Ink Burns

Chapter 226 Are you looking down on me?

Cui Yulang hesitated for a moment, then looked inquiringly at Jing'an.

Jing'an's expression softened, and he smiled: "Although your father is timid, he is right. The adults' argument has nothing to do with the children. You are surnamed Cui, but you are also my son-in-law. You don't need to take sides to show your loyalty. Mingjiang asked you to go and deliver it, so go ahead—it's good to deliver it, so that 'Qingfeng' on the first floor won't guess that we have a disagreement."

As soon as Cui Bainian left, Zhou Fangjie shrank back, her eyes fixed on the ground, staring blankly, and sighed inwardly with a mixture of resignation and regret.

"Don't worry, the Chang family has followed us for many years, and I will never abandon them."

Jing'an felt a tightness in her chest and shortness of breath, but she didn't want to show her vulnerability in front of her eldest daughter and brother-in-law. She paused slightly, calming herself down, and said, "Compared to Xu Quyan's investigation, I'm more curious about where the Guan'anzhai account book that the Censorate presented to Xu Quyan came from. I've been secretly investigating this matter for almost twenty days, but I've found nothing—is there a traitor in our 'Qingfeng'? Or is Xue Xiao so good at divination?"

Jing An narrowed his eyes, asked himself a question, and answered it himself, murmuring softly.

Upon hearing the words "Guanzhai Account Books," Zhou Fangjie felt her hair stand on end.

Will she tell or not?

Should we tell Jing'an about Liu Shanyue's secret alliance with Xue Xiao?
She also wanted to ask Jing'an to help her find her son.

Zhou Fangjie raised her head, tugged at her lips, and was about to speak when she saw Jing An turn his head away, frowning as he asked the old woman beside him, "He still won't say anything?"

The old woman's surname was Fu. She was the wet nurse of Fu Mingjiang's father and had been by Jing'an's side for more than 20 years. Jing'an even asked for her to be granted the title of eighth-rank lady.

Jing'an was a member of the imperial family and a favored princess born to the Empress.

It was unusual for her to have an eighth-rank lady-in-waiting by her side, but it wasn't taboo either.

Everyone respected this old woman as Fu Ruren.

Madam Fu bowed in agreement. She was nearly sixty years old and her figure was hunched, but she spoke clearly, with a slight accent from Zhenjiang Prefecture: "...She just cried and said she didn't know, didn't understand, and begged him to give her a quick death when the torture was too severe."

"Who is it?" Sister Zhou Fang asked softly, peeking out of her room.

“Old Feng of Guanzhai.” Jing’an remained expressionless, her gaze sweeping across the room: “He should have been guarding the account books properly. He told me he didn’t know why the account books ended up in Xue Xiao’s hands? Do you think I would believe that? I have always acted fairly, and I will protect my own people to the end; those who betray me, I will make them wish they were dead.”

Zhou Fangjie shuddered.

can not say.

She absolutely cannot tell.

Fortunately, it involved Su Ge'er's life or death at the time, so she secretly took her brother's key and went into the shop at night without telling anyone. She took the account book without anyone noticing—no one knew except Liu Shanyue.

As for Liu Shanyue, she is the least likely person in the world to report her.

She was like a sieve in front of Liu Shanyue, but was Liu Shanyue ever a perfect person in front of her?

Jing'an wanted to protect Chang Lin, but she wanted to kill him!

kill him!

Kill him to avenge Su Ge'er!

Zhou Fangjie lowered her head, her thin lips pressed tightly together: "Thank goodness... thank goodness for His Highness's protection!"

His hoarse, choked voice was surprisingly more pleasant than the over-the-top male actor's performance on stage.

******
Cui Yu chased downstairs, but Cui Bainian was nowhere to be seen.

Seven or eight officials were gathered together on the first floor, chatting with their sleeves rolled up. Cui Yu bowed deeply, then flicked his sleeves slightly behind him, his figure as upright as a white pine tree, and strode quickly outside.

