Chapter 307: Chapter 305: I Am Your Last Resort
Next day.
Today, Shen Yinning had a visitor.
Wen Liluo, still dressed in her Taoist robe, carried a horsetail whisk and stepped into the Ministry of Justice’s government office, followed by two young maids, each holding a stack of thick account books in their arms.
Wen Liluo took a seat, her small face stern as she said, "These are the account books for Seven Treasures Pavilion and the grain stores under our name since we entered the Capital. I brought them here for you to review. For now, only the businesses in Jiangnan and the Capital have been handed over, and due to the inevitable chaos and delays during the transfer, this month’s profits have been affected. Estimated earnings are about a hundred thousand taels or so."
A hundred thousand taels of patterned silver...
Shen Yinning raised an eyebrow.
Though born into a bureaucratic family, her ancestors and father never engaged in corruption or bribery. The food, clothing, and daily expenses in their mansion were all funded by her father and brothers’ salaries and military rewards. While the mansion did manage a few farmland plots and shops, the combined annual income only amounted to tens of thousands of taels.
This Wen Liluo truly was like a goose that lays golden eggs.
Shen Yinning skimmed through the account books briefly before closing them again.
Business and commerce weren’t her area of expertise; even if she looked at them, she’d find no clarity in their figures.
So she declared, "Miss Wen, I trust you. You can review them yourself; there’s no need to travel such a long way just to show me."
"Procedures must still be followed," Wen Liluo ordered the maids to put away the account books. "Additionally, our grain store’s cooperator is Qian Duobao, a merchant from Jinyuan. He owns tens of thousands of acres of fertile land, making him the wealthiest merchant in the North apart from the Wen Family of Luoyang. I heard he has close ties with the Crown Prince. I believe working with him will earn us more money. So a few days ago, I visited him in person with genuine intent to discuss business. As expected, I succeeded."
Shen Yinning grew curious: "Merchants are crafty. I’ve heard Qian Duobao never acts unless there’s profit. How did you manage to make a deal with him?"
"I told him that my boss lady and his Crown Prince often have secret trysts. I advised him to think wisely before refusing cooperation, and he promptly agreed."
Shen Yinning: "..."
Fine.
For the sake of the hundred thousand taels of patterned silver, she decided not to get angry.
Speaking of which, Wen Liluo was indeed clever. Having just arrived in the Capital, she had already figured out the power dynamics and relationships among its people.
With such a sharp subordinate, many burdens could be alleviated for her.
She said, "From now on, you can have full authority over Seven Treasures Pavilion’s operations."
"I know." Wen Liluo glanced around the government office and criticized earnestly, "But, Boss Lady, you’re being far too unambitious. You’ve only just returned to the Capital, yet you’ve already landed in the Imperial Prison. I was hoping you’d stir up some waves here, maybe even overthrow the Shen Family to claim the Crown Princess Consort position, but now you’re trapped in prison, unable to protect yourself. It’s entirely humiliating for Seven Treasures Pavilion to have a master like you. Cry, scream, even threaten to hang yourself—dealing with men is just that simple. What’s so hard about it? You need to shape up."
Shen Yinning: "..."
She genuinely hadn’t realized that the shopkeeper she hired, who appeared cold and detached from worldly affairs, had such a talkative side in private.
Moreover, this little maid was merely sixteen or seventeen years old. With such a tender and youthful face, how could she utter such experienced and world-weary words?
Wen Liluo rose: "I won’t say more. The matter you’re involved in is quite significant, and I can’t smooth things over with just money. You’ll need to figure out a way to get yourself out of trouble. If you can’t, I’m afraid I’ll have to consider leaving you and aligning elsewhere."
She left gracefully, holding her horsetail whisk.
The two young maids saluted Shen Yinning before running after her.
Shen Yinning rubbed her temples.
Forget it, forget it.
For the sake of the hundred thousand taels of patterned silver, she decided not to get angry!
...
Shen Yinning stayed peacefully in the Ministry of Justice for a few days.
Thanks to Cui Ji’s deliberate protection, Lu Ying wasn’t able to secretly transfer her away, nor was Shen Xinghan’s influence able to reach her.
According to Cui Ji, Shen Xinglei had already been buried, and Shen Xinghan discovered the tampering in Shen Xinglei’s meals by Sun Miaoniang. He immediately ordered her flogged to death, though publicly, he claimed Sun Miaoniang committed suicide out of love for Shen Xinglei.
In the afternoon, Shen Yinning received another visitor.
It was Gao Zheng.
He looked haggard, with dark circles under his eyes, suggesting a recent streak of miserable days.
Gao Zheng stared resentfully at Shen Yinning: "You were the one who killed Shen Xinglei, weren’t you? Why won’t you admit it? Do you know that Shen Xinghan, unable to retaliate against you, has instead turned his vengeance on me? The officialdom now shuns me. Even colleagues who once befriended me refuse to maintain ties."
Shen Yinning was brewing tea.
She said, "Gao Zheng, if you’re unhappy, you can divorce me."
Divorce...
Gao Zheng clenched his fists tightly.
When word of Shen Yinning’s troubles first reached him, his initial thought was to divorce her.
Though he rose in official rank under Shen Yinning’s favor, he felt marrying her had repaid any debt between them. He owed her nothing and didn’t want to be dragged down by her.
On the contrary, as his mother pointed out, she had lived in the Gao Family for the past year, dining and lodging there, so it was she who owed them—not the other way around.
For her not to commit herself to bearing him children was one thing; but how could she even ruin his prospects now?
He wanted a divorce, but he dared not defy the Crown Prince.
He also feared being stigmatized as heartless and unjust by abandoning a wife in distress, rendering him mean-spirited in the eyes of others.
Thus, until the Crown Prince approved, he had to maintain the façade of a married bond with Shen Yinning.
But such a life was stifling.
To have the Capital’s number one beauty as his wife, yet no rights of touch.
When trouble arose, her lover escaped unscathed, while her calamities burdened him instead!
He gained not a shred of benefit!
Gao Zheng stared at Shen Yinning, his gaze fixed on her exposed, snow-white neck and collarbone.
He had deliberated this for the whole previous night. His risks were great—he needed some reward from Shen Yinning.
He gulped: "My mother says you are heartless, capable even of harming your cousin, and advises me to abandon you and marry a high-ranking official’s daughter. To be honest, thanks to my position as Minister of the Ministry of Justice, numerous matchmakers have already come to propose noble marriages for me. But unlike my mother, I do have some feelings for you, Shen. I’m willing to offer you an opportunity—if you bear my child, I’ll continue being your husband."
Shen Yinning glanced at him.
She had contemplated that the Gao Family might face repercussions due to her, being ostracized by Shen Guogong Mansion.
But she hadn’t foreseen that at this point, Gao Zheng would still desire a child with her.
Was he yearning for her to bear him a child, or merely indulging a craving for her?
She smiled faintly: "What if I refuse?"
Gao Zheng stared fixatedly at her flawless, enticing skin.
Beneath her collarbone lay a faintly visible curve, soft and alluring, a gentle snowy rise.
His throat dry with thirst, he longed to tear away her spring skirt and quench himself as the Crown Prince did.
His voice turned hoarse: "Do you want to taste the bitterness of being abandoned? Once you were hailed as a celestial figure—the Capital’s most envied beauty—and now you’ve fallen, imprisoned and disgraced. If I were to divorce you now, you’d have no one left to depend on! The Crown Prince hasn’t visited you all this time since your imprisonment, clearly finding your poisonous nature revolting and having grown tired of you. Shen Yinning, I, Gao Zheng, am your final refuge."