Tianliangyuan

Chapter 19 The first confrontation

Xu Zhaozhao's use of external businesses to strike at the Sun family was a brilliant move that killed several birds with one stone.

Not only did she gain a large sum of money and become more financially secure, but she also caused the Sun family to suffer a great loss. At the same time, she took this opportunity to beg her mother for a long time and accepted part of the dowry ahead of schedule.

The Marquis of Anxin's family was already wealthy. Xu Han, a military general, had only stopped going to the battlefield in recent years. Before that, he had brought home a lot of good things.

Wang Ruolan came from a prestigious family, and her dowry was quite lavish.

Therefore, from the moment Xu Zhaozhao was born, Xu Han and Wang Ruolan began to save up for her dowry.

Xu Han, in particular, dotes on his daughter. Whenever he gets something good, his first thought is whether to save it for his daughter's dowry.

Xiangpiaopiao was originally owned by Wang Ruolan, but later it was transferred to Xu Zhaozhao's name, and she made her own arrangements, which led to its current fame and popularity.

There are now two Xiangpiaopiao restaurants in Beijing, one in the East Market and one in the West Market.

The east market is expensive, and the west market is rich; this is a common saying among ordinary people.

Because of its proximity to the palace, the East Market was frequented by high-ranking officials and nobles. The streets were also wider, and while the number of shops was less than in the West Market, they were mostly spacious and grand, making it clear that it was a place that ordinary people could not afford.

The West Market is more comprehensive, offering everything from precious jewelry to inexpensive items like lamp oil and candles, and at prices lower than the East Market.

Xu Zhaozhao instructed the two Xiangpiaopiao stores in the East and West markets to have the same decor, layout, and naturally, to sell the same products.

This made many wealthy people even more satisfied with Xiangpiaopiao.

This psychology is actually quite easy to explain.

It is said that the officials in the various government offices in the capital city all love to eat Xiangpiaopiao (a type of fried rice noodle), and now I can eat the exact same thing and sit in the same room as them. In other words, it is as if I am enjoying the treatment of an official.

Regardless of whether the food tastes good or not, the sense of satisfaction and vanity it brings is enough to make them feel elated.

It has to be said that Xu Zhaozhao has really grasped the diners' admiration for the powerful!

Xu Zhaozhao has achieved great success in her first attempt, so naturally she should strike while the iron is hot.

After the Sun family suffered a setback, Xu Lin and Sun Qian became much more obedient. They dared not even leave the house, let alone cause any trouble.

Xu Zhaozhao originally thought she could get a few days of peace, but who would have thought that Jiang Ning would come to her door in person.

"I apologize for keeping you waiting, Miss Jiang. My mother's classes are not to be disturbed, so I am late. I hope you will forgive me."

Xu Zhaozhao said she was late, but she was actually implying that Jiang Ning didn't know the rules.

For noble ladies like them, if they were to visit someone's home, they would certainly have to present a visiting card in advance.

Most importantly, they are not familiar with each other, so it would be impolite not to send a visiting card.

Who else would come knocking on your door so directly like Jiang Ning?

Jiang Ning was accompanied by her cousin Jiang Yuan. Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuan looked at Jiang Ning with some confusion. She thought her cousin had made an appointment in advance, but she did not expect her to come at the last minute.

This was indeed a lack of consideration.

Jiang Ning looked slightly embarrassed, but quickly recovered.

"I apologize for my intrusion today, Miss Xu. I hope you will forgive me."

"Miss Jiang, please have a seat. Is there anything urgent that you two Miss Jiangs may have to do?"

If you arrive at the door without presenting a visiting card and cannot give a proper explanation, wouldn't you be deliberately making a fool of the host?

Jiang Ning felt a little uneasy. She had never realized that Xu Zhaozhao was so sharp-tongued in her previous life!

How come you're so quick-witted now that we've met?

"It's not a big deal, but I heard that Miss Xu has taken a fancy to a piece of land outside Wannian County. Unfortunately, I also have my eye on that land, so I came here to ask Miss Xu to be lenient and let me have it. Is that alright?"

Jiang Ning spoke politely, but her expression actually carried a hint of arrogance.

She was certain that Xu Zhaozhao wouldn't dare to compete with her. After all, she had the Grand Tutor behind her and a Noble Consort as her aunt. Which noble lady in the capital wouldn't give her some face?

These words made even Jiang Yuan feel somewhat embarrassed.

Why are you rushing to my door like this? Are you trying to steal my things?

Xu Zhaozhao smiled faintly after hearing this and said, "Dingxiang, I remember that this matter was entrusted to you. How did it go?"

“Miss, the day before yesterday, Zhu Zi came to report that the land had been purchased and the deed had been signed with the government. At that time, you were being filial to the old lady, and I only mentioned it briefly. You then told me to handle it as I saw fit. The night before last, before going to bed, I happened to see Zhu Zi’s mother and asked her out of the blue. She said that he had ordered bricks, tiles, timber, and all sorts of materials over there and was going to personally supervise the construction.”

Xu Zhaozhao nodded: "It seems there is such a thing, but do you know if construction has already started?"

"This servant is not sure. This servant will send someone to ask right away."

As soon as Dingxiang finished speaking, she quickly withdrew, clearly to immediately arrange for someone to inquire.

Jiang Ning's expression was displeased. Did this mean he wasn't going to give it to her?

“Miss Jiang, that piece of land isn’t actually that big. What caught my eye was that it has several dozen acres of orchards. I’m a glutton and love to eat fresh fruit all year round, which is why I went looking for it. I wonder if Miss Jiang is also interested in that orchard?”

Jiang Ning was speechless.

She didn't actually want that piece of land.

She only decided to compete with Xu Zhaozhao after hearing that the Marquis of Anxin's mansion wanted to buy that piece of land.

Unexpectedly, the other party acted too quickly and the contract had already expired.

"The contract has been signed so quickly? I didn't hear about it yesterday."

The deal has already been reached on their end. If Jiang Ning were to forcefully demand that they give it up, it would be unreasonable.

Xu Zhaozhao smiled and said, "Yes, the people below are efficient and reliable, which makes things much easier for me."

Jiang Yuan glanced at her cousin and realized that she had to step in and offer her a way out.

"I have long heard that Miss Xu is both beautiful and talented, and that the people around her are all loyal and capable. Seeing her today, I can confirm that it is true."

"Miss Jiang, you're too kind."

"Second sister, since Miss Xu's maid says the contract has already been signed, let's just forget about it. Have the servants search carefully; we're sure to find suitable land."

Sure enough, Jiang Ning breathed a slight sigh of relief: "What my sister says is true. Since the contract has already been signed, I can't force her to do anything more."

Xu Zhaozhao smiled gently: "If you two Miss Jiangs don't mind, I will definitely invite you to come and enjoy the scenery and fruit after I have finished renovating the manor."

"That would be wonderful, I'll be eagerly anticipating it then," Jiang Yuan replied immediately, only thinking that she shouldn't strain the relationship between the two families.

In fact, if Jiang Yuan had known earlier that Jiang Ning had such intentions, she wouldn't have even come; it would have been too embarrassing!