Chapter 210: Backdoor

Words : 1797 Updated : Sep 23rd, 2025

Agarwood Pavilion, inner room. Su Jin was drinking tea, her mood very bright. Xingxing walked in. Both hands empty. Seeing her, Su Jin said, "Didn’t you go to the storeroom to pick gifts? Why did you come back empty-handed?" Xingxing frowned. "I did go, but most of the things in the storeroom are part of the dowry prepared by Madam and the Marquis for the young lady. It doesn’t seem appropriate to use them as congratulatory gifts," Xingxing said, troubled. "Aren’t there rewards from the Emperor and the Empress Dowager as well?" Su Jin suggested. "Can the things rewarded by the Empress Dowager and the Emperor be given as gifts?" Xingxing asked, confused. "There’s nothing that can’t be given away. Just pick one from the things the Empress Dowager rewarded me," Su Jin said. "And the Cloud Brocade and Shu brocade rewarded by the Emperor, take four pieces each." Xingxing nodded repeatedly. Just as she was about to leave, Xie Jingchen walked in and casually asked, "What does Father-in-law like?" Su Jin shrugged. Don’t ask me. The amnesiac me knows nothing of father and mother’s preferences. Xie Jingchen glanced at Xingxing. Without hesitation, Xingxing said, "The Marquis likes money the most, whether it’s a silver note, gold, or silver; he likes them all." Su Jin, "..." Xie Jingchen, "..." Is there anyone in this world who doesn’t like money? "Besides money, the Marquis likes grain and grass," Xingxing added. "Whenever he robs the Emperor, the Marquis is especially happy. Other things don’t interest him." "..." Xie Jingchen sat down. A bunch of black lines on his face. Father-in-law was moving into a new house, and it was proper for him as the son-in-law to go and congratulate. Sending a congratulatory gift naturally should cater to his tastes. But there’s no way he could drag the Emperor to rob Father-in-law. As for money— He wanted to give it, but didn’t have any to give. Send White Jade Chess— Marquis Dongxiang is a terrible chess player. Send writing materials— Marquis Dongxiang doesn’t like writing. Send ceramic ornaments— Marquis Dongxiang would have someone take them to pawn. Xie Jingchen, "..." Xie Jingchen gave up on catering to preferences. He picked an ancient painting from his own collection as the congratulatory gift. The two went out, prepared to leave the mansion. Xingxing followed behind, "Young lady, with us all gone, what if someone sneaks into the backyard again?" Maidservants and old women around couldn’t help twitching their lips. Who dares to sneak into the Eldest Young Madam’s backyard? The young lady fell so miserably; isn’t that enough for everyone to learn their lesson? From afar, a young maid ran over, handing Xingxing a key, "I bought a new lock and locked the backyard door; here’s the key." The Eldest Young Madam’s locks are too troublesome; they are hardly affordable. Xingxing took the key and said, "I’ll go hide it in the house first." She dashed back quickly. The maidservants hadn’t even regained their senses when she dashed back out again. With the speed she hid things, the maidservants wondered if she just threw it on the table casually. Peony Garden. Princess Nanzhang was looking at account books. Xie Jinyu accompanied her by the side. A maid came in and said, "Princess, the Eldest Young Madam and Eldest Young Master have returned to your maiden home." Princess Nanzhang’s eyes were cold. Xie Jinyu cursed, "Shameless!" The maid continued, "Before leaving, the Eldest Young Madam’s maid was worried about someone entering the backyard, so she specifically locked the courtyard door." Recalling her miserable state, Xie Jinyu was so angry she gnashed her teeth. She looked at Princess Nanzhang and said, "Mother, there must be a secret in the Agarwood Pavilion’s backyard!" "I fell so miserably and found nothing, I can’t accept it!" Xie Jinyu said through gritted teeth. Dongxiang Marquis Mansion. Su Chong and the others had finished training, you support me, I support you as they went back for a medicinal bath. Prince NanAn rubbed his cheek. It hurts. Prince NanAn looked at Su Chong, "You don’t hit the face, how come your family’s servant doesn’t even spare the face of you, the Young Master?" "Once on the competition field, there are only opponents, where is there a Young Master?" Su Chong said, rubbing his arm. "..." They returned inside, where the servant had already prepared the medicinal bath. An entire room filled with the scent of medicine. What used to smell pungent, now actually carried a faint medicinal aroma. Soaking in it, felt especially comfortable. Prince NanAn hummed comfortably. Outside, a servant came in and said, "Eldest Young Master, a servant from Prince NanAn Mansion is looking for the Commandery Prince." "Looking for me?" Prince NanAn asked in confusion. "Could it be that my father has had a change of heart and wants me back as his son?" Prince NanAn said happily. "Let him in." The servant withdrew. After a moment, a servant entered. He pushed open the door, walked a few steps forward, and saw Prince NanAn and a few others soaking in a bathtub. The servant was stunned. Prince NanAn asked, "What’s the matter looking for me?" The servant stepped forward and said, "Commandery Prince, the Princess Consort sent me to ask if you, being familiar with the Eldest Young Madam of Duke Zhen’s Mansion, could help her get two sets of mahjong." Prince NanAn, "..." "Is that all you came to me for?" Prince NanAn asked. "Yes, the