People in the Qin Dynasty, entertained during the Warring States period

"Sir, one hundred taels of silver will suffice."

Cao Ze was somewhat surprised by the fair price; he had thought the shopkeeper would try to overcharge him.

Compared to this phoenix crown, a hundred gold pieces is already a bit cheap. The materials and labor alone must cost a hundred gold pieces each, so it's not impossible for it to sell for four or five hundred gold pieces.

Cao Ze asked suspiciously, "This isn't some smuggled product, is it?"

It's no wonder he overthinks things; murder and robbery are commonplace in this era, and selling stolen jewelry is nothing unusual.

The shopkeeper quickly said, "Sir, please be careful with your words. You are a distinguished guest of Lord Jade Tiger, and our shop would never dare to make money off you."

Cao Ze suddenly remembered that Jade Tiger seemed to be in charge of the jewelry business in Xinzheng.

Honglian, holding the sandalwood box containing the phoenix crown, asked Cao Ze, "Have you reached an agreement?"

Cao Ze took out a gold note worth a hundred gold coins. "Shopkeeper, please accept this."

The shopkeeper happily saw Cao Ze and Honglian off, while the maid beside him asked with some confusion, "Didn't you say that the shop's prized possessions weren't for sale?"

The shopkeeper was in a good mood and said, "We always have our prized possessions, but we don't always have people."

If he were to report this to Lord Jade Tiger, he might be put in charge of the jewelry business in Xinzheng next year. Even if he wasn't put in charge, his position as manager would be more secure.

Cao Ze coaxed Honglian back to the palace, then returned to Zilan Pavilion alone.

Han Fei was drinking alone when he saw Cao Ze return early, which surprised him.

Has this guy changed his ways? Or is it that his sister isn't appealing anymore?

Cao Ze placed the paper and silk that Li Kai had given him on the table. Han Fei glanced at it and suddenly straightened up.

"What? The man in the straw raincoat is going to help the Bai family?" Han Fei asked carefully, "Is he helping Bai Yifei or the Marquis?"

Wei Zhuang crossed his arms and said somewhat stiffly, "Bai Yifei."

Han Fei asked, "Why?"

Wei Zhuang glanced at Cao Ze and said, "Even if the Marquis eliminates Nightfall Sands and the Iron Blood Alliance, she will inevitably pay a price. This is also the best time for Bai Yifei to make his move. And among the helpers Bai Yifei can find, the only one in Nightfall Sands is this mysterious and unpredictable man, your cousin Han Xin."

Cao Ze nodded slightly and said, "Brother Wei Zhuang is right."

He may underestimate the straw-clothed man, but he will never underestimate the future King Xin of Han.

The fact that he was later enfeoffed by Liu Bang as a vassal king of a different surname shows that he was no ordinary person.

If he hadn't later surrendered to the Xiongnu and joined them in attacking the Han, his reputation in historical records might have been even higher.

Thinking of this, Cao Ze's heart stirred.

The Xiongnu were known as the wolf clan in this world.

In the original work, it seems that the man in black who claimed to be serving the war was actually colluding with the werewolves and making some secret deals.

If Han Wangxin was the man in black...

Cao Ze took a deep breath. Wow, South Korea really has a lot of talented people.

Han Fei was somewhat serious. With the addition of the man in the straw raincoat as a variable, he would have to be wary of him.

"Brother Cao, Li Kai was captured by the Straw-Clad Man before, so why is he able to send you a message now? Is the Straw-Clad Man deliberately misleading us?"

Cao Ze shook his head slightly: "I don't know about that either."

Zhang Liang, who had been listening, suddenly said, "I once looked through the files about Li Kai in the archives. The Li family, to which Li Kai belonged, had dealings with the crown prince at the time. Han Xin may know Li Kai."

Han Fei clapped his hands and said, "Han Xin needed the help of Li Kai, the former Right Sima of Han, so Li Kai sought refuge with his old friend Han Xin. This is quite reasonable."

Wei Zhuang said calmly, "Then why did Li Kai tell Cao Ze about the Straw-Cloaked Man's information?"

Cao Ze felt a little guilty. He couldn't very well say that he had an affair with Madam Hu, since Li Kai was still counting on him to help take care of his ex-wife and daughter.

Zi Nu said slowly, "Perhaps Li Kai wasn't telling Mr. Cao Ze, but rather telling us. Nongyu is Li Kai's daughter, and Nongyu is close to us. Perhaps he sensed something, which is why he chose to side with the Straw Raincoat Guest."

Cao Ze secretly gave Zi Nu a thumbs up; she truly lived up to her reputation as one of his chosen wives, possessing a quick mind.

Han Fei said, "That makes sense."

At the end of the day, Cao Ze left Zilan Pavilion and quietly went to Madam Hu's place.

Madam Hu was taking a nap in her room in the West Garden when someone suddenly slipped into her bed, nearly scaring her out of her wits.

If it weren't for that familiar smell entering her nostrils, Mrs. Hu would have screamed.

She lowered her voice and asked, "What are you doing here?"

Cao Ze embraced Madam Hu's voluptuous waist and chuckled softly, "Have you missed me these past few days?"

Madam Hu rolled her eyes and said coquettishly, "Stop fooling around, Nongyu is still in the manor."

