Chapter 752 - 529: She Will Give Her a Helping Hand

Chapter 752: Chapter 529: She Will Give Her a Helping Hand

Song Yunzhao knew He Lan Yun was on excellent terms with Lady Ding. Their families had always been close, and Lady Ding had practically watched He Lan Yun grow up. Their bond was anything but ordinary.

It was for this reason that He Lan Yun had sided with her without hesitation during the last incident, and why she hadn’t taken her anger out on Lady Ding.

Lady Ding might not have felt guilty about what happened, but she was certainly worried. If she had a chance to make amends for the transgression, she would surely take it.

After all, she was a concubine now, and Lady Ding certainly wouldn’t want to get on her bad side.

"The Zhao Family is in Linfeng. It will take some time to investigate them thoroughly," He Lan Yun said softly.

"I know. Just ask Lady Ding to do her best." Song Yunzhao didn’t set a deadline, but her meaning was clear: the sooner, the better.

He Lan Yun had matured considerably in her speech and actions since marrying and having a child, with another now on the way. She considered this, then said to Yun Zhao, "I will make it clear to her."

With the serious matters out of the way, He Lan Yun began to share some gossip from the outside world with Yun Zhao. They hadn’t had a chance to catch up in a long time, and the atmosphere instantly became much more relaxed.

"You have no idea how comfortable Linlang’s life is now. Ever since she gave birth to a son, Madam Ji doesn’t even say a harsh word to her. To have more time to look after her grandson, she’s even handed over the management of the household to Linlang. And you wouldn’t believe how many people in the Capital City are stomping their feet in frustration. Back then, because of the rumors, none of them dared to marry Ji Yunting. Now they see Xie Linlang has given him a son and Ji Yunting has the Emperor’s favor, so many people are making catty remarks. They say things like, ’Linlang is just a merchant’s daughter, what makes her worthy of being Young Madam Ji?’ It makes me so mad."

"Is Linlang doing all right?" Yun Zhao exchanged letters with Xie Linlang from time to time, but she had never mentioned any of this.

"You know her personality. If she heard someone say that, she’d clap back right then and there. Linlang said that since she’s just an ’ill-mannered merchant’s daughter’ anyway, why should she suffer in silence? If those people claim to be well-bred ladies from prestigious families but stoop to the petty act of gossiping behind people’s backs, then their manners can’t be all that great. It’s six of one and half a dozen of the other, so who’s afraid of who!"

Song Yunzhao laughed. "That does sound like something she would do. She must have been absolutely furious."

After all, Xie Linlang always preferred to handle things peacefully.

"Isn’t that the truth? It’s because she has the confidence to back it up now. Otherwise, how could she possibly do whatever she wants?" He Lan Yun said with a laugh.

’Looking back now, it all feels like a dream. Back in the day, I only had eyes for Ji Yunting. No one else mattered; to me, he was the greatest man in the world.’

’But I never would have imagined that after marrying him, a man with such a cold and aloof personality would actually stand up for someone like that.’

’Thinking about it later, I guess that’s just fate.’

’Anyway, I’m quite fond of my own block of wood now. He may not be one for sweet talk, but he makes me feel safe and secure.’

’My mother said that with my personality, only someone like Cao Jitong could ever keep me in check.’

’Keep me in check? Please. I’m the one who takes pity on him and lets him have his way.’

"There’s something else you might not know. A while ago, the Changning Marquis tried to bring a singer back to his mansion to be his concubine, but Princess Fuke had her beaten and thrown out."

"Something like that happened? How come I haven’t heard a word about it?"

"It’s not exactly a glorious affair, so the Princess Mansion has been suppressing the news. Madam Changning was so angry she fell ill. It’s a good thing Princess Fuke is so formidable, otherwise, who knows what a huge scene it would have become."

Song Yunzhao frowned slightly. "I remember the Changning Marquis and his wife had a good relationship. Right after he received his title, he immediately submitted a memorial to the throne requesting a title for her."

"I know, right? Who would have thought he’d do something like this? As you know, Princess Fuke requested an Earldom for her son, but the Changning Marquis himself isn’t very ambitious. After getting the title, he just grew lazy. And here in the Capital City, right under the Emperor’s nose, he’s constantly being coaxed into those sorts of places to wine and dine."

He Lan Yun looked at Yun Zhao with a disdainful expression. "The Changning Marquis’s own son will be old enough to marry in a couple of years. How is he supposed to find a good match now?"

"What’s this singer’s background?" Song Yunzhao asked. "To have him so completely bewitched?"

When she heard Yun Zhao ask this, He Lan Yun’s expression turned a little strange. "Ah, this is something you might not know. Some merchants deliberately buy pretty young girls and raise them from childhood. They’re trained to be proficient in all the fine arts, all for the purpose of being sold into wealthy households. A single one can fetch a great deal of Silver."

’Isn’t that essentially the same as the ’Yangzhou Skinny Horses’ of old?’ Yun Zhao thought. ⅇℓ.

Just as she was thinking this, she heard He Lan Yun say, gesturing with her fingers, "The one the Changning Marquis bought cost this much!"

"One thousand taels?" Yun Zhao guessed.

He Lan Yun shook her head.

"Ten thousand taels?" Yun Zhao was stunned.

He Lan Yun nodded. "Surprising, isn’t it? It’s precisely because it’s so profitable that the trade persists despite all attempts to ban it."

Song Yunzhao’s expression darkened. "And the court officials do nothing about it?"

"How are they supposed to manage it?" He Lan Yun scoffed. "It’s not like they’re being sold openly. These people claim the singer is their ’daughter,’ and this is just ’marrying her off’ and ’accepting a betrothal gift.’"

Song Yunzhao was speechless.

"But the one at the Changning Marquis Mansion... since she was called a singer, she couldn’t have been a daughter, right?"

"Believe it or not, there are plenty of shameless people out there. That’s exactly what they claimed."

Song Yunzhao fell silent. ’I’ve seen too little of the world,’ she thought.

Seeing the look on Yun Zhao’s face, He Lan Yun said, "Princess Fuke is truly furious this time, so she’s bound to take action. She’ll probably dismantle that singer’s entire operation. If she needs my help, I’ll lend a hand."

"From the sound of it, you’re saying someone deliberately set a trap for the Changning Marquis?"

"No one dares to ask Princess Fuke for the specific details, but it seems likely." He Lan Yun shook her head. "Over the past few years, as the Emperor’s authority has grown, the political landscape in the Capital City has been constantly shifting. There’s a great deal of infighting between factions, and Princess Fuke’s situation is also quite complicated."

Song Yunzhao understood. Princess Fuke had done a great deal to help the Emperor, so she must have become an eyesore to certain people. Since they didn’t dare to show their dissatisfaction with the Emperor directly, they targeted the Princess instead.

Unfortunately, the Princess was far too self-disciplined, leaving them with no opening. And so, her son, the Changning Marquis, became the scapegoat.

Thinking of this, Song Yunzhao mulled it over and said, "This kind of business is truly disgusting. What do they take us women for? Please tell the Princess that if she needs anything, she can come to the palace and find me."

She would be sure to lend her strength.

"All right. Princess Fuke will surely be happy to hear that." He Lan Yun had intended to help as well, but it was even better if Yun Zhao took action.

At that moment, neither of them knew that what they thought was a small matter would have such far-reaching consequences.

After leaving the palace, He Lan Yun thought for a moment and headed directly to the Princess Mansion.

Meanwhile, Ling Yunhe had already returned to the Capital City. Covered in injuries, he knocked on Xie Jinshu’s door.