When they returned, the curfew had already begun, but Zhu Bowen sent his housekeeper with the Zhu family's sign so they were able to pass through unhindered.
Hua Zhi leaned in Yan Xi's arms as the carriage swayed. Her head still hurt, but perhaps she had gotten used to it and no longer found it unbearable.
Pulling her into his arms to make her feel more comfortable, Gu Yanxi said, "Let Shaoyao return to the palace early tomorrow morning."
"Are you going to admit your mistake to the Emperor?"
Gu Yanxi didn't say anything, just kissed her forehead again and again.
Hua Zhi sat up and turned to face him. "You plan to admit your mistakes to the emperor for my sake, but it's useless, Yan Xi. The emperor needs me to make money for him. Whether you admit your mistakes or not, he will not take back his order. Rather than admitting your mistakes for my sake, I hope you do it for yourself."
Hua Zhi put her hand on his chest and said, "If you are sad, make things less sad for you. If there is a wound here, tear it open, drain the pus if necessary, apply medicine if necessary. It is better than looking healed on the outside but still festering inside. I want to feel the pain for you but I can't do it."
Gu Yanxi placed her hand on the hand that was several sizes smaller than his, lowered her head, smiled, and said softly, "Hmm."
The emperor's uncle will never understand why he is willing to give up everything for Azhi. He has three harems and six courtyards and has had countless women in his life, but he is not as lucky as him to meet Azhi who is better than most people. Even if this person is upset, she will think of his sadness, comfort him, and even let him resolve it, even though she knows that if he does so, he will not get good results in front of the emperor, and may even make him stay away from her.
The emperor's uncle would not understand. It's not that Azhi can't leave him, it's that he can't leave Azhi. From the moment he confirmed his feelings, he never thought of leaving. He wants this person, he is absolutely sure.
He wanted her to be his bedmate and be buried in the same grave after death, and no one could stop her.
The carriage stopped and the corner door opened from the inside. Yingchun and Baoxia came out together. It was a little cold at night, and Yingchun was holding a cloak in her hand. Seeing this, Hua Zhi took it off her shoulders and handed it back to Yan Xi, who immediately had the maid put it on her.
"Go back, it's getting late."
"Okay, go to bed early and give your brain a rest."
"I know." Hua Zhi turned and smiled at the housekeeper who had not left yet, "Housekeeper, go back too, tell grandpa not to worry, Yan Xi will not come in at this time."
The butler agreed with a smile, but he touched the horse and adjusted the curtains, and refused to move.
Gu Yanxi knew that this was someone sent by Mr. Zhu to supervise him. He tightened the collar of Ah Zhi's cloak and said, "Go in. Don't worry about me. I will think about what to do."
Hua Zhi then walked into the house with peace of mind. Yan Xi always kept his word. If he said he would think about it carefully, he would definitely think about it carefully.
The Zhu family was also awake at this time. Zhu Ziwen was called in for questioning by the people sent by his father. He said what he could say and didn't say anything he shouldn't say. His grandfather had instructed that all matters concerning the royal family must be kept to himself.
Zhu Haocheng paced back and forth, frowning. The Hua family's foundation was as thin as paper. He was not jealous, but he was optimistic about Zhi'er's brain. She could make a breakthrough in a year. What if she could make more money? The capital in her hand increased year by year, and she could earn more year by year. That's why he wanted to arrange this marriage. The girl would only be in charge of the family for a few years. When Bolin grew up, the Hua family would still be handed over to him. It was ridiculous that the second brother thought he was interested in the dividends of the soap, but he didn't know that the most profitable business of the Hua family was the two food alleys.
You can never get tired of eating this food. Don't be fooled by the cheap price. There are 48 shops and they are always busy from opening in the morning to closing time. The daily turnover is a terrifying amount.
There will probably never be another one that can make such a big difference in food. This is a golden goose that lays golden eggs, and he wants Shan'er to hold it in her arms.
But the prerequisite is that the situation of the Hua family is gradually improving, rather than being disliked by the emperor and on the verge of collapse.
"Look... Never mind. It's none of your business. Be more active when your grandfather is around you. Don't be so careless like before."
When had he not taken it seriously? Zhu Ziwen had no choice but to agree and leave.
Zhu Haocheng went to the lady's room. The lady, who thought he had gone to another room, was very happy and started to serve him hot tea and water.
"It seems that the master didn't eat much tonight, so I asked someone to make some food to fill his stomach."
Zhu Haocheng nodded, "Okay, let the people below get busy, I have something to talk to you about."
The eldest lady sat down opposite him and waited to speak.
"Do you have a favorite family for Shan'er's marriage?"
"I had chosen someone before, but didn't you say later that you wanted Shan'er and Bolin..." The eldest lady reacted and immediately looked happy, "Master, have you finally figured it out? God have mercy on me, I never dared to say it before. From the beginning to the end, I never liked the one from the Hua family. If it was the Hua family before, there would be no choice, but now... It's not that I have to classify people into different levels. I didn't hesitate to help you in any way before, but getting married is a lifelong thing. Even if the Hua family makes some money now, how can it compare with the prosperous families? When my Zhu family's daughter wants to get married, it doesn't matter whether the person is rich or not. It depends on the background and whether he can help her parents' family, right, master?"
"The Hua family is not as bad as you say. Don't talk nonsense." Zhu Haocheng glared at his wife. He didn't want his daughter to marry into the family to deepen the in-law relationship between the two families, but he didn't want to sever ties with the Hua family. The relationship between the two families could not be severed.
"Yes, I'm not good at speaking, but it's the truth, right?" The eldest lady finally got a little hope and couldn't hold it back. She asked tentatively, "Does the master think that the two of them are not suitable?"
"It's not very appropriate, but I've already mentioned it before, and I can't go back on my word all of a sudden. And I can't explain it to my parents either, so I have to think of a way."
After hearing this, the eldest lady covered her mouth and laughed, "You don't need to worry about such things, just leave it to me."
"We need to handle this properly and not upset our parents."
"Yes, don't worry."
In another courtyard, Mr. Zhu was also talking to his wife about what happened today, which frightened the old lady so much that she slapped her chest and said, "Zhi'er, what should I do?"
"She already has a plan." But the main thing the old man wanted to say was not this, "I'm afraid the boss will do something weird."
"How could that be? Although Cheng'er is not as close to Zhi'er as Dong'er, he still protects her."
How could the old man not know his own son's personality? It was impossible for him to not care about the life and death of his sister's family. He would definitely protect them. But if he was implicated, the first thing he would think about was how to prevent himself from suffering losses.
"They might try to stop Shan'er and Berlin's relationship. Don't get angry, but don't agree easily either."
The old lady was puzzled, "Do you mean to call this marriage over?"
"Marriage is not an enmity." The old man shook his head. The granddaughter raised by the eldest son's wife might not be a good match for Berlin. "Zhi'er didn't want this marriage from the beginning to the end. Let it go. Don't worry about these things. Berlin is still young anyway."
The old lady sighed. That's right. The eldest daughter-in-law wanted to stop it, but she didn't expect that Zhi'er had never wanted to marry above her station. With such an elder sister advising her, Berlin will definitely have a bright future. Just wait and see. They will regret it one day.