I support the army through farming and business.

Chapter 388 Blackmail
Tang Zhao clenched her little fist, "I can take on all four of you by myself!"

"Okay, okay," Gu Ci coaxed, feeding him a spoonful of chicken soup. "Four of them aren't enough, at least ten."

Tang Zhao drank the bland chicken soup, trying to assert his rights, "I'll drink the soup, but at least put some salt in it!"

She went to great lengths to ensure that the people of Chongqing could afford salt, so why is she no longer entitled to eat salt?
"Too much salt is bad for the fetus," Gu Ci rattled off the parenting knowledge she had heard these past few days.

If it weren't for the fact that Gu Ci was the father of the child she was carrying, Tang Zhao would definitely have slapped him.

Why is this grown man so indecisive?

"The last bowl," Tang Zhao swallowed the last spoonful of soup and let out a burp. "If you dare force me to drink soup again, I'll find my child a father who won't force his mother to drink soup!"

Gu Ci narrowed his eyes, "Say it again?"

Tang Zhao stubbornly retorted, "Fine, I'll talk! If you dare force me to drink this soup again, I'll find a..."

A large hand gently yet firmly gripped the back of Tang Zhao's head, while warm lips forcefully and urgently kissed Tang Zhao's lips, silencing those reckless words.

After what seemed like an eternity, Tang Zhao was finally released by Gu Ci. His hot, rapid breaths lingered in her ear as he pleaded, "Zhao Zhao, please don't say things like that again, okay? I'm very petty."

"Can you please stop forcing me to lie in bed and drink soup all the time? I still have seven months until I give birth. If I keep drinking it, I'll get as fat as a pig!"

"What's wrong with pigs? They're so cute," Gu Ci said, stroking Tang Zhao's face, which had become increasingly thin since she became pregnant. He thought of his sister-in-law's round face when she was pregnant and felt anxious. "I wish you could gain a hundred pounds right now."

He asked many women, and they all said that the stronger a woman's body, the less she would suffer during childbirth and the less likely she would have any complications.

Childbirth is like walking through the gates of hell for a woman; many women don't make it through. Gu Ci couldn't even imagine what he would do if something happened to Zhao Zhao during childbirth.

Tang Zhao looked at the dark circles under Gu Ci's eyes. Ever since she was diagnosed with pregnancy, Gu Ci hadn't had a good night's sleep. No matter when Tang Zhao woke up at night, she would see Gu Ci watching over her intently.

Gu Ci didn't have time to rest during the day either, spending the whole day in the kitchen preparing meals for pregnant women.

Tang Zhao softened her heart.

So she can have soup, and she doesn't need salt. She's only seven months pregnant; she can handle it!
Tang Zhao nestled in Gu Ci's arms and yawned, "Gu Ci, will you sleep with me?"

"Tired?" Gu Ci hugged the person in his arms tighter.

"Yes," Tang Zhao nodded, "to fatten up."

"Okay," Gu Ci lowered his head and gently kissed Tang Zhao's forehead. He then hugged Tang Zhao and lay down on the pillow, picked up the storybook by the bed, turned to the page he had read last time, and read it to Tang Zhao.

Tang Zhao closed her eyes and listened as Gu Ci's voice gradually deepened until only even breathing remained. Then she reached out and took the storybook from Gu Ci's hand and placed it aside. She then carefully pulled the blanket up to their chests before slowly closing her eyes and falling asleep.

The atmosphere inside the Yang family ancestral home was unusually somber.

Grandpa Jin sat comfortably in his rocking chair, sipping his tea and patiently waiting for Grandpa Yang to reply.

Old Master Yang closed his eyes. "What do you want in return for giving me the account books?"

Old Master Jin made an outrageous demand: "The Jin family wants 30% of the profits from the iron ore mine."

"can!"

"The land trade route that the Yang family has opened up in the Northwest must be shared with the Jin family."

"it is good!"

"Miss Yang Qi wants to marry my eldest grandson as his second wife."