Only people like Yuan Wenying remain, lavishing praise on him, often saying things like, "The Cui family has a son, a true gem," "The phoenix chick sings louder than the old phoenix along the long road to Dan Mountain," and "Lord Cui already smiles warmly at his son, but his son is even more outstanding than his father!"

The commotion behind him caused Cui Yulang to pause, turn his head slightly, and instantly his gentlemanly demeanor vanished, replaced by irritability and impatience.

A bunch of useless mediocre people.

It's better to venture out on your own than to drag them along.

As Cui Yulang turned the corner of the alley, a simple, plain-colored carriage was already waiting there.

Cui Yulang lifted the carriage curtain and went up.

His father, Cui Bainian, sat upright with his eyes closed, concentrating intently: "Jing'an sent you?"

"Yes." Cui Yulang bowed his head, his attitude extremely respectful: "Fu Mingjiang first asked me to see you off, and Jing'an also nodded."

Cui Bainian nodded expressionlessly: "Women—women are the stupidest things in the world, forever indulging in love and loyalty, sometimes indecisive, sometimes womanly indifference."

Cui Yulang bowed his head low, facing his father with absolute respect.

"With such a good opportunity, that idiot Chang Lin delivered himself to their doorstep to be slaughtered, and Jing'an actually dared to talk about morality, friendship, trust, and loyalty?"

Cui Bainian seemed to have heard something utterly ridiculous: "The Chang family is clearly a troublemaker. Chang Yusu is dim-witted, always shouting for violence, all he has is a thief's body, he should have died long ago; his father, Chang Lin, is violent and a drunkard. The Xishan camp is such a good piece of cake, but he has divided it smaller and smaller. First, he transferred the Imperial Guards out, and then he couldn't control the scattered people he sent into the capital, causing many problems—the young emperor has wanted to get rid of him for a long time!"

"A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime. Chang Lin is completely unworthy to lead the Xishan Camp!" Cui Bainian opened his eyes, a hint of anger appearing on his refined face.

Cui Yulang knelt down, spread his hands on the ground, and knelt to comfort him: "Father, please calm down, Father, please calm down."

Cui Bainian took a deep breath: "If the young emperor wants to destroy Jiangnan, let him do it. Many officials in Jiangnan are incompetent and ignorant, like a bunch of maggots hanging behind the 'Green Phoenix's' tail. It's good to destroy them."

He never had any strong desire to restore the aristocratic class.

The term "gentry" is a general term, not a symbiotic relationship of mutual dependence.

When he first seized Jing'an, he worked hard to climb the social ladder, leading the Cui family to eat as much as they could, daring to eat anything dirty, ugly, rotten, or bad, as long as he could drag the Cui family out of the quagmire of aristocratic families where they could not even guarantee their basic needs. He was willing to do anything!
Jing'an, out of affection for the local gentry, also took a liking to them, as they were mostly incompetent but possessed an air of refined elegance.

he does not like.

Twenty years ago, the Cui family of twenty-three people shared half a jar of rice to survive for a month. He had had enough! He was numb to it! He was sick of it! Yet his father, clinging to the remaining dignity of the aristocratic family, refused to agree to someone's request to buy one of his paintings for twenty taels of silver. He would rather let his family starve and become emaciated than relinquish those ephemeral notions of dignity!
Pooh!
He is not that kind of person!

He wants power.

He wants to reach the top.

He wanted to never have to worry about anything again in his life! He wanted to stop being anxious and preoccupied with the thought of a half-empty jar of rice!
"You should make good use of Fu Mingjiang."

Cui Bainian said firmly, "Let Fu Mingjiang persuade her mother. Chang Lin is a troublemaker. It would be best if you took control of the Xishan camp."

Upon hearing Fu Mingjiang's name, a hint of disgust flashed in Cui Yulang's eyes.

Cui Bainian saw Cui Yulang's eyelids trembling slightly, kicked his son in the left shoulder, and said sternly, "Are you looking down on me?"

(End of this chapter)