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Chapter 158 A “Good Friend” from the South

With the Spring Festival approaching, crowded with people who were busy purchasing necessities for the Spring Festival, and officials from all over the country who came to Chang’an to report on their work, the streets were very lively.

The business of Myriad Taste and Tasty Pavilion was booming.

While Qiao Jinniang was checking accounts with abacus in the yard, Yuyan came in. “Miss, the third daughter-in-law of the the South provincial governor asked to visit you.”

Qiao Jinniang didn’t remember knowing such a person, but when she saw the name card, she remembered it was her former classmate, Qiu Su.

They used to secretly read novels together in school. Qiu Su’s family ran pharmacies, and most of the pharmacies in the South were owned by her family.

When she married Lu Chen, she sent an invitation to Qiu Su, but Qiu Su didn’t come to her wedding, so they gradually lost contact.

It was not easy to see her old friends in Chang’an, so Qiao Jinniang granted the request.

Qiu Su came to the Qiao Mansion in the afternoon.

Qiu Su came with a beautiful girl, and she said to Qiao Jinniang, “Jin’er, I haven’t seen you for a long time. I never expected you to become the daughter of a duke and obtain the title ‘County Mistress Jia’an’, let alone that your husband turned out to be His Royal Highness.”

Qiao Jinniang smiled and said, “I didn’t expect it myself.”

Qiu Su smiled. “When we were in school, you had the best grades among us, and we always thought that you would marry a champion of the Imperial Examination. No one would expect you to be so lucky as to marry the Crown Prince! This is my husband’s sister, Zhong Wu’er.”

Qiao Jinniang said, “What a beautiful girl. I’m afraid a lot of young men in Chang’an will be fascinated by you.”

Qiu Su said all smiles, “You are about to become the crown princess. Don’t tease this little sister. Oh, why are there so many preserved ducks and chickens in your yard? I was just worried that I couldn’t get these foods in Chang’an this year!”

Qiao Jinniang smiled. “If you like, I will have my maids pack two for you.” Entering the room, Qiu Su looked at the plush furnishings in Qiao Jinniang’s room. There were two charcoal braziers on the ground burning with the best Silver Filament Charcoal, showing how luxurious the life of the room owner was.

However, Qiao Jinniang had always had a comfortable life. Although Myriad Taste was only a small restaurant, her parents were very generous to her.

At that time, when the students knew that Qiao Jinniang’s father was only the shopkeeper of a restaurant, many of them looked down on her.

But Qiao Jinniang always had the most beautiful clothes and hair accessories, and even her maids were smarter than others’.

And although she was the most naughty, she was always the favorite student of the teachers. Except for painting, her academic grades were quite good.

She was also generous and often gave the students pastries of her family’s restaurant.

When Qiu Su was married, she invited all her former classmates except for Qiao Jinniang.

It was because she didn’t think Qiao Jinniang, a merchant girl, was worthy to attend the wedding ceremony of her, the provincial governor’s third daughter-in-law.

Later Qiu Su heard that Qiao Jinniang got married and had a handsome husband and a cute son.

Qiu Su felt that her life and Qiao Jinniang’s life was completely different. Her husband was the son of a provincial governor and she would be the wife of a high-ranking official, while Qiao Jinniang would be a mere shopkeeper of a restaurant forever.

At the beginning of the year, she heard that Qiao Jinniang was divorced by her husband. Qiu Su pitied her and even wanted to give her a hand, but soon she heard that she had left the South.

Later she learned that Qiao Jinniang was actually the daughter of a duke, and she thought that since Qiao Jinniang hadn’t seen her biological parents for 18 years, there couldn’t be any affections among them, so Qiao Jinniang’s life in Chang’an might not be easy.

The real nobles in Chang’an would never take a merchant woman from the South seriously.

But before she came to Chang’an, her mother-in-law asked her if she knew Qiao Jinniang, asking her to go to Chang’an to resume connections with Qiao Jinniang and try to help her husband’s younger sister become Qiao Jinniang’s good friend.

Qiu Su learned from her husband that her mother-in-law intended to marry her husband’s younger sister Wu’er into the East Palace as the Crown Prince’s concubine.

A maid served Qiu Su and Zhong Wu’er tea, and Qiu Su said, “Why is there an abacus on your desk? Are you still doing business?”

Qiao Jinniang said, “Exactly, I don’t feel easy about entrusting Myriad Taste and Tasty Pavilion to others, so I simply manage them myself.”

What Zhong Wu’er despised about Qiu Su the most was her mercantile vulgarity. Hearing Qiao Jinniang’s words, she said,

“I heard Her Majesty said not long ago that His Royal Highness is going to get married. Is he going to marry you?”

Qiao Jinniang looked at Zhong Wu’er and said, “Why do you ask that?”

Zhong Wu’er said in contempt, “Businessmen are inherently menial. All merchants try their best to change their status as merchants, but you’re still holding your abacus although you are going to become the crown princess. What a joke…”

Qiao Jinniang snorted coldly. “Businessmen are inherently menial? Then why did your brother marry Qiu Su?”

Qiu Su was so embarrassed that she tugged at Zhong Wuler’s arm and whispered to her, “Did you forget what Mother said to you when we came?”

Hearing it, Zhong Wu’er said reluctantly, “Sister Qiao, I am just kindly advising you for the sake of fellow villagers’ affection.

“You and I are both from Lin’an and are both going to marry into the East Palace. If you don’t correct your bad habits, you will be laughed at by His Royal Highness’ other concubines.”

Qiao Jinniang frowned and said, “Marry into the East Palace? How did your parents educate you? How do you have the nerve to say this blatantly?”

Qiu Su hurriedly said to Qiao Jinniang, “Jinniang, you’ll need help in the East Palace. Although my sister-in-law is too straightforward in speech, she means no harm.

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“Everyone thinks that businessmen are menial. Why don’t you dare to face this truth?

“As Wu’er said, although the other noble girls dare not laugh at you in your face, they will definitely do it behind your back.”

Qiao Jinniang only said, “Qiu Su, you had been a merchant for more than ten years, but now you think merchants are menial just because you married an official’s son?

“Did you forget how you persuaded the other classmates to apologize to me when they laughed at me for being a merchant’s daughter when we were in school? But now you stoop so much as to think you yourself as menial?”

Qiu Su said, “Jinniang, I am not as lucky as you, but Wu’er has no bad intentions. If she marries into the East Palace, she will be your good helping hand.”

Qiao Jinniang said coldly, “Although I haven’t decided on the maid I’ll take to the East Palace, I’m sure I won’t use a maid like Miss Zhong!”

Zhong Wu’er frowned and said, “Although you are the daughter of a duke, my father is the provincial governor in the South and all the officials in the South have to obey my father’s orders. How dare you insult me like this?”

Qiao Jinniang hummed. “Your father has governed the South well because there are so many merchants in the South, who contributed a lot of taxes.

“Miss Zhong, you’re wearing the silk sold by merchants, and with the taxes the merchants paid can your father have his achievements in governance.

“How dare you say that merchants are menial?

“Hongling, see them off.”

Qiu Su hurriedly said, “Jinniang, you are rich now, so you just ignore your old friends? We were classmates for ten years. How precious this friendship is! How can you just throw it away?”