Upon suddenly hearing this news, Jiang Xuening found it difficult to digest for a moment. After sitting in a daze for quite a while, she finally asked in a dreamlike tone, murmuring, “What happened…”

Only then did You Fangying recount the whole story.

The entire matter was actually not complicated at all.

After listening to Jiang Xuening analyze her situation at home last time, You Fangying couldn’t help but rack her brains, thinking of what methods might allow her to safely leave the Earl’s Manor. Running away might result in being caught and brought back with an even worse outcome; establishing an independent household wasn’t within her capabilities, let alone as a “female household head.” Thinking it over again and again, she naturally arrived at the two words “get married.”

If she found someone to marry, couldn’t she leave in a proper and justified manner?

But who could she find to marry her?

Moreover, the rules had always been “at home obey your father, when married obey your husband, when widowed obey your son.” If after marrying out her situation remained the same as at home, or was even worse than at home, wouldn’t that be a waste of effort?

Therefore, if this person who married her was good enough, or cooperative enough, that would be best.

That night, You Fangying wrote down the names of all the men she knew on paper, thinking through them one by one, even including the eldest son Wang An from the gatekeeper’s family at the Earl’s Manor.

However, none of them were possible.

In the end, the only name left on the paper that hadn’t been crossed out was: Ren Weizhi.

Looking at this name, You Fangying’s eyes grew brighter and brighter. After imagining various scenarios in her mind, she discovered that with her limited social circle, there was no one more suitable than him!

First, Ren Weizhi was short on money and had a need for her help.

Second, he lived far away in Shu, so after marrying him she could leave the Earl’s Manor’s line of sight.

Third, her elder sister You Yue also wanted to invest in Ren Weizhi’s salt works as a silent partner.

Fourth, Ren Weizhi seemed like a good person.

She had always known she didn’t have a clever mind and could only use this extremely clumsy method to write down all the reasons she could think of one by one, then press this page of paper against her heart, lying awake with open eyes the entire night unable to sleep.

Because an unprecedented, bold plan had taken root in her heart!

As long as she could leave the Earl’s Manor, it was a good thing; as long as she could do things for Second Miss, it was a good thing.

What did women’s moral teachings, family instructions, or public opinion matter? How could she afford to care about such things?

Thus, on the day she discussed the salt works business with Ren Weizhi, You Fangying also discussed with him a business matter concerning her lifetime.

Even now, Jiang Xuening still hadn’t quite recovered: “What was Ren Weizhi’s reaction?”

You Fangying’s cheeks reddened somewhat, seeming rather embarrassed, and her voice dropped lower as she said, “He seemed stunned for a long time and didn’t quite dare believe it. But I did have the money you gave me, Miss. Even if he didn’t recognize the person, he had to recognize the money, right? So after pacing around the room several times, he still sat down to ask me about the circumstances. I then told him everything in detail.”

When she reached this point, she suddenly remembered something and hastily waved her hands.

“However, I didn’t mention a single word about anything related to you, Miss, and he still doesn’t know. When he left, he told me that even if it was a fake marriage, it was still a lifetime matter and he dared not treat it as child’s play, much less rashly agree to me. So he asked me to set this matter aside for a few days—first, he needed to calm down and think it over carefully; second, he also hoped I would carefully consider it after returning home. If I still didn’t change my mind after a few days, only then would he dare say whether he agreed or not.”

Hearing this, Ren Weizhi seemed to be quite a gentleman.

Jiang Xuening could well imagine that with ten thousand taels in banknotes before him, marrying such a foolish girl would give the salt works a great chance of coming back to life. Moreover, Fangying wasn’t bad-looking and had a good temperament. Although her situation at the Earl’s Manor wasn’t good, in terms of birth she could still be considered an official family’s concubine-born daughter, more than sufficient to match him, a merchant by birth.

Thinking about it, there seemed no pressure in agreeing.

Yet this person still tried his best to persuade You Fangying to go back and think it over again—he was not bad at all.

However, though she thought this way, she had ultimately never heard of such a thing before. The worry in her heart overwhelmed everything else, and she asked again, “Has he agreed now?”

