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墨書 Inktalez
In the hall, the sound of a woman's sobs filled the air, while those present below were engaged in heated discussions. Some accused Fu Tianlin of being heartless, ruthlessly targeting orphans and widows, while others believed the woman was despicable for trading her son's life for silver. The cacophony of opinions created a tense atmosphere, causing Qing Luan to furrow her brow.
She observed the woman in silence, unaware that someone was watching her in turn—a true case of the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.
"Look, Ruyi Tower and Tianxiang Restaurant are indeed colluding," Su Yuanhang remarked to Huang Pinyan as he noticed the exchange between Yu Wei and Zhu Qingluan.
"This Zhu Qingluan is truly not simple!" Huang Pinyan whispered through clenched teeth, his expression grave as he watched Zhu Qingluan. His desire to take down Tianxiang Restaurant grew stronger.
Each side had its own reasoning, and the case could not be resolved immediately; evidence needed to be gathered before a verdict could be reached. The only outcome was that Fu Tianlin was detained, and Tianxiang Restaurant was sealed.
"Miss, something feels off about this matter..." Yu Wei said seriously, lacking his usual playful demeanor.
"Yes, we'll discuss it further when we return!" Qing Luan replied as Fu Tianlin was taken away. She turned and left with Little Luo, instructing Yu Wei to follow discreetly.
"Go see where they are headed," Huang Pinyan commanded his men to track Zhu Qingluan after noticing Yu Wei's stealthy pursuit. They needed to uncover her current base of operations to plan their next move.
Zhu Qingluan, you were ruthless first; don’t blame me for being harsh!
At Jade Pavilion, in a secret chamber.
"We must ascertain this woman's identity and see if she has any grievances with the Fu Family," Qing Luan ordered upon her return. Although Fu Tianlin's fate had nothing to do with her and the financial loss of Tianxiang Restaurant was insignificant to her, she worried there might be another conspiracy at play that could involve her. Therefore, she needed a thorough investigation.
Ever since learning that the destruction of the fishing village was due to Xuanyuan Hui's actions, Qing Luan approached every situation with caution, never jumping to conclusions.
"Understood!" A-Song accepted the task and left, leaving Yu Wei and Little Luo to accompany Qing Luan.
"Someone wants to bring down Tianxiang Restaurant," Yu Wei said softly as he tapped on the table.
"Perhaps they want to bring me down," Qing Luan said, lowering her head. After a moment of contemplation, she spoke again. The Fu Family had deep roots in the capital; even during the most troubling times, the Huang Family dared not act recklessly, which showed that the Fu Family still had a certain foundation. However, ever since Fu Tianlin secretly collaborated with her, the Fu Family had been facing continuous troubles, and some even met untimely ends.
"How could that be?" Yu Wei shook his head. "No one knows that Fu Tianlin is working with you. How could they...?"
"We thought we were clever and treated them like fools. When I initially refused to compete with Tianxiang Restaurant, it already raised suspicions," Qing Luan realized at this moment that her cleverness had backfired, making her look foolish. "This time, they designed for Tianxiang Restaurant to have an incident, and with Fu Tianlin imprisoned, they must be secretly observing whether I have any connection to Tianxiang Restaurant... Perhaps they have already figured it out!"
"What should we do? Should we save Tianxiang Restaurant or the Fu Family?" Yu Wei asked anxiously. He still had feelings for Tianxiang Restaurant; after all, they had worked hard for so long, and letting go was difficult.
"Let's see how it goes!" Qing Luan replied ambiguously, but she had already made up her mind in her heart. If they couldn't save Tianxiang Restaurant, then Ruyi Tower and Jade Pavilion would also be in jeopardy.
As Qing Luan suspected, the authorities raided Tianxiang Restaurant and discovered its connection to Ruyi Tower during their investigation. Consequently, both Ruyi Tower and Jade Pavilion were also sealed off.
In an instant, this news shocked the capital.
"Miss, why did this happen?" Little Luo looked at the Jade Pavilion they had painstakingly supported with tears in her eyes.
"Out with the old, in with the new!" Qing Luan responded lightly.
Originally, she should have been like Fu Tianlin, turning in circles in prison. However, due to Yun Yiqing's orders, no one dared to touch her. Besides, even if there was cooperation between the two families, the incident occurred at Tianxiang Restaurant—what did it have to do with her?
"Were you doing this on purpose?" Yun Yiqing asked curiously when she saw that Qing Luan showed no signs of sadness.
Upon learning that Jade Pavilion had been sealed off, she was frantic with worry about what might happen to Qing Luan. To her surprise, Qing Luan appeared relaxed and carefree, which made Yun Yiqing feel as if she had been tricked and couldn't help but ask.
"Uh-huh!" Qing Luan crossed her legs comfortably while sipping tea. Unapologetically nodding at the visibly irritated Yun Yiqing, she said, "Sister Yun, don't you find it chilling that so many people are watching my Jade Pavilion every day?"
"So...?" Yun Yiqing knew all too well how troublesome Jade Pavilion could be; thus, Qing Luan's idea sparked a glimmer of interest in her eyes.
"The Huang Family is so eager that they even resorted to poisoning to test my relationship with Tianxiang Restaurant. Why not let them have their way... Unfortunately, the Huang Family will never know that the Jade Pavilion is favored by the Emperor. The only reason it hasn't been forcefully taken from me is because of your influence. If it changes hands, the Emperor will likely show no mercy!" She thought to herself, they would have to weigh their own worth if they wanted to consume her.
"Those accounts were also deliberately left for others to find, weren't they?" She had suspected it; this guy was full of tricks and wouldn't stumble over such a minor issue. It turned out he had set a trap for others to fall into.
"Once I realized their intentions, I took what I needed from the Jade Pavilion and dealt with what needed to be handled. What's left is just a facade of the Jade Pavilion, enough to give Prime Minister Huang a headache!" She grinned mischievously, especially recalling how Prime Minister Huang had laughed while holding onto the Jade Pavilion, only for the Emperor to issue an edict right after. That feeling must have been like falling from heaven into hell.
Hopefully, that old man could handle it; otherwise, one stroke could ruin everything for him.
"Ha! That old fool really has lost his mind, trying to take on Tianxiang Restaurant and Ruyi Tower," Yun Yiqing's disdain became clearer after learning about Qing Luan's plan. "Though he saved the Emperor's life, the Emperor has always kept a wary eye on him, controlling the Huang Family's wealth and power. Who would have thought he would brazenly seek these things now... At this point, would the Emperor even allow him to exist?"
"Using someone else's hand to kill requires knowing if they'll fall for it!" In fact, this thought had briefly crossed Qing Luan's mind as well.
She speculated that the Huang Family might be aware of her connection with the Fu Family and had long desired the Jade Pavilion. Considering the Emperor's needs, she carefully crafted a plan to make the Huang Family believe they were fleeing in defeat... Using the Emperor's hand, she aimed to gradually eliminate the Huang Family's influence.
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Lazy is back (weakly...). Let me explain: it wasn't intentional to stop updating or disappear for so long; I was sick and almost had to be hospitalized. The doctor strictly ordered me to stay away from computers and phones. As for what illness it was, I won't say; when I told my editor, she found it quite alarming too. So please forgive Lazy; I didn't mean to... sob...
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