At the Ministry of Commerce Affairs Hall, He Zhijing was receiving a young man in blue attire.
âZhao Chong, young brother, if the Marquis is so worried about Miss Qi, why didnât he come here in person?â
Zhao Chong set down his teacup and bowed slightly.
âThe Marquis truly wishes he could, but our lordâs father has recently passed away, and the Emperor has granted a marriage to Miss Qi. The wedding is about to be held, and, to top it off, the lady is now pregnant. All these matters have piled up at once. Ever since the previous events, the Duke has been disheartened and entrusted all affairs to the Marquis, leaving him quite overwhelmedâ¦â
Although He Zhijing kept nodding, his expression remained very serious.
âZhao Chong, young brother, I have something to say, but I am not sure if I should.â
âSir, your loyalty to the Marquis is well-known, and the Marquis cares for you too, so please feel free to speak.â
He Zhijing pondered for a moment before saying, âI observe that Miss Qi possesses the legacy of the Great General; her actions and strategies are far superior to those of the Great General. She is not an ordinary boudoir lady. If the Marquis does not put some thought into this, I fear he might miss out on this fine match.â
On hearing this, Zhao Chongâs expression tightened as well.
âSir, have you discovered something?â he hesitated, ââ¦Could it be that thereâs another suitor by Miss Qiâs side?â
He Zhijing shook his head.
âNot at the moment, but I can assure you, there isnât a man who wouldnât be moved by a woman like Miss Qi. I worry that sooner or later, someone will appear who matches the Marquis, and by thenâ¦â
As he said this, he shook his head repeatedly, looking quite worried.
Zhao Chong grew even more anxious.
He had been following Zhao Xiyan since childhood and had figured out some of his thoughts.
Even this trip to Dongjiang was really just a special trip indeed.
He was, after all, one of the best Hidden Guards in the Marquis Residence, yet he had been sent to gather information on a woman for his master.
This was something he had never imagined would happen to Zhao Xiyan in his more than twenty years.
But it had indeed happened!
Remembering Zhao Xiyanâs countless reminders and fond expressions when he arrived, Zhao Chong couldnât help but shudder.
A reserved man, standing defiant on the battlefield, who could decapitate enemy generals with a single stroke, Zhao Xiyan had turned into a fussing woman; who would believe such a tale?
Yet these two completely different characteristics had truly manifested in Zhao Xiyan!
He couldnât imagine what Zhao Xiyan would do if Qi Yue finally threw herself into someone elseâs arms.
But, recalling the martial prowess and distinguished aura of his own Marquis, Zhao Chong was filled with confidence again.
âSir, your concerns are indeed valid, but is there really another man in this world who can make a woman fall in love more than the Marquis?â
He Zhijing gave a slight smile.
âThe Marquisâs charm is indeed unparalleled, but the four nations are not without men of outstanding character and appearance. I have heard that King Yan of Western Chu, the newly ascended Martial Emperor of Nanyue, and Qi Yun, the Princely Heir of Donggao, are not much inferior to our Marquis in this regard. If Miss Qi meets these men, itâs difficult to say she wonât be moved.â
Zhao Chong frowned.
âI donât see Miss Qi as the type to give her affection lightly.â
Zhao Zhijing pursed his lips.
âYoung brother, you are still naive! A person like Miss Qi, even if she is unaffectionate, can hardly withstand being actively pursued by someone! Havenât they said, a good woman fears a persevering man?â
Hearing this, Zhao Chong suddenly changed color and stood up.
âNo, I need to return quickly and inform the Marquis about this.â@@novelbin@@
âOh, you donât need to rush. Werenât you supposed to meet Miss Qi?â
While they were speaking, suddenly someone reported that Qi Yue was requesting an audience.
âSir, Miss Qi says she has important matters to discuss, and sheâs asking if you are available!â
âI am available, please let her come in!â
When Qi Yue entered, she immediately noticed Zhao Chong.
The green attire was too familiar.
She instantly recalled the two persons in green she had seen when sending off Zhao Xiyan.
Indeed, when He Zhijing introduced him as Zhao Chong, she understood everything.