Old Master Yang took a deep breath. "If I remember correctly, Jin Ge still has eight months until the end of her mourning period." Old Master Jin didn't care. "Once Jin Ge's mourning period is over, he will definitely bring Miss Yang Qi into the family with a grand wedding procession."

Old Master Yang's fingers twitched slightly. "I agree."

Grandpa Jin: "Besides..."

Old Master Yang roared, "Jin Lin, don't push your luck!"

Grandpa Jin asked in surprise, "What do you mean by that, elder brother?"

Old Master Yang sneered, "At worst, my Yang family will fight your Jin family to the death, and we'll see who's tougher then!"

Seeing that Old Master Yang was truly angry, Old Master Jin dared not continue to push his luck. "Brother-in-law, you are joking. The Jin and Yang families are close friends. If the Yang family suffers a major blow, how can the Jin family remain unscathed?"

Old Master Yang sneered.
"As long as my brother-in-law agrees to the above conditions, I will keep the account books safe and sound, and no one else will know where they are except me."

"That would be best," Old Master Yang gritted his teeth. "If the account books fall into the wrong hands, I will only question you!"

Old Master Yang stood up and walked towards the inner room. "Someone, see the guest out!"

The steward standing outside the door pushed the door open and entered, respectfully saying to Old Master Jin, "Please come in, Old Master."

Having gotten the better deal, Old Master Jin didn't care about Old Master Yang's hospitality. He put down his teacup, dusted off his robe, and left, feeling quite pleased with himself.

Inside the room, Yang An personally served the pre-rain Longjing tea to Old Master Yang.

Grandpa Yang was furious. He grabbed a teacup and threw it on the ground, yelling, "You opportunistic scoundrel!"

What is the Jin family? Back then, the Jin family angered Emperor Gaozu. If it weren't for the Yang family's help, it's uncertain whether the Jin family would even exist!

Now that they have leverage over the Yang family, they're trying to blackmail them. Bah!
"Father, I can understand the Jin family wanting a share of the iron mine profits and to marry Xiao Qi's son, but why do they want to take away the Yang family's land trade route to the Northwest?"

Since the Jin family controls the waterways in Jiangnan, wouldn't it be better to go to Luoyang via the Grand Canal and then from Luoyang to the Northwest?

Old Master Yang frowned. "I remember that a batch of goods belonging to the Jin family was seized by the Jiangsu and Zhejiang naval forces. The Jin family spent a lot of money to smooth things over and finally redeemed the goods from the Jiangsu and Zhejiang naval forces."

"The Jin family has been colluding with the Jiangsu and Zhejiang navies for many years. The Jiangsu and Zhejiang navies never bother to check the Jin family's ships when they see their flags. My son found it strange when the Jiangsu and Zhejiang navies seized the Jin family's goods."

However, he was preoccupied with Tang Zhao's ban on tea frying and the matter of Ming Jing, and had no time to spare, which is why he did not conduct an in-depth investigation for a long time.

"Regardless of the Jin family's purpose, as long as the Jin family travels the trade route with the Yang family, we will have the opportunity to investigate the Jin family's background," Old Master Yang clenched his fingers. "The most important thing now is how to get the account books back!"

If the account books are not retrieved in a day, the Yang family will be held by the throat by the Jin family and will be at risk of losing their lives at any moment!

Yang An lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment. "In my opinion, this matter can only be addressed by starting with the inner quarters. My aunt's birthday is in two days, and I will have Xiao Qi go to wish her a happy birthday."

Grandpa Yang looked at his son with satisfaction, but once again regretted not having made him his eldest son.

If the Yang family has such a clan leader, how could the family not prosper?

Inside the Lin'an Courtyard, a figure slipped in stealthily, avoiding everyone's gaze, to report, "When the Old Master met with Old Master Jin, the Second Master was hiding in the inner room."

Do you know what they said?

"The steward is guarding the door, so I can't hear anything."

"Keep an eye on things, and report back immediately if there's any news!"

"Yes!"