwrapped it. Inside was an eight-treasured Linglong hairpin with a round and smooth large pearl on top, shining with a soft pink glow, breathtakingly beautiful. She was very curious, when did her mother buy this hairpin? Why didn't she know about it? Xu Mingjin played with the hairpin for a while before putting it beside her pillow and falling asleep.

  The five days passed quickly and before they knew it, the day arrived when Xu Ruoyi had promised to pick them up in Beijing.

  These days, the business of Jinxiu Zhuang has been exceptionally good, exceeding everyone's expectations. In addition to the "Clear River on a Clear Day" and "Lotus Flower Picture" sold on the first day for 60,000 taels of silver, all the remaining embroidery pieces left by the previous owner were also sold out, earning an additional 8,000 taels. This made Xu Mingjin extremely happy. Since he was still selling at the original price and offering gifts, he was able to sell those not-so-high-quality embroidery pieces quickly. On the second day, the store began selling the embroidery works of the new embroiderers. The business continued to be very good, partly due to the high prices of the two pictures sold on the first day, but more because the ladies and young misses were infatuated with Fan Dicen's handsome and flawless face.

  The letter Xu Mingjin wrote to Fan Weichen on the night of his birthday, he soon received a reply. He firmly wrote in the letter that he would definitely investigate the matter thoroughly and not let anyone who dared to plot against him go unpunished! At the end of the letter, he tactfully asked if it was found that Xu Ruoyi was involved in this matter, whether she would protect him, after all, Xu Ruoyi was her father. If he took revenge, his mother would be sad and so on.

  Xu Mingjin's reply was very cold. She said in the letter that she and Xu Ruoyi were just strangers with a blood relationship, so he didn't need to worry about her. As for Mrs. Fan, if she knew that her parents were killed by Xu Ruoyi, she would definitely support him. She told him to investigate boldly.

  On the last day of farewell, Fan Yicheng asked Zhang Shouzi to send a bulging letter to Xu Mingjin. Xu Mingjin opened it and found a thick stack of silver tickets inside. She counted them, exactly 60,000. Xu Mingjin took out 30,000 and wanted to put the rest back in the envelope, but Zhang Shouzi stopped her: "Miss, Mr. Fan said that there are nearly 3,000 taels of silver left in the embroidery shop for expenses, which is more than enough. He wants you to take this money with you, as there are many unknown risks in Beijing and who knows what will happen, and the expenses in Beijing are high. Take this money first, if it's not enough, just send a message and he'll send someone to deliver more."

  Xu Mingjin was moved in her heart, but she really couldn't take all this silver away! "Then take 10,000 taels back. This is my bottom line." Xu Mingjin said.

  "Miss, Mr. Fan said that if he has any difficulties, he can go to Li, the boss of Qi's pharmacy, for help. By the way, Li told him that there is also a Qi's pharmacy in Beijing, Miss, if you have anything, with this jade pendant, you can also find the boss for help."

  Xu Mingjin still insisted that Zhang Duanzi take the silver ticket back, Zhang Duanzi helplessly said: "Miss, Fan Zhuang said that if I take the silver ticket back today, he will break my legs. Miss, you'd better spare my life!" Xu Mingjin chuckled and said: "You are my person, what right does he have to break your legs?" But she knew that Fan Yicheng had made up his mind to give her the silver.

  Xu Mingjin was reluctant, but had to accept the silver that Zhang Duanzi brought back. Only then did Zhang Duanzi return with a happy smile to report his mission accomplished.