âMiss Qiâs timing is perfect. Young brother Zhao Chong is here by the Marquisâs orders, specifically to inquire about Miss Qi. Why donât you two talk first, and we can discuss other matters later?â
As He Zhijing spoke, he was about to leave, but Qi Yue stopped him.
âMy lord, letâs talk about the urgent matters first!â
Zhao Chong saw that Qi Yueâs expression was cold, no longer the eager look she had when she had said goodbye to Zhao Xiyan, and he felt a bit panicked.
Could it be true, as He Zhijing had said?
Had someone else appeared by Qi Yueâs side?
At this thought, he immediately stood up and said, âThe business of the Marquis and Miss Qi is paramount, Iâll step out first.â
He suddenly remembered that Zhao Xiyan had said the illegitimate child from the Lin Family had also come, and decided to probe him first.
Qi Yue, unaware of Zhao Chongâs thoughts, had no desire to know about Zhao Xiyanâs situation at all.
How was that man doing? Had he married Ruyan?
She wanted to know none of these things.
All she wanted now was to expand Qiâs Pharmaceutical Business to all four countries!
Zhao Xiyan, that terrible man, better stay far away from her!
After Zhao Chong left, Qi Yue thoroughly introduced her idea of establishing the pharmaceutical committee to He Zhijing, and received nothing but praise.
âNot to hide it from Miss Qi, Iâve been in Dongjiang for a long time, and Iâve wanted to rectify the chaos in the pharmaceutical industry here but didnât know where to start. Your idea, Miss Qi, is truly ingenious! It seems that our Dongjiang Pharmaceutical is indeed going to thrive!â
His overly exaggerated manner made Qi Yue somewhat skeptical, but for her, as long as the objective was achieved, it was fine.
Whether he truly agreed with her idea or was just looking out for her at Zhao Xiyanâs behest didnât matter!
Meanwhile, Zhao Chong waited anxiously at Linjiang Pavilion for Qi Yue to arrive.
He had just asked Qu Wei to take care of Qi Yue, only to be firmly rebuffed by him.
Saying that he was only looking after his own sister, which had nothing to do with Zhao Xiyan.
He also said since the Marquis was so eager to take care, why didnât he come himself?
Furthermore, he was soon going to find a good match for Qi Yue and marry off his sister in a splendid ceremony, and then he would invite him to the wedding!
After saying this, he almost threw him out!
It absolutely infuriated him!
No wonder Qi Yue was so cold toward him!
It seemed she had no desire whatsoever to see him, or to know anything about Zhao Xiyan!
Qu Wei kept muttering by his side.
âI think you better leave soon! Go back and tell your master, since theyâve divorced, it signifies the man and woman are unrelated, and there should be no more connections in the future, this is for the best for both of them!â
âIâm not leaving, my lord of the Marquis residence has written a letter for Miss Qiâs family; he instructed me to deliver it to her personally!â
âLook, itâs already dark outside, my sister doesnât want to see you at all! If you donât leave, she wonât come back!â
âNo, I must deliver the letter into Miss Qiâs hands!â Zhao Chong was still adamant.
âI can pass it on for you!â
Zhao Chong looked outside at the gradually dimming evening sky, and then at Qu Weiâs sincere face, and couldnât help but nod.
Now in midsummer, the night was very bright. If he set off immediately, he could reach the capital city a day earlier and tell Zhao Xiyan everything in detail about Qi Yueâs situation!
âAlright, Iâll hand over the letter to you, make sure you give it to Miss Qi!â
âDonât worry, as her oldest brother, Iâll definitely deliver my sisterâs letter.â
Qu Wei readily agreed, curious about what Zhao Xiyan might have written in the letter!
However, when Zhao Chong took out the box containing the letters from his luggage, Qu Wei was also shocked.
âHow many letters has your Marquis written?â
Zhao Chong chuckled.
âIâm not sure, the Marquis just told me to deliver this to Miss Qi.â
Qu Wei grinned.
The box was very heavy.
He shook it slightly, and it rattled loudly, filled with quite a few letters indeed!