You Fangying nodded. “He agreed.”

She also added, “He has no parents at home, so everything is decided by him alone. He’s already told me that after the marriage, we’ll be husband and wife in name only and he won’t dare overstep. It also doesn’t need to be as long as half a year. After arriving in Shu and settling down, I can request a divorce whenever I wish. If I can’t settle down right away, I’ll first live in his family residence, and we’ll discuss it again once things are properly settled. He and I have already written it down as evidence. We just need to decide when to have the marriage proposal made.”

You Fangying was merely an unfavored concubine-born daughter at the Earl’s Manor. The family probably wouldn’t spend much time on her marriage arrangements.

She had some understanding of the internal workings of the Earl’s Manor.

Moreover, You Yue was also counting on making money from Ren Weizhi, so she would likely take advantage of this marriage to demand something. That didn’t matter—they could give her whatever she wanted. The matter wasn’t difficult to handle.

Jiang Xuening remained silent for a long while.

She couldn’t help but gaze at this girl before her—who in others’ eyes was dull, timid, and even somewhat clumsy—with a silent and amazed look. For a moment, she suddenly thought of two phrases: great wisdom appears foolish, inner beauty concealed within the heart.

But thinking it over again, if You Fangying truly were a “shrewd person” who calculated gains and losses and looked ahead and behind, she probably would never be able to make such a bold decision in her lifetime.

The more single-minded a person was, the easier it was for them to do extraordinary things.

Today when she came, her original intention was to ask how things with Ren Weizhi were progressing, but she was blindsided by this shocking news. So much so that when You Fangying subsequently discussed the actual business with her, she felt somewhat dazed.

The ten thousand taels of silent partnership shares had been finalized.

Ren Weizhi had also agreed that these shares could be transferred to others.

Moreover, You Fangying’s elder sister You Yue had actually invested as much as two thousand taels to buy shares as well.

Things were progressing extremely smoothly. The trap had been laid, just waiting for what would follow.

Seeing that it was getting rather late, Jiang Xuening sat with You Fangying for a while. Thinking that there were actually many more things she wanted to say but didn’t know how to voice them, she said, “I just left the palace today. Things are chaotic inside the palace right now. For the next period of time, I won’t need to enter the palace for study sessions—I’ll just stay at the manor awaiting imperial summons. There will be plenty of time to talk. I’ll come see you again in a few days.”

You Fangying then rose to see her out.

Zhou Yinzhi was also waiting at the door and escorted her out of the prison cell, seeing her all the way to the entrance.

The carriage was still waiting outside.

When the coachman saw her, he asked, “Miss, shall we return to the manor?”

Jiang Xuening nodded reflexively, but after getting into the carriage, her brows furrowed tightly. No matter what, she felt uneasy. The more she thought about it, the more she felt this matter sounded unreliable, like something from the Arabian Nights.

“This won’t do. I’ve never even met this Ren Weizhi. What if he’s a fraud?” A vertical crease formed between her brows. Thinking of how naive that girl You Fangying was, she pondered for a long time. Just as the carriage was about to turn onto the road back to the manor, she suddenly lifted the curtain and said, “Don’t go back to the manor yet. Go to Shuxiang Inn first.”

She should really try her best to avoid getting involved with this matter.

After all, there were lingering concerns from the previous raw silk business. She still didn’t know who might be watching from behind the scenes. Rashly getting involved and exposing herself would be very dangerous.

But she couldn’t worry about all that right now.

This Ren Weizhi—she absolutely had to see him!

The coachman was naturally somewhat surprised, but he also knew that Jiang Xuening had a domineering temper at the manor. Although he privately muttered that it was getting late and not returning to the manor would likely cause worry at home, he didn’t dare say it aloud. He simply cracked his whip and urged the cart horse to pick up its pace even faster.

They arrived at Shuxiang Inn before long.

Jiang Xuening got out of the carriage and walked straight inside, asking by name to see Ren Weizhi.

It was still that guest room upstairs.

This was Ren Weizhi’s first time seeing Jiang Xuening, and he was truly startled.

