novelden Chapter 116 Ling Huanan's Jealousy
Chapter 116 Ling Huanan's Jealousy
But she never considered that her current status as the legitimate husband was lowly, and even as a commoner, it was not as prestigious as the title of legitimate husband; moreover, she had a bad reputation outside, being dissolute and violent, so how could a family of high status be willing to accept her?
Moreover, how can a third-rank official be considered a minor official?
Fearing that others would witness Feng Xin's treasonous act, the advisor behind her hurriedly picked up the imperial edict and said:
"Your Highness, please calm down! As for Young Master Qin, do you still need to contact and try to win him over?"
"Since we are already involved with Feng Qing, there is no need to rush. Feng Qing will not be smug for long. Once Feng Qing loses power, I will definitely deal with Qin Shi and the Duke's Mansion properly!"
When Feng Xin thought of the contemptuous look Qin Shi gave her, which was exactly the same as Feng Qing's, she couldn't help but grit her teeth in hatred.
As for the Qi family, since they're all on the same boat, regardless of their power or influence, they're bound to be squeezed dry of every last drop of value.
The Qi family didn't want to marry, but what could they do? His Majesty had decreed the marriage.
……
Lin Shu remained calm when she received the imperial decree, after all, she had been bothering the Empress every day, and the Empress must have been fed up with it.
After the imperial decree was issued, Xue Wen and the others originally intended to assist in preparing for the wedding. However, since she was marrying a prince, the ceremony was complicated, and the wedding date still needed to be calculated by the Imperial Observatory before being handed over to the Ministry of Rites for execution.
Therefore, the Ministry of Rites has been extremely busy lately!
……
Time flies. Since the imperial decree of marriage was issued, Lin Shu often went to court and would bring the little fat boy some pastries and other things from time to time. Their relationship progressed quite smoothly.
In addition, Xue Wen's hot pot restaurant became famous in Beijing, and many people wanted to buy his recipe, but Xue Wen refused them all.
However, it must be said that Xue Wen is indeed a business genius, as he was able to come up with a brand 'licensing' method similar to that of later generations.
They provide the raw materials, and others pay a deposit and purchase goods from them on a regular monthly basis, but no more than three in each area, since scarcity drives up prices, and there's no money to be made if there are too many.
As a result, merchants who have heard of his reputation have been coming in droves lately. Xue Wen has been taking a young servant who knows martial arts with him every day, going out early and returning late, actually to negotiate with people and draft contracts.
Before long, three such establishments in the capital had reached a level of "perfect mastery".
Because Xue Wen was busy all day long, Ling Huanan had not seen him for several days. Every time he went to the Lin residence or his shop, he was told that he was out negotiating business.
That day, after having breakfast, Ling Huanan came as usual.
Xue Wen was still nowhere to be found. She figured she would eventually have to return to the manor, so she waited in the carriage near the Lin residence, occasionally sending her guards to inquire whether he had returned...
As dusk approached, Lin Shu's husbands had all returned home, but she was still nowhere to be seen, and Ling Huanan's expression grew increasingly gloomy.
"Your Highness, look, doesn't that person in front look like Young Master Xue?"
Ling Huanan suddenly lifted the carriage curtain and saw Xue Wen being helped down from a luxurious carriage by a servant.
Just as Ling Huanan was about to get out of the carriage, he saw a woman dressed in fine clothes also getting out of the carriage behind Xue Wen.
The woman was about thirty years old, with a fairly dignified appearance, and was gazing at Xue Wen with tender affection.
Ling Huanan froze instantly, her eyes fixed on the two people, the carriage curtain in her hand already torn in half. The woman's admiration and praise were so obvious; couldn't that stupid man, Xue Wen, see it?
"Your Highness... Your Highness, aren't we going over there?" The guard shrank back, feeling a chill creeping over him.
Ling Huanan glared at the other person fiercely, then turned his head and gritted his teeth, staring at Xue Wen over there.
"Thank you very much, Mr. Qian!" Xue Wen's gentle voice came from behind.
"Hey! Mr. Xue, you flatter me. I should thank you more for making me rich!" Mr. Qian said, looking at Xue Wen's hazy, handsome face.