Princess Consort said the Beauty Pavilion is nice, but she can’t go there every day. There are times when it’s windy and rainy and she can’t leave the house. When she’s feeling down at night, she could call a few maids to play mahjong and pass the time," the servant replied. Prince NanAn felt a bit depressed. He had been eagerly waiting for someone from the Prince NanAn Mansion to come looking for him, only to find it was about mahjong. Prince NanAn, feeling displeased, said nothing. Outside, the servant came in again and said, "The shopkeeper of the Beauty Pavilion is here." The Beauty Pavilion shopkeeper had been to Marquis Dongxiang Mansion several times and was a familiar face. The shopkeeper was waiting outside. He walked in and greeted the gentlemen present. "Is there anything you need?" Chu Shun asked. The shopkeeper replied, "The mahjong from the Beauty Pavilion is quite popular among the madams. Many people have been asking lately if it’s for sale, so I came to ask if the Beauty Pavilion wants to sell mahjong." The Eldest Young Master of Duke Dingguo joked, "Those people are quite honest. They didn’t directly find someone to carve mahjong." The shopkeeper remained silent. Those people weren’t honest; mahjong is first sold at the Eldest Young Madam of Duke Zhen’s Mansion’s store. Those people wouldn’t dare to compete with her business. "Is this decision up to us, or should we ask the eldest sister-in-law’s opinion before deciding?" Prince NanAn inquired. "Didn’t the eldest sister-in-law say that we shouldn’t reject money?" said the Heir of Marquis Beining. "You own half of the Beauty Pavilion, so for such a small matter, you can make the decision," said Su Chong. Prince NanAn then said, "Then let’s prepare to sell mahjong. As for the pricing, just decide on something that won’t tarnish the Beauty Pavilion’s reputation." The shopkeeper, "..." The shopkeeper exited. The servant from Prince NanAn Mansion looked utterly stunned. Could it be the Beauty Pavilion has shares belonging to the Commandery Prince?! The Beauty Pavilion is the hottest shop in the Capital City now. "Alright, you can go back. When the Beauty Pavilion starts selling mahjong, let my mother buy it herself," said Prince NanAn. "I don’t have any back doors here," said Prince NanAn. "..." The servant silently withdrew. Prince NanAn Mansion. In the garden pavilion. Besides the Princess Consort of Prince NanAn, Lady Marchioness Jingguo, Lady Marchioness Beining, and Duchess Dingguo were all there. They hadn’t been this close before. Sons have their own friends, they didn’t intervene nor participate. This time, because Prince NanAn and the others helped Su Jin and clashed with Duke Chong’s Mansion, they gathered together, concerned that their sons might cause trouble. In recent days, playing mahjong at the Beauty Pavilion, they had become fast friends. The Beauty Pavilion’s business was booming, and they were happy for the Eldest Young Madam of Duke Zhen’s Mansion. However, there were only a few mahjong tables, and they felt a bit guilty occupying them every day. But now, just chatting and not playing mahjong felt like wasting precious time. The servant approached. "How did it go?" the Princess Consort of Prince NanAn asked. The servant replied, "The Beauty Pavilion has decided to sell mahjong. The Commandery Prince said he doesn’t have any private arrangements, so the Princess Consort should buy it from the Beauty Pavilion." The Princess Consort of Prince NanAn was furious, "What kind of rascal son did I give birth to? Not only does he not help, he even irritates me." "They’re all the same," said Marchioness Jingguo. "What were they doing when you went?" Lady Marchioness Beining asked. The servant, "..." "The gentlemen were chatting over tea," the servant replied. The servant had promised the Prince not to tell the Princess Consort about the Commandery Prince’s training in taking beatings. So he couldn’t mention the medicinal bath, fearing it would be revealed. Seeing the Princess Consort of Prince NanAn upset, the servant changed the subject, "Please don’t be angry, Princess Consort. The Commandery Prince is avoiding misuse of his position." "Because the Beauty Pavilion has shares belonging to the Commandery Prince and the Heir of Marquis Jingguo, they need to set an example," the servant said. Ahem! Duchess Dingguo was drinking tea and started coughing upon hearing the servant’s words. The Princess Consort of Prince NanAn was a bit confused, "The Beauty Pavilion has shares belonging to the Commandery Prince and the others?" "Not just shares, the four gentlemen hold half of it." "..." "Besides the Beauty Pavilion, they also own half of the Conscience Ice Shop," the servant said. "..." Lady Marchioness Beining remarked, "I was consistently worried about them struggling financially, but they’ve been silently amassing a fortune." "Exactly, I used to stop Qinqin from helping the Eldest Young Madam of Duke Zhen’s Mansion with shop construction. He didn’t mention a word to me," said Duchess Dingguo. "Is the Eldest Young Madam of Duke Zhen’s Mansion being too generous?" the Princess Consort of Prince NanAn asked. But that’s not the main point. The main point was the Princess Consort of Prince NanAn instructed the servant, "Go tell the Prince that it’s not he who doesn’t want the Commandery Prince anymore; it’s the Commandery Prince who doesn’t want him as a father." The servant, "..."

Chapter 210: Backdoor

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