Cao Ze didn't care about all that.

Madam Hu blushed and her heart pounded. She glared at Cao Ze with a mixture of reproach and resentment, saying, "You always bully me."

Although I said that, I was actually very happy inside.

Cao Ze chuckled and said, "Then do you like me bullying you?"

Mrs. Hu's lips curled down. "If I say I don't like it, do you think you'll let me off the hook?"

Cao Ze gently stroked Madam Hu's slightly disheveled hair. "You think I'll let you go? That's impossible in this lifetime."

He joked, "You'd better be prepared to suffer with me for the rest of your life."

Madam Hu felt a bitter taste in her mouth, and her delicate nose wrinkled slightly: "You wish."

While playing with Madam Hu's soft hand, Cao Ze asked, "Has Li Kai been looking for you these days?"

“No…” Madam Hu seemed to realize something and asked in surprise, “Didn’t he leave Xinzheng? How come he’s back?”

She really didn't want to have anything to do with Li Kai anymore. Her daughter and lover were by her side now, and she was very happy. She didn't want to recall the past sorrows.

"He was captured by the Straw-Clad Men of the Night and seems to have now sought refuge with them." Cao Ze was very satisfied with Li Kai's sensibility; it was worth it for him to personally take care of Madam Hu and Nongyu.

Madam Hu's heart tightened: "What does he want to do?"

Cao Ze said, "Don't be nervous. He shouldn't bother you anymore. I'm here to give Madam a heads-up so that she won't be kept in the dark."

Madam Hu nestled close to Cao Ze and said softly, "You're so thoughtful."

Just as Cao Ze was about to take Madam Hu again, Nongyu's clear and melodious voice rang out from outside the door: "Mother, has she woken up?"

Like a startled rabbit, Madam Hu shoved Cao Ze, saying, "You'd better hide."

Cao Ze grinned, wanting to open the door and say to Nongyu, "Little girl, you've come at just the right time."

But this could very well drive Mrs. Hu crazy.

Madam Hu responded and quickly got out of bed and dressed.

Noticing that her face was a little dirty, she quickly wiped it clean with a cloth dampened with water.

Nongyu looked at her mother who opened the door with some surprise, wondering why her mother looked so hurried.

"Mother, are you feeling unwell?"

Madam Hu crossed her legs and forced a smile, saying, "Nongyu, Mother is feeling a little unwell."

Nongyu said understandingly, "Then we won't go to the garden. We'll just stay inside and read."

Madam Hu was somewhat annoyed. She had wanted to find an excuse to go out with Nongyu, but now things had turned out this way.

Upon entering the room, Nongyu sniffed and frowned slightly: "Mother, there seems to be a peculiar smell in your room."

Mrs. Hu's expression became tense.

"Really? Let me open the window."

She kept glancing around the room out of the corner of her eye, wondering where her lover was hiding.

Cao Ze lay on the roof beam, his face looking somewhat strange.

Nongyu has such a keen sense of smell; she can detect even the slightest odor. No wonder Zinu said that Nongyu is an expert in recognizing fragrances.

Is this what they call recognizing a man by his scent?

hiss~

Cao Ze suddenly realized a serious problem: what if in the future...

Nongyu didn't dwell on it too much.

She never imagined that her mother would do such a thing.

And this person was someone she admired and who often had ambiguous relationships with Sister Zi Nu.

Chapter 318 The Growth of My Sister-in-Law

As the clouds drifted by, the sky grew somewhat overcast, and the lights inside the house gradually dimmed.

Nongyu picked up the copper hairpin on the table, rolled up her sleeve with one hand to reveal her fair wrist, and held the hairpin in the other hand. She used the thin end of the hairpin to flick the oil lamp a few times, and the flickering light made the small bedroom brighter.

Madam Hu, who had just opened the window, turned around and saw that the room was bright. She inadvertently caught a glimpse of the dark shadow above Nongyu and couldn't help but hold her breath.

She thought Cao Ze had slipped out the window, but she never expected him to climb onto the roof beam.

"Hmm?" Nongyu looked at her mother, who was standing there, with some confusion. "Mother, what's wrong?"

Cao Ze squinted slightly, savoring Nongyu's clear and beautiful voice. It was as if crystal pearls were dancing between Nongyu's tongue and teeth, indescribably soft and melodious.

But to Madam Hu, the clear and melodious voice, like a nightingale singing in a valley, was like a delicate hand plucking her heartstrings, making her feel flustered and confused.

Madam Hu forced herself to remain calm and smiled, "It's nothing... Let's read a book."

Nongyu smiled and said, "Okay."

"Oh, by the way, the master has recently told Princess Honglian a few more stories about 'Dream of the Red Chamber.' I heard them from Sister Zi Nu. Mother, would you like to hear them?"

Looking into Nongyu's expectant and hopeful eyes, Madam Hu found it hard to refuse.

"Okay, let's come this way."

Madam Hu led Nongyu to the bedside, preventing her from glancing at Cao Ze's shadow on the roof beam.

Nongyu began to slowly tell her mother the story of "Dream of the Red Chamber." Her soft and gentle voice touched Cao Ze's heartstrings.

Cao Ze turned slightly to the side, gazing admiringly at Nongyu, who was intently telling the story.