Zhao Jiaqi changed his clothes for him, took off his wet brocade robe and put it aside, then asked, "What did Wang Yuanzhi call you to the study for?"
Fan Zehao took a sip of hot tea and sneered, "What else could it be but to probe my background? But I didn't disappoint him. I showed him the silver notes I had on me, and I said everything I should and shouldn't have said, and I gave him the final notice!"
Zhao Jiaqi's busy hands paused for a moment, she turned her head and asked with doubt, "What final notice? What did you say that you shouldn't have said?"
These two sentences were unclear and confused her.
Fan Zehao pulled her down from the bed, and as he did, he let her sit on his lap, smiling at the person in his arms, "The final notice is, if you're not ready to do business tomorrow, then we'll leave!"
"As for what I shouldn't have said, it was all about Wang Hui. As her father, he just wanted his daughter to climb a high branch, and then he wanted to use that connection to develop elsewhere. I then took the opportunity to give him a few steps down. I said I knew people in official circles, and they were all important officials!"
Now Zhao Jiaqi understood. So her husband had set another trap for the other party, and he even knew important officials. His own official position was already high enough, so of course he knew them.
Zhao Jiaqi smiled and poked his forehead, "Didn't you say that those officials were scared of you like mice seeing a cat?"
Fan Zehao turned his head away, "Do you think I'm stupid? Would I say that!"
"However, when I mentioned the names of a few prefects, the old man became a bit suspicious, but I told him that with money, you can get by anywhere!"
"Let alone a devil pushing a mill, it's even possible to make the mill push a devil!"
Fan Zehao rubbed his hands, looking like a prodigal son.
Seeing him like this, Zhao Jiaqi didn't know if Wang Yuanzhi believed him. Fan Zehao paused and continued, "If my guess is correct, we'll have the result tomorrow. Whether this gold business can be done or not!"
Zhao Jiaqi pushed his hand away and sat on a stool at the side, carefully pondering their conversation and feeling that this gold business was more than likely to succeed!
"I think this gold matter is a done deal. As long as the person he sent back reports that there is a Fan Mansion in the Songling Prefecture, then this matter is sure to be right. Counting the time, that man left about two days ago, so the journey should be about right!"
Fan Zehao thought the same way, "Then let's wait for the result tomorrow. If it doesn't work, we'll leave. As for the subsequent problems, I'll think of another way!"
Zhao Jiaqi refused his words, "We can't leave yet. I pried some information from Wang Hui tonight. I found out that their family also sells rouge and powder, but the things they sell don't quite match the name of the shop!"
Fan Zehao furrowed his brows and asked, "What, you found something else?"
Seeing her worried expression, he immediately refused to leave, which somewhat bewildered him!
"Well, I can't say for sure, but I feel like this business isn't entirely above board. However, I told Wang Hui to see if she could get some of it out, so I could see what it is."
After hearing his wife's words, Fan Zehao didn't think it was a very important matter. Compared to life, this matter wasn't worth gambling with one's life.
Fan Zehao took his wife's hand and placed it in his own, discussing with her, "How about this, tomorrow is the last day I'll give Wang Yuanzhi. If the gold business is successfully negotiated within this time, then we'll also bring up the rouge and powder business. What do you think?"
"No."
Zhao Jiaqi refused without thinking and said more solemnly, "The gold mine business is out in the open. Although their mining is certainly not standardized, it's at least done above board without any concealment!"
"But this rouge shop is hidden beneath the surface. Think about it, what kind of business is done in secret? And why use a shop as a cover? Moreover, the merchants in this shop target wealthy households, and they are all at the level of counties and prefectures!"
Zhao Jiaqi said a series of things, pointing out the most crucial point, "They buy thousands of taels at a time. Do you know that for the things they sell, even a tiny bit costs one tael of silver? This doesn't sound like ordinary things, and it's something ordinary people can't afford!"
Fan Zehao's heart tightened after hearing this, and he also began to wonder what kind of thing was so precious?
This was comparable to the price of gold!
Zhao Jiaqi held her husband's hand and clasped it back, "Let's investigate this matter secretly. If we find out it's a good thing, but the price is high, then we'll be relieved, right? If it's really something unspeakable that harms the common people, we can't just stand by and watch, can we?"
Fan Zehao smiled. Perhaps his wife didn't know, but he could hardly refuse anything she pleaded for.
He simply said softly to his wife, "Okay, I'll listen to you."
The two looked at each other and smiled. Zhao Jiaqi knew that her husband would definitely listen to what she said!
That night, it was raining heavily outside. However, in the latter half of the night, the special envoy knocked on their window.
Fan Zehao put on his clothes. Seeing that his wife had also dressed, he opened the door and let him in.
The special envoy looked rather disheveled. He wiped the water droplets from his face and said, "Your Highness, I found the gold mine. It's being mined by villagers. However, it's strange that these villagers are not many, and most of them are men over forty years old working. The remaining children are mostly under ten years old!"
After speaking, his brow also furrowed, "However, the people between the ages of ten and forty are nowhere to be seen. And when I returned, I walked around the village and found that not every household had people in it!"
This statement made Fan Zehao and Zhao Jiaqi's spines chill. They both looked at him intently, "What do you mean? Explain yourself clearly."
The special envoy said, "What I mean is that the village is left with elderly women and men, and children around ten years old. The rest of the people are gone, and their whereabouts are unknown!"
After hearing this, the couple immediately felt an ominous premonition. Moreover, Fan Zehao wondered if this village was specifically for catching young people and eating them!
However, this was only a fleeting thought, and he quickly dismissed it.
It was Zhao Jiaqi, who had encountered more things than her husband and had watched TV in modern times, and had also encountered individual missing person cases.
Zhao Jiaqi asked, "You found the gold mine, what's the situation there? Have you figured it out?"