Tianliangyuan

Chapter 435 Coming to Offer Apology

Xu Zhaozhao casually ate a plum and said softly, "You must know that public opinion is a fearsome thing, and this is not a joke. Therefore, when we want to take revenge or vent our anger, we must make clear plans first. If we are in the right and the other party is in the wrong, no one can find fault with us, and this will put you in an invincible position."

"understood."

"No, you don't understand. Xie Chan, I want you to know clearly that we can be tolerant, we can be patient, we can even humble ourselves, but we cannot just wrong ourselves!"

Xie Chan's eyes sparkled as she listened, but she also seemed to have a hint of doubt.

"Take these books home and read them carefully, then come back and tell me your thoughts."

Some things need to be learned through practice; simply saying a few words is useless!

She can't learn it either!

Perfect timing! There are a few unruly servants in Xie Chan's courtyard. Let her practice on her own first.

Just then, Xu Zhaozhao discovered something.

Jiang Ning, who had been quiet and in a rather awkward position in the Prince Zhong's mansion, has surprisingly regained the Prince Zhong's favor and trust.

Who would have thought that the Loyal King would entrust part of his assets to a concubine to manage?

In fact, Jiang Ning did indeed earn a lot of money for the Prince of Zhong.

According to the news brought back by Xu Zhuzi, Jiang Ning helped the Prince of Zhong earn 800,000 strings of cash in just a few months.

This is no small amount!

Moreover, if the Loyal King wanted to compete for that position, he would naturally need the help of money.

Having money means having confidence.

So, how did Jiang Ning manage to do that?

Xu Zhaozhao narrowed her eyes slightly. She had indeed been slacking off lately. Such a big matter still required Xu Zhuzi to find out before informing her, which showed that her information was much slower than before.

Fine, since that's how it is, let's leave her be for now and let her run wild for a few more days.

Once I give birth—no, I won't have to wait that long—as soon as my father and Xie Zheng return, I'll be able to deal with her!

She really didn't take a mere concubine from a prince's mansion seriously.

"Peony, go and tell Zhu Zi to keep a close eye on Jiang Ning's men. Just tell him how much he needs to spend. Under no circumstances should he miss any information."

"Yes, master."

"Focus on investigating whether Jiang Ning's people are dealing with merchants, especially those from out of town. Remember, don't alert them."

"Understood, I will do it immediately."

Before we knew it, it was the sixth day of the first lunar month.

Apart from the first day of the Lunar New Year, the entire Huguo Duke's Mansion was extremely busy for the next few days.

Even though Xu Zhaozhao was pregnant, she still had to show her face when some elders came to the mansion.

But in reality, because of her current status as a princess, not a single elder dares to criticize her.

Others might not find fault, but she couldn't go too far.

On the fifth day of the first lunar month, there were basically no guests, but the mansion itself was still bustling with activity.

Xu Zhaozhao woke up late this morning. She hadn't slept well last night and woke up in the middle of the night, sitting up for half an hour before falling back asleep.

"My lord, Sun Qian is requesting an audience outside. She said she brought something to apologize to you."

Xu Zhaozhao's eyebrows twitched slightly. Sun Qian?

How long has it been since I last heard this name?

"She came alone?"

"Yes, she was alone, dressed as a woman. I could tell from her that she was wearing old clothes from last year. She looked haggard, so she must not be doing well."

"Since she's here, let's call her in."

"Yes."

Sun Qian has indeed not appeared in front of Xu Zhaozhao for a long time.

This time, Sun Qian actually came directly to the Duke of Huguo's mansion to find her, and Xu Zhaozhao felt that Sun Qian was doing something big.

Sun Qian did indeed arrive in old clothes, her eyes looking haggard and lifeless. After bowing, she presented the apology gifts she had prepared.

“I was wrong before, and I beg you, sister, to forgive me for the sake of our years of friendship. Now I am a widow, and life is hard. My elders at home can't tolerate me and they all advise me to leave the capital. Cousin, I was wrong about what happened before. These things are the best I could find. Please, just say the word, and the Sun family will definitely not make things difficult for me anymore.”

Xu Zhaozhao didn't even glance at the box, and instead asked, "You are the daughter of the Sun family, and have always been your mother's darling. How could she possibly drive you away?"

“I’m telling the truth. My mother’s status in the family has declined significantly. My grandmother is fed up with me, and my father feels that I have brought shame to the Sun family. Cousin, I really know I was wrong. Please, forgive me.”

Xu Zhaozhao didn't speak. If she remembered correctly, in the last case, only Sun Qian suffered. In fact, Sun's father was promoted because of it, so why would he resent Sun Qian?

That's not true!

What gifts have you prepared?

Sun Qian's eyes lit up instantly when the gift was mentioned.

“The gems I brought were all the finest gems from my family’s past. Before the incident, I secretly kept some of them. Now I’ve specially selected the largest and most beautiful gems to make into jewelry for my cousin. My cousin is stunningly beautiful, and only she is worthy of such gorgeous and luxurious pieces.”

Xu Zhaozhao smiled slightly.

The fact that Sun Qian praised her so insincerely shows just how important these pieces of jewelry are.

Xu Zhaozhao only opened it and glanced at it before sensing the aura attached to it.

These are all top-quality items!

Xu Zhaozhao ordered someone to close the box and said calmly, "Someone, serve Miss Sun tea. Zisu, come with me to the inner room to try it out."

"Yes, master."

Upon hearing this, Sun Qian's eyes lit up even more.

Xu Zhaozhao glanced back and noticed Sun Qian's little gesture. Whenever she was excited or nervous, she would unconsciously tug at her sleeve.

This habit has remained unchanged for many years!

"Go to the Duke of Xin's mansion immediately and invite my mother and elder brother over. Tell them very seriously that someone is trying to harm me. Also, send someone to the Sun mansion and summon Sun Qingyang, Xu Lin, and Sun Huaizhi. Tell them that if they don't come, tomorrow will be the death of the entire Sun family!"

"Yes, master."

After Zisu agreed, she looked at the box again: "Master, what about you?"

"It's alright, please invite the physician from the manor over."

"Yes."

Zisu didn't notice anything wrong with the jewelry, but seeing her master speak so confidently, she naturally didn't suspect anything.

When Xu Zhaozhao returned to the hall, she was not wearing the two pieces of jewelry, which naturally aroused Sun Qian's suspicion.

Before she could ask, Xu Zhaozhao interrupted, "Besides the Sun residence, does cousin have any other places to go?"

Sun Qian was puzzled: "Where could I possibly go? It's nothing more than a hermitage or a place like Zhuangzi's. Where else could I possibly go!"

After saying that, she put on a pitiful look.