Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 162 My Cousin (3)

Before today, Song Yan had only met Princess Gaoyang once, at the Qixi Festival poetry gathering. Song Yan had almost forgotten what the princess looked like, but she remembered her figure clearly.

Full-figured, voluptuous, and graceful... that's probably what's called a voluptuous beauty. Compared to slender women, such women seem to arouse men's desires more.

Actually, in terms of their relationship, Princess Gaoyang and Luo Tianxuan are cousins, and Song Yan should even call Princess Gaoyang her older cousin.

Previously, because of the name "Gao Yang," I had some prejudice against this princess, thinking that Fang Jun must be cuckolded. However, after learning more about her, I found that this was not the case at all. This Princess Gao Yang was actually a very gentle and virtuous woman, without any of the spoiled and unruly behavior of a royal princess, and I had never heard of her having any scandals with any man.

Fang Jun, on the other hand, is known to many to have a penchant for other women.

Thinking to himself, Song Yan headed towards Princess Gaoyang. After all, they were relatives, and he was going to visit the Fang family later. If he didn't greet her when they met, it would be impolite.

It was a jewelry shop.

Gao Yang was selecting hairpins, her slender fingers holding a jade hairpin and trying it on in front of the mirror. However, the hairpin didn't satisfy her, and she gave up after a brief try. Then, she saw something in the mirror: a voluptuous body turned around.

With a gentle smile on his face, Song Yan bowed slightly to Princess Gaoyang: "Princess, it's been a long time. How have you been?"

Princess Gaoyang's face did not show the cold indifference that kept people at arm's length; instead, she smiled faintly and said, "What princess? It's far more than just formal."

"Speaking of which, I should call you brother-in-law."

"Or do you want me to address you as 'Lord' as well?"

Song Yan shook his head. Although the baron had entered the ranks of the nobility, he was still no match for the princess. After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Gao Yang asked:
"Brother-in-law, is there something you need in Songzhou today?"

Song Yan chuckled: "I am indeed planning to pay a visit to the governor."

Then, Gao Yang's expression suddenly became a little strange. He looked Song Yan up and down and said, "Actually, today... never mind. It's fine. I'm not really interested in shopping anymore, so I'll take you back."

"But be a little more careful when you get to the Fang residence."

Song Yan was somewhat surprised: "Could it be that the Fang family has some special rules?"

There was a pause on the other end, followed by a laugh: "There are no rules, but... our elder is currently entertaining a distinguished guest, Linghu Qingfeng, who is the dean of the Songzhou branch of Xilin Academy."

"Uh, this has nothing to do with me, and I don't know him."

"He was Linghu Rui's father. Before the flood, his son went missing. After a search, his body was found in the mud. He must have been murdered."

Song Yan opened his mouth and said, "Really? That's really scary. The security in Songzhou needs to be improved."

Gao Yang glanced at Song Yan again, then quickly looked away and remained silent. Some things are better left unsaid; saying too much is not advisable. Song Yan, however, spoke again after a brief pause: "Princess..."

"Just call me cousin or older sister."

"Okay, cousin, have you offended anyone lately?"

"How to say?"

"Someone is following you."

Gao Yang's body trembled almost imperceptibly, but he returned to normal almost instantly, without even changing his steps: "Really? That was really scary. Let's go back soon."

Song Yan narrowed his eyes and quietly turned around to look back, but his purpose was not the few followers, but Liu Yisheng.

Clearly, Liu Yisheng also sensed something was wrong; his brow furrowed slightly, but then relaxed.

Song Yan didn't say much, and under Gao Yang's guidance, they arrived at the Fang residence.

Generally speaking, officials do not build their residences too luxuriously, at least not from the outside. After all, no matter how corrupt these officials are behind the scenes, they all want to leave a good reputation of being honest and upright.

However, Fang Hai clearly doesn't need this.

After all, the Fang family was behind him, and the salary of the governor of Songzhou was probably not even enough to cover Fang Hai's occasional entertainment. Therefore, the mansion in front of him was quite extravagant, no less so than the Luo Mansion in Ningping County.

It was nearly dusk, and twilight had not yet fallen, but lanterns were already lit at the gates of the Fang residence. The afterglow of the setting sun bathed the gates in a golden light, and two majestic stone lions stood before the gates, their stone-carved eyes seemingly gazing upon the passersby coming and going in front of the mansion. The gates were open.

It reveals a deep courtyard and well-arranged corridors and pavilions.

