Quick Transmigration: Why did you provoke him? He's love-struck!

Chapter 147 Canglan Ferry (17)

Pei Ji took out a purse: "How many do you want?"

"One thousand taels."

Pei Ji paused, then asked, "What do you need so much money for?"

"Start a small business," Yan Zhen explained to him. "The Duke's mansion is running a deficit. If I can earn money to improve their living standards, the people in the mansion will surely gravitate towards me."

By then, I will not only be favored by my husband and pregnant with his eldest grandson, but I will also become the pillar of the family. Yan Jinhe's position as the legal wife will be in jeopardy. Won't she be driven to desperation and resort to desperate measures?

Pei Ji said speechlessly, "So after all this time, you just want to force Yan Jinhe to deal with you. Why go through all this trouble? If you want to kill her, just do it directly."

"You don't understand the pleasure of teasing your prey, watching it tremble under your claws," Yan Zhen said. "Enough talk, pay up!"

Pei Ji handed over the purse: "This is all I have on me. I'll have to ask Yan Jinhe for the rest."

Yan Jinhe was in charge of the internal affairs of the Duke's mansion, and all the money in the mansion was in her hands.

Yan Zhen said, "Okay, go ask her for me. Once we make money, I'll give you 20%."

On the other side, Yan Jinhe returned to Jinxiuyuan, closed the door, and smashed a set of celadon lotus-patterned tea set.

Yin Xin stood anxiously to the side, wanting to comfort her but unsure where to begin, and could only stammer, "Madam, please be careful not to upset yourself..."

Yan Jinhe's chest heaved violently. It took her a long time to calm down before she sat down at the table, her eyes filled with resentment and hatred.

"Jiang Li!! You two-faced slut!"

She tricked her and made the whole household run wild. Even her intelligent husband was deceived by her seductive tricks and believed her to be innocent.

If such a person were to remain in the household and even give birth to a great-grandson, she would only become increasingly arrogant and spoiled, becoming a thorn in the side of her husband.

"Madam, please calm down." Yinxin brought over a cup of tea and soothed her, "No matter how cunning that slut is, she's still a country bumpkin who can't be presented in public. She can't compare to you, who is well-educated and sensible. You are the daughter of the Grand Tutor!"

Mentioning the Yan family brought Yan Jinhe some peace of mind.

Yes, her father was the Grand Tutor of the court, a high-ranking official of the first rank. Compared to the increasingly declining Duke's mansion, she was considered to have married down.

What good is it if my husband dotes on Jiang Li right now? A man's focus is ultimately on his career, and only my own father can support Pei Wangzhou in his career.

Her maternal family was her source of strength. As long as the Yan family remained standing, Jiang Li would never be able to surpass her in the Duke's mansion.

Thinking of this, Yan Jinhe's anger subsided considerably.

"Fine, I'll accept this loss today. There's plenty of time. There will come a day when Jiang Li loses power," Yan Jinhe said coldly. "It won't be too late to kill her then."

-

Pei Ji was very efficient; he returned with the silver notes the next day.

Yan Zhen counted the silver notes and quickly came up with a plan in his mind.

In her previous life, Jiang Li's beauty cream was very popular among the imperial concubines in the capital. A box could sell for ten taels of gold, and it was still in short supply.

However, despite her skills, she lacked connections. The beauty cream was sold through Yan Jinhe under the name of the Duke's Mansion, and she never received any of the money.

Like all exploited skilled workers, Jiang Li painstakingly produced a beauty cream, but the credit for making money went to Yan Jinhe.

Having learned from past mistakes, Yan Zhen decided to forge her own path in the world of wealthy women.

Before that, she needs to find a partner.

Yan Zhen thought of his second aunt, Madam Feng.

Feng was a shrewd schemer. Her husband was incompetent, and her family were merchants. Merchants had a very low status in Dasheng, and they couldn't even wear silk clothes.

In order to find good marriages for her two daughters, Madam Feng would attend various flower-viewing banquets whenever she had free time, and made friends with many ladies from prominent families.

Using Feng as a springboard to infiltrate the circles of the powerful and wealthy is certainly a shortcut.

Yan Zhen acted immediately, taking Mingyu to the courtyard where Madam Feng lived that very afternoon.

When she entered, Madam Feng was genuinely surprised. She smiled, but her eyes were full of wariness: "Miss Jiang, is there something you need from me today?"

"Yes, something is indeed wrong." Yan Zhen looked into her eyes and feigned surprise. "Aunt, why are your eyelids swollen? Did Uncle scold you because of what happened yesterday?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Feng quickly covered her eyes, feeling somewhat annoyed. Could it be that this Jiang fellow had come to cause her trouble?

She was indeed scolded by her husband, who said she shouldn't have interfered in the affairs of the first wife, and that she hadn't gained anything but trouble.

She cried half the night before, and her eyes are swollen.

Although she was angry, Madam Feng said, "I just didn't sleep well last night—Miss Jiang, what brings you here?"

Yan Zhen then said, "Aunt, would you be interested in starting a small business?"

Madam Feng frowned: "Doing business? Are you kidding me? What woman from a wealthy family goes out and does business in public? People will laugh at her if they find out."

"We don't need to solicit customers. If you're willing, I can make customers come to us and give us money."

Madam Feng thought she was just bragging and inwardly looked down on her, but she smiled and said, "Miss Jiang, I have no talent for business. You should go find someone else."

After she finished speaking, she wanted the maid to see the guest out.

Yan Zhen clicked his tongue twice: "No wonder they all say that Second Aunt is a coward, always being bullied by this person or having to watch her step by step. I thought you didn't seem like that kind of person, but now it seems that it's true..."

Upon hearing this, Madam Feng was immediately enraged: "Who's gossiping in front of you! Tell me, and I'll definitely report it to the Old Madam..."

Yan Zhen covered his lips with a fan: "Oh right, they also said that you only cry to the old lady when you encounter problems, and you have no ideas of your own. In this Duke's mansion, you are not afraid to offend anyone but you. It's no different from picking the softest persimmon."

Madam Feng's eyes widened, and she trembled with anger: "You...he...who exactly is talking about me behind my back!"

Seeing that his provocation had worked, Yan Zhen pulled Feng Shi down to sit and said, "I heard it from some maids when I was strolling in the back garden. Second Aunt, you see, even the servants dare to talk about you behind your back. Are you really willing to be a pushover in other people's eyes?"

In this Duke's mansion, you either need power to uphold the prestige of the place, or money to cover the internal expenses; otherwise, no one will respect you, and everyone can trample on you.

If you trust me and cooperate with me in business, once you make money, you'll not only have a voice and authority in the Duke's mansion, but you can also provide your two daughters with a grand dowry. At that time, you'll have the choice of any powerful and wealthy young man in the capital.

A slight thought crossed Feng's mind.

These words really struck a chord with her.

The second wife of the Duke's family was too picky about marriage, and the marriage of her two daughters became a source of great anxiety for her. She was unwilling to marry down, but she looked down on those who married up.

If, as Jiang Li said, she could really make money and gain a voice, she wouldn't have to fawn over everyone anymore.

With the Duke's family's prestigious status and generous dowry, there should be men vying to marry her daughter.

With this in mind, Mrs. Feng softened her tone and asked, "What kind of business do you want to do?"