Qiao Qingran's smile faded slightly. "Of course, how could I let the government pay for the people I hired?"
Old Madam Ji nodded in satisfaction, "You're very thoughtful. When you have time, go to my private treasury and pick out a few pieces of jewelry you like."
Qiao Qingran lowered her eyes and remained silent. What kind of jewelry was worth three thousand taels of silver? But for the sake of her child, she couldn't be bothered to care about such things.
As they were talking, the curtain was opened.
The newcomer was none other than Ji Chengye, the Ji Chengye Ministry of Rites and Qiao Qingran's father-in-law. He smiled gently, "What are you saying? I could hear your laughter from afar..."
He handed the cloak to the maid, sat down in front of Old Madam Ji, and warmed his hands on the small clay stove. At first glance, one might mistake him for Old Madam Ji's son.
"I heard from the doorman that guests are coming to the house, so prepare everything accordingly and don't neglect them."
Old Madam Ji glared at him reproachfully, "When have I ever been impolite? It's you who didn't even ask who came before demanding such hospitality."
Old Madam Ji's hair was already gray, and her face was withered.
In contrast, Master Ji had only a few wrinkles around his eyes, and a few tufts of black hair could still be seen at his temples. He looked no more than fifty years old, and his complexion and spirits were not at all like someone in his sixties.
He turned to look at his two daughters-in-law, "Could they not be guests?"
Old Madam Ji smiled and said, "Third son's wife has hired a feng shui master to renovate our family courtyard. Consider it an early congratulation to you."
Master Ji's eyes were unfathomable, making it impossible to discern his true thoughts.
"The third son's family is very thoughtful, but... wouldn't it be too wasteful? The emperor has been advocating frugality lately, and I'm afraid it will give others a handle to use against us."
Upon hearing this, Old Madam Ji exclaimed, "That won't do! You are a high-ranking official in the court; you absolutely cannot make a mistake over such a trivial matter!"
She looked at Qiao Qingran, "The third son's family doesn't count."
Qiao Qingran comforted him, "Father... what are you afraid of? I'll pay for it. Everyone knows I have plenty of shops for my dowry..."
Seeing that her husband remained silent, Old Madam Ji had her own thoughts.
"Alright, since the emperor has said so, you should send that girl away to avoid causing trouble."
Qiao Qingran didn't know what else to say, so she just smiled and said, "Alright, then we won't change the courtyard. I'll have her draw some talismans for my parents, okay? I heard her talismans are especially effective."
Master Ji feigned interest and asked, "Oh, which families has she drawn talismans for?"
"I heard that Old General Fu's family was once ambushed by spies while he was guarding the border, and it was that talisman that saved them."
Master Ji's heart skipped a beat. Several months ago, the Third Prince failed to win over the Fu Household, so he secretly plotted to kill General Fu and replace him with one of his own to take over military power.
This caused quite a stir in the military camp, and the plan was almost exposed. It turned out that the talisman saved his life.
Master Ji's eyes flickered. A talisman could save a life. When did such a powerful figure appear in the Sheng Dynasty? He feigned surprise.
"Where did you hire this feng shui master? He actually knows Old General Fu."
Qiao Qingran smiled and said, "Doesn't Old General Fu sister? She went to Qingzhou Prefecture with her son to take up his post and met Miss Jin. She specially bought six talismans to give to the Fu Household."
As you all know, the Fu Household values family ties the most. They didn't care whether the talismans were effective or not, they just hung them on their bodies. That's how General Fu's life was saved.
I heard this from Fu Congxi. When her great-aunt passed away, her younger brother Fu Congzhao went to pay his respects and bought some talismans to send to the border. If it weren't for Miss Jin keeping her promise and insisting on coming to our house, she would have been snatched away by Old General Fu long ago.
Qiao Qingran breathed a sigh of relief when she thought of the scene at the city gate.
Second Madam Ji was so astonished she couldn't close her mouth. "She's that amazing?!"
"Of course... what's the point of lying about that?"
Second Madam Ji swallowed hard, her eyes wide. "But she's taking care of both children and cattle; she doesn't seem like someone capable at all."
Old Madam Ji listened intently, murmuring, "You can't judge a book by its cover... This must be a true immortal." Given the Fu Household's status in the court, it's impossible for them to go to the city gate to pick someone up.
Master Ji held his teacup, seemingly lost in thought.
Qiao Qingran: "Guess who delivered Dabao and Xiaobao."