This Boss Qian is Xue Wen's business partner and a prominent merchant in the capital. She owns two other hot pot restaurants in the city.
This woman lost her husband early in life and was too busy with her business to remarry. Now she has accumulated a large fortune, but there is no one to inherit it, so she has decided to get married.
But she had high standards, so she kept putting it off until she met Xue Wen a while ago. She took a liking to him at first sight and then took the opportunity of cooperation to ask him out.
Xue Wen smiled and said to Boss Qian, "Then I'll head into the mansion now. Boss Qian, you should also head back soon, and have a safe journey!"
"Tear..."
As soon as Xue Wen finished speaking, the curtain on Ling Huanan's side of the carriage was completely torn off. Now that the carriage was without curtains to cover it, the guards were almost scared to death by the prince's sour face.
But then Mr. Qian said, "Okay, I'll make an appointment with you another day."
Xue Wen: "Mm."
Mr. Qian turned to get into his car, paused briefly, then turned back, asking with a hint of embarrassment, "Shouldn't we be considered friends now? May I call you Ah Wen from now on?"
Xue Wenwei was taken aback, and was about to say that there was a difference between men and women, fearing that it might be inappropriate.
He was then interrupted by a familiar yet cold voice from behind:
"That doesn't count! Absolutely not!"
Xue Wen and the others turned around at the same time and saw a carriage parked not far away. Because there were no lanterns on the carriage, they had not noticed it before.
A woman with an angry expression and a gloomy face walked towards them.
Upon reaching the group, he pulled Xue Wen into his arms, then looked at Boss Qian with disdain and said in a deep voice:
“You’re not worthy to be called ‘friend,’ and you’re not allowed to call me ‘Awen’ either.”
Xue Wen tried to free himself from the hand around his waist, but failed.
Ling Huanan noticed Xue Wen's struggle and became displeased. He hugged him tighter and even pinched the soft flesh on his waist maliciously.
Xue Wen blushed and dared not struggle any longer, fearing that the other party would do something even more outrageous.
Boss Qian looked Xue and Ling up and down, his gaze finally settling on the hand at Xue Wen's waist. He asked, "Boss Xue, who is this?"
"His wife." Without giving Xue Wen a chance to answer, Ling Huanan put his arm around Xue Wen's hand and lifted it up, a very intimate gesture.
Boss Qian's face darkened instantly. He exchanged a glance with Ling Huanan, then looked away in fright, saying weakly, "When did Boss Xue get a wife? I have never heard of it!"
"It just came out, and now you know!" Ling Huanan was already getting impatient. Why was this person so persistent? He snapped impatiently, "Get out!"
After saying that, he warned, "If you dare to ask him out again, I'll kill you."
Boss Qian's face was ugly, and he was very angry. He pointed at Ling Huanan with a trembling finger: "You... are vulgar and rude. How could a gentle and refined gentleman like Boss Xue look at you!"
As Ling Huanan was pondering whether to send the man back by his personal guards, he heard Xue Wen's displeased voice:
"Mr. Qian, please leave! I, Xue Wenyi, am a crude and rude person, and I am afraid I am not worthy of your attention. In the future, I will send someone else to discuss cooperation matters with you."
After saying this, Xue Wen turned to leave, but forgot about the hand around his waist. He made too much of a movement and accidentally twisted his ankle.
"Awen!" Upon seeing this, Ling Huanan immediately snapped out of his thoughts that "Awen is standing up for me," picked up Xue Wen in his arms, and headed straight for the Lin residence.
After the others left, Mr. Qian got into his car and drove away, looking dejected.
Ling Huanan, his face ashen, carried Xue Wen back to the other party's courtyard, gently kicked open the door, went inside, and carefully placed the person on the bed.
Then he knelt down, lifted Xue Wen's injured foot, took off his shoes and placed them on his own lap. The ankle was slightly bruised, not serious, but the bruise still needed to be rubbed away.
"No!" Xue Wen quickly stopped the other person when he saw them reach out to roll up his trouser leg and grab his ankle.
Ling Huanan seemed not to hear, his hand directly grasping and gently kneading the other person. Seeing the other person struggle, he coldly added:
"If you resist again, I will kiss you!"
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