After being jilted, the entire neighboring village was filled with deep regret.

Master Zhu was silent for a while, his face stern. "Since that's the case, I won't say anything more. But you're not getting any younger, and you need to think more about yourself. Cen Shi is completely ruined. Even without the filthy things she did, she wouldn't be able to have any more children for you. Have you heard anything about the concubines I sent you?"

Zhu Yixuan remained silent, and Old Master Zhu was naturally worried. "How could this happen? Those women were carefully selected and reserved for you!"

Zhu Yixuan knew he couldn't hide his situation any longer, so he told the steward and the other servants to leave and confess the truth.

"Father, I've seen a doctor, and he said I'm poisoned and there's no cure. I'll have difficulty having children."

Master Zhu stood up abruptly. "Which quack doctor said that? How could you possibly be poisoned? If the doctors in the county can't cure you, go to the prefectural city, go to the capital. There are always skilled doctors there who can treat you!"

Zhu Yixuan smiled sadly, "Father, do you think I haven't tried? I've seen many doctors in the prefectural city, and even gone outside the city to find out where there are miracle doctors. After these past few months, I've come to terms with the facts and there's no need to go through all that trouble!"

Old Master Zhu staggered and fell to his seat, his eyes wide with disbelief. "How could this be? How could this be! Heavens! My Zhu family builds bridges and roads, conducts business with integrity, and provides incense offerings every year. How could you treat the Zhu family like this! How could you!"

Master Zhu pounded the table repeatedly and wept bitterly.

Zhu Yixuan comforted him, "Father, things have come to this point, the only thing we can do is find Madam Ke and her son. I'm already thinking of a way, so don't worry."

Master Zhu paused for a moment, as if grasping at a lifeline, "Right! And that child, I remember your mother sent them to Pingzhou back then, have you heard anything from them?"

Zhu Yixuan shook his head. "The Ke family didn't go to Pingzhou. I plan to visit the Ke family's hometown in person after the New Year."

"Ke's hometown?" Master Zhu looked blank. He hadn't paid any attention to Ke Yunyun before, only knowing that she was his son's mistress who had given birth to a son for the Zhu family. He knew nothing else about her.

Zhu Yixuan nodded. "Ke's hometown is in the Ice Plains. I suspect she took the child back to the Ice Plains."

Only this explanation makes sense.

As for what was found in Shenjiazhuang, he believed that it was a show put on by the Ke family for him.

Tang Yu was a scholar who had even worked as a clerk in the county government. How could he possibly be interested in Ke Yunyun, who was someone's mistress? Not to mention that Tang Yu was good-looking and in the prime of his youth. If he were to marry, he should marry a beautiful young woman.

As long as he finds Ke Yunyun, he will be able to persuade her and the child to come back with him.

Zhu Yixuan still has descendants!
Master Zhu was greatly shocked, "You've taken your mistress all the way to the Ice Plains?"

Zhu Yixuan: "."

Master Zhu clicked his tongue and said, "Our family can still be of some use in Zhaohua County, but where are you going to find people in that desolate place like the Ice Plains? I've heard that the herders there have no fixed abode, how are you going to find them?"

Zhu Yixuan sighed deeply, a resolute glint in his eyes. "It's all up to us. I'll go to the icy plains and search for a month. If I can't find it, I'll have someone else continue the search. I still have to go to the border to take up my post."

Shen Yi is now a county magistrate, so he needs to work harder.

Seeing that his son had arranged everything properly, Master Zhu stopped asking questions and instead looked at the neighboring courtyard, asking, "What do you plan to do about Madam Cen?"

Without a second thought, Zhu Yixuan casually said, "Let's just keep her like this. With a child around to keep her in check, she won't dare to cause trouble. My father-in-law can understand that too."

Master Zhu had to admire Zhu Yixuan; he had managed to fool Cen Mingzhu completely with a fake child, and the Cen family even praised him for his dedication. He himself admitted that he didn't have that ability. Then the father and son started talking about the seafood business.

"Father, I've noticed that there's a lot more expensive seafood in the county this year. Did Shen Yi and his men bring it from Qiongzi?"

Master Zhu nodded. "I sent someone to investigate. It's like this: before you were gone, I couldn't find anyone to form a caravan to Qiongzi. Now that you're back, you can think about it carefully. This business is indeed profitable!"

Master Zhu had long been envious, but he dared not make a move because Shen Yi had a Marquis backing him.

Zhu Yixuan did not make a decision easily, but pondered for a moment and said, "Besides Shen Yi and his group, which other caravans do this business?"

"This..." Master Zhu was truly stumped by the question. After a moment of realization, his expression turned somewhat grim. "I haven't heard of any other merchant caravans. It seems that Shen Yi has really made quite a bit of money from seafood in the past two or three years!"

Zhu Yixuan shook his head instead, "Father, money is a powerful motivator. We can all see that seafood is profitable, so it's impossible for others not to see it. There must be a reason why no caravans are involved. I'll investigate further later."

Master Zhu felt a little better after that, and before leaving, he reminded Zhu Yixuan to keep an eye on the shops that the county government was compensating them for.

The street has been completed, and many shops have been sold one after another, but there's hardly any foot traffic there, so opening a shop there would result in huge losses.

Those were the foundation of the Zhu family, and the things that Master Zhu cared about most.

After dealing with Master Zhu, Zhu Yixuan had no interest in reminiscing about the past. He glanced at the sky outside and went out alone with his umbrella.

As the year draws to a close, two rows of red lanterns hang high on the wide streets of the county town, and many festive trinkets hang from the branches of bare trees. Children play on the street, and vendors and peddlers line the streets to ask for drinks. Everywhere is filled with the lively atmosphere of a bustling household.

Qingfengzhai was as lively as ever.

Perhaps because it's close to the end of the year, there are more people buying New Year's goods, and the shopkeepers are too busy to keep up with the demand.

Shen Yuezhang returned to the accounting office during this period and took over the bookkeeping work.

Zhu Yixuan watched for a while, then turned his head away and strode away, just as he brushed past Murong Jue and his group.

Chuncao and Chunxing had just seen off two groups of guests when they saw Murong Jue enter. They very conscientiously ran over to invite Shen Yuezhang.

Murong Jue's smile never faded when he saw Shen Yuezhang. "Young master, it's been a long time!"

Shen Yuezhang, who was wearing a veil, twitched at the corner of her mouth. "Young master, what brings you here this time? Or is it for that batch of goods from before?"

Murong Jue plopped down and smiled approvingly, "Young Master is indeed amazing; you guessed it right away."

Shen Yuezhang's heart pounded with anxiety. "Is the medicine not working?"

"Not at all! To be honest, Qingfengzhai's products are truly surprising. They are incredibly effective. People who suffered from severe chilblains in previous years have experienced significant relief this year. Some people even took timely preventative measures and didn't develop the disease at all. Even the doctors find it unbelievable. I came here this time to order another batch of goods from the young master. This time, I want five thousand sets."

The number Murong Jue quoted shocked Shen Yuezhang. A hint of unease appeared on her face. "To be honest, as you can see, our shop is in a very difficult situation right now. Business is booming at the end of the year, and my people are producing almost day and night. Even so, we're still struggling to keep up with demand. If we accept your order of five thousand sets, I'm afraid it will be two months before delivery. By then, it will almost be spring. Will we be able to make it in time?" (End of Chapter)