For once, Second Madam Ji was unusually quick-witted, and she spoke first, "Could it be her too? Isn't she a feng shui master?"
Qiao Qingran laughed, "It's true she's a feng shui master, but she's also a doctor. You've heard of the Anzhi Hall, right? It's the Anzhi Hall Anzhi Hall everyone in the capital wants to buy from."
Second Madam Ji stood up abruptly. "You're not saying Anzhi Hall belongs to her family, are you?"
"Certainly..."
Second Madam Ji panicked immediately, pacing back and forth in the room. "What should I do? I've offended her the moment she entered. If she casts a spell on me, will I die?"
Old Madam Ji rolled her eyes, feeling dizzy from being turned around so much. "Alright, you should sit down now."
At this moment, Master Ji, who had been silent until now, spoke up, "Since she is someone even Old General Fu acknowledges, she must have some real skills. We might as well keep her for a few days."
Old Madam Ji smiled and said, "Alright, I'll do whatever my husband says."
The Ji Household's situation is truly heartbreaking. Apart from the husband, who is still relatively Kangjian, all of their children and grandchildren are sickly.
Thinking of her eldest son who died young, and her eldest daughter-in-law who spends her days in seclusion with only the dim light of a lamp and the ancient Buddha, and then looking at her grandchildren who are bedridden year-round, her heart aches as if it were being tightly squeezed.
The descendants are too weak to endure the hardships of the imperial examinations, so their official careers are out of the question. If her husband were to retire from the court, the Ji Household would likely find it difficult to maintain its foothold in the capital.
Seeing that her in-laws agreed to let Jin Shanyao, Qiao Qingran got up to say goodbye.
Second Madam Ji wanted to ask Jin Shanyao to treat her husband's illness, so she left with Qiao Qingran.
Master Ji stirred his teacup, recalling Xuanjizi from the Third Prince's residence. Xuanxin halfway through his life, who apparently died in Willow and Poplar County, Qingzhou Prefecture.
He died silently, without leaving any trace.
Not long after Xuanxin's death, Su Wenqian removed the Third Prince's confidant in Qingzhou Prefecture, effectively severing the Third Prince's spies.
Master Ji gazed at the ripples in his teacup, he thought of Lu Chi, the heir of the Marquis of Zhenyuan, who had miraculously returned from the dead and brought back several cartloads of medicinal herbs, all from Willow and Poplar County.
If he remembered correctly, Anzhi Hall from Willow and Poplar County won the ginseng competition last year. At that time, the Qingzhou Prefecture representative signed many orders, making other medicinal herb merchants extremely envious.
In the past two years, Anzhi Hall's medicinal materials have been continuously sent to the capital. Due to their high quality, they quickly opened up the Beijing market, causing the Wei Household's medicinal material business to suffer heavy losses.
All fingers are pointing at Qingzhou Prefecture; it seems this Jin Shanyao is no ordinary person.
Master Ji's eyes held a calculating glint. He wanted to use this opportunity to probe the truth Jin Shanyao. It would be good if he could win her over, but if she couldn't be used by him... A murderous intent surged into his heart.
Meanwhile, Jin Shanyao had just put down her luggage when she heard the two little ones whispering to each other, their heads close together. Jin Shanyao's ears twitched.
Hearing Meng Anci say, "Sister, I'll buy a house in the capital someday, even better than this one, and I'll let you live in the main courtyard,"
Meng Anzhi, "Little brother, whether I can walk sideways or not depends on you."
"Don't worry, leave it to me..."
Jin Shanyao chuckled, "This house is exquisite, but if you don't sleep well, you're likely to have nightmares."
Meng Anci ran up to Jin Shanyao and asked, "Auntie, how did you figure out that lady had nightmares at night?"
Meng Anzhi said calmly, "Is there any need to calculate this? I can see it myself."
"How so?"
Jin Shanyao also looked at Meng Anzhi with great interest, and heard her slowly say, "That lady's eyes are definitely dark, she must not have slept well last night. She can't put weight on her left foot, she must have bumped it."
I bet she woke up in the middle of the night, wanted some water to calm herself, and tripped and hurt her foot when she got out of bed.
Meng Anci shocked, "You just guessed?"
"What do you mean by guessing... I'm deducing..." Meng Anzhi's gaze swept around the room.
"I don't like this house. I can't quite put my finger on what's wrong with it, but it just makes me feel uncomfortable."