After opening the door to invite her in, his whole person was somewhat surprised. Seeing that her clothing and appearance didn’t seem like those of a merchant, he was quite puzzled and couldn’t help asking, “I wonder what matter brings this young lady to seek me out?”

Jiang Xuening, however, frowned without speaking.

She stared at Ren Weizhi, looking him up and down three times. Her tightly furrowed brow didn’t relax, and she didn’t even answer his question. Taking a step forward, she circled around him, walking from his left side to his right, scrutinizing him from right to left.

Ren Weizhi suddenly felt like pork displayed on a rack.

And this young lady before him—no matter how he looked at her, she resembled those harsh, picky customers…

Anyone being examined this way would feel uncomfortable. Ren Weizhi was no exception. His spine felt cold, and he coughed once before carefully inquiring again, “Miss?”

Only then did Jiang Xuening’s footsteps stop.

Looking at his appearance, this Ren Weizhi did have some bearing. His features were quite good-looking, except he resembled a scholar more than a merchant.

No wonder his family’s salt works had collapsed.

However, the person seemed to look all right, but…

Why was she not very pleased about this?

This person was actually going to marry Fangying.

Jiang Xuening confirmed: “You are Ren Weizhi?”

Ren Weizhi was still a bit confused. “Yes.”

Jiang Xuening’s gaze revealed several degrees of scrutiny and critical examination. “You made a contract with Fangying, agreeing to marry her?”

Ren Weizhi finally caught on: so she came for this matter! But Miss You hadn’t mentioned before who at the Earl’s Manor had a good relationship with her. Perhaps this young lady before him was a relative from her mother’s side? No wonder the way she looked at him was particularly like a mother-in-law sizing up a husband for her own daughter.

The smile at the corners of his lips stiffened somewhat, and sweat also broke out on his forehead.

This became rather awkward for a moment, and he replied haltingly, “Yes.”

Jiang Xuening then paused for a bit without speaking for a while.

Heaven knew what thoughts were turning in her mind.

This Ren Weizhi was quite an unlucky wretch! Not long after taking the money back to work on the tube wells, he encountered setbacks. The salt works caught fire and burned clean. This person was finally driven into a corner by fate, with nowhere to turn, and hanged himself, becoming a hanged ghost.

In this lifetime, Jiang Xuening had invested money with him.

If she could indirectly give him some pointers through You Fangying, she naturally would. After all, she also had money invested in it. But this kind of thing was so far away—beyond the reach of the emperor—she couldn’t possibly control what happened in Shu. If something really went wrong later, it truly wouldn’t be surprising. She felt that as long as she gave appropriate warnings, that would be enough. The rest depended on heaven. She hadn’t thought she had to ensure any particular outcome.

But that silly girl Fangying, with one knock on the head, decided she wanted to fake-marry him!

If things didn’t change from the previous life and this Ren Weizhi ran off to hang himself again, what would happen?

Wouldn’t her Fangying become a widow and have to live in mourning?

Wait—

A widow?

A thought suddenly flashed through Jiang Xuening’s mind. The way she looked up at Ren Weizhi suddenly became somewhat strange: if this unlucky wretch before her really hanged himself to death, at least the salt works would be left to his widow! Wouldn’t our Fangying very quickly become wealthy and directly strike it rich?

Cough, cough. Of course, that was just a thought.

Just a thought, that’s all.

Jiang Xuening’s attitude suddenly became somewhat more amiable, and an unprecedentedly gentle and kind smile appeared on her face. Very politely, she gestured to Ren Weizhi with an upraised hand, inviting him to sit: “Young Master Ren, shall we sit down and have a chat?”

Xie Manor, Zhuoqin Hall.

Xie Wei returned early from the palace today, but he neither read books to handle official business nor carved qin strings. Instead, with lowered eyes, he personally tidied up bit by bit the tea table carved from tree trunk roots.

His mind had no other distractions; he was extremely calm.

The water for brewing tea had long been heated on the stove, bubbling and spewing hot steam outward.

This appearance clearly showed he was waiting for someone.

After he finished tidying this tea table, footsteps came from outside. Jianshu led someone over and announced from outside the door, “Sir, Mr. Gongyi has arrived.”