Guided by Princess Gaoyang, we passed through the ornately decorated gatehouse. Inside, the ground was paved with bluestone, artificial hills were scattered about, and clear springs gurgled among the rocks.

They arrived at the living room shortly afterward.

As soon as I arrived, I saw an elderly man with white hair storming out of the house. Standing at the entrance to the living room was a slightly overweight middle-aged man – none other than Fang Hai.

When Fang Hai saw Song Yan, his eyes narrowed slightly and the corners of his mouth turned up. He glanced at Song Yan and then looked at the old man, but did not greet Song Yan. Song Yan also remained silent, only glancing at the old man, who was about sixty or seventy years old, with a face full of wrinkles, but he looked quite energetic and walked with a steady gait.

As he passed by Song Yan, he didn't even glance at him. Even when he encountered Princess Gaoyang, he didn't stop or bow, as if these people didn't exist in his eyes at all.

Having led Song Yan to the living room, Princess Gaoyang considered her mission complete. After giving some instructions to Fang Hai, she turned and left. The matter of being followed was never mentioned throughout.

"Nephew Song, it's been a long time, you've grown a bit taller." Once there were no outsiders in the courtyard, Fang Hai's face instantly lit up with a smile. Song Yan couldn't keep up with the speed of his change of expression, and he seriously suspected that this man might have studied in Sichuan.

No, in this day and age, the face-changing magic trick probably doesn't exist in Sichuan yet. Thinking strangely to himself, Song Yan's face was also full of smiles as he hurriedly took two steps forward: "Uncle Fang, hello... oh no, I should call you Earl Fang now, look at my memory."

"Hehe, my dear nephew, you're so young and your memory isn't very good. Look at me, even though I'm so old, I will never forget the things I need to remember." Fang Hai's smile deepened: "You should take better care of your health in your daily life."

As he spoke, Fang Hai grabbed Song Yan's hand and pulled her into the living room, behaving extremely warmly.

Just kidding, this is the God of Wealth, you know.

He owed his earldom entirely to Song Yan.

Although he is the duke's heir, once the old man passes away, he will definitely inherit the title. But who can say for sure whether he can hold onto the position of heir?
Rather, this achievement could be seen as a bargaining chip to secure his position as heir apparent. As for the extra count, with so many sons, he could easily choose another one; wouldn't it be glorious to have two counts in one family?

There was also the sugar business, which brought in tens of thousands of taels of silver in just one month. Luo Yuheng sold it to him and the Cui family for 300 coins per tael of silver. As for where the Fang family and the Cui family wanted to sell it to or for how much, he didn't care at all.

A month is enough time for Fang Hai to deliver the first batch of goods to the border of Zhao.

The military in Zhao is in a state of disrepair, even worse than that of Ning, but... Zhao is damn rich.

Of the four states in the Central Plains, the State of Zhao was undoubtedly the wealthiest.

The reason why the State of Chu attacked the State of Ning instead of the State of Zhao was undoubtedly due to the enormous sums of three million taels of silver and three hundred thousand bolts of brocade it provided that year. The wealthy merchants and nobles of Zhao indulged in a life of extravagance; they didn't care about money, only whether the items they acquired could demonstrate their distinction.

People naturally flock to white sugar that is as white as snow and as sweet as honey.

Fang Hai didn't cut prices too drastically, only increasing them fivefold, yet each shipment was still snapped up within a few days.

Looking at it now, it wasn't just white sugar; it was practically a mountain of silver.

The profits were so huge that even Fang Hai couldn't bear to enjoy them on a regular basis.

As for tea, although it is not profitable yet, Fang Hai can see the hidden profits at a glance.

Titles, wealth...

Compared to what Song Yan brought him, Song Yan's previous use of Fang Jun was simply insignificant, and he even wished he could use him a few more times.

"By the way, do you know that old man from earlier, brother?" Fang Hai said as he pulled Song Yan toward the living room. "That old man's name is Linghu Qingfeng, and he is the dean of the Songzhou branch of Xilin Academy."

"Hey, his son was inexplicably killed a few days ago."

“The murderer was clearly a bandit from the nearby mountains. I suspect it was the Black Wind Stronghold gang, but this old man just won’t believe me and insists that I investigate more thoroughly. It’s really annoying.”

"By the way, Xilin Academy is located on Changhe Street, it's very conspicuous. That old man Linghu Qingfeng lives there. Although he's a bit annoying, he's quite learned. If you want to take the imperial examination, you could go and ask him for some advice."

(End of this chapter)