Tang Ning also sensed something was wrong and said calmly: "It's already troublesome for Aru and I to go to the house, so why bother bothering the young lady anymore."
The person opposite hurriedly said: "How can you say it's trouble? Although the princess and I have not known each other for a long time, we have already heard about your deeds."
"Whether you used the Rong family's wealth to establish Rongsheng Academy, or your heart of helping and protecting those poor students, everything is admirable. I have long wanted to invite the princess to have tea, but I was afraid to come forward rashly. There will be abruptness, but now that I finally have the opportunity, I wonder if the princess is willing to honor her?"
The eldest young lady of the Cui family kept her attitude very low, and spoke highly of Tang Ning.
Tang Ning was even more confused after hearing this. Cui Lin returned from prison not long ago. Logically speaking, the Cui family only had hatred but no friendship with them. What did Mrs. Cui want to do by deliberately getting close to them?
She paused, with a slight smile on her face: "Since the young lady is so kind, it would be unwise for me to refuse."
Mrs. Cui quickly put on a smile: "Princess Princess, Madam Xue, please come this way."
The Cui family's residence is extremely complex, with magnificent gardens everywhere. Unlike other official residences in Beijing, the Cui family's residence occupies a very large area with deep winding paths. The heritage accumulated over the past century makes every pavilion and pavilion breathtaking. With a sense of elegance and charm.
Mrs. Cui led Tang Ning and Tang Ning through the corridor and entered a flower hall. As far as the eye could see, there were all kinds of chrysanthemums in full bloom. The osmanthus trees outside the hall had not yet faded, and the fragrance spread along the window. In the flower hall.
After leading Tang Ning and the two to sit down, servants came in one after another bringing tea and snacks.
Mrs. Cui and Tang Ning were sitting on the upper hand, while Xue Ru was sitting on the side.
Mrs. Cui pointed to the snacks on the table and said with a smile: "These sweet-scented osmanthus cakes and golden chrysanthemum honey cups are all made from the best osmanthus and chrysanthemums this year. The snack makers are also in the imperial dining room." The old man’s craftsmanship is excellent, Princess Xue, please give it a try?”
Xue Ru didn't respond first, but waited for Tang Ning to reach out for the snack, and then also took a piece.
Tang Ning took a bite and said, "It tastes good. Aru, you should try it too."
Xue Ru had small dimples on her face and ate a little.
"How is it?" Tang Ning asked with a smile.
Xue Ru nodded: "It's delicious."
Mrs. Cui had been paying attention to the two sisters across from her. She saw that Xue Ru had always been well-behaved and clever. Although her appearance was not as gorgeous as Tang Ning's, she was still as pretty as Xiaojiabiyu. The most important thing was that her words and deeds were very well-behaved and polite. She was not like She looked like the timid concubine who was abandoned by the Song family in earlier rumors.
Mrs. Cui smiled and said, "The princess and Miss Xue have a good relationship."
Tang Ning replied: "Aru is my sister, so we naturally have a good relationship. However, the young lady specially kept us here today and sent away the scary waiters in the hall. It should not just be for us two sisters to taste these snacks in your house." ?”
Mrs. Cui did not expect that Tang Ning would point it out directly, and she did not deny it: "I do have two things that I want to discuss with the princess."
Tang Ning held the snacks and said nothing, only acting like she was listening.
Mrs. Cui Shao said: "My husband, I, and even the other people in the house didn't know about my father's frame-up of Governor Xiao. My father had gone to jail and regretted it in his heart. After returning to the house, he also lost his job as minister. Now Even more so, he is sick in bed."
"My husband and I discussed it and decided that I must apologize to you personally. Even if we don't know about it, the Cui family is not innocent when my father took action. However, Governor Xiao is busy and can't come to bother you, so today Princess Liu wants to use your excuse to say sorry to Governor Xiao."
Tang Ning smiled slightly when he heard this: "I don't know much about the Cui family, and my brother rarely mentions the affairs of the court to me, but I think that since Cui Shangshu can return from prison, the things that happened that night must have been dealt with properly. , Madam, don’t worry.”
Mrs. Cui said sternly: "My father is able to come back thanks to Governor Xiao, but the matter between him and the Xuan Qin family is too much. The Cui family and other families have compensated Governor Xiao for some things, but those are the things they owe." It’s from my family and has nothing to do with this apology.”
"After discussing it with my husband, I felt that it was not enough to express our apology, so we and I prepared an apology gift separately. I hope the princess and Governor Xiao can accept it."
The smile on Tang Ning's face faded a bit. She didn't expect that Mrs. Cui would let her drink tea just to "give a gift". She didn't believe that they didn't know that the Cui family had given more than 200,000 gold to "ransom" Cui Lin. Among the families, the Cui family was the most exposed.
The other families just peeled off the skin to bleed, but the Cui family actually broke the bones to collect so much gold.
Now that the Cui family actually wanted to give another gift, Tang Ning subconsciously felt that this gift was unacceptable.
Seeing Mrs. Cui leaning forward and placing the brocade box on the table, Tang Ning was about to refuse when she heard Mrs. Cui say:
"Almost all the silver in the house has been exchanged for gold. My father is the master of the house, and my husband and I can't say anything. However, Yuanzhou, where my natal family is located, is rich in copper and iron, and it is rare for people to get documents permitting mining from the court and be able to trade with the DPRK. Portal.”
Tangning's words suddenly stopped when she reached her mouth, as if she realized what was in the brocade box.
Mrs. Cui opened the brocade box and pushed it forward: "What's inside is the transfer document for an iron mine outside Yuanzhou City. My husband and I are willing to give this to Governor Xiao."
Tang Ning's breath suffocated.
Xue Ru also widened her eyes.
It's actually iron ore? !
Not to mention the shock of Xue Ru, who had only half-understanding, even Tang Ning could hardly sit still.
Copper, iron, gold and silver have always been the exclusive property of the imperial court. Even if they are mined anywhere, they are prohibited by the imperial court. Except for a very small number of people who can trade with the imperial court, others are never allowed to get involved, and they are not allowed to circulate secretly. If anyone is found out, then It is a serious crime to confiscate a family and exterminate a clan.
The reason why the Caoliang case became more and more troubled at first and caused great turmoil in the Lu family. Emperor An changed from his usual meekness and pressed hard on the aristocratic family, giving Xiao Yan a chance to alienate him. It was because it involved the salt and iron smuggling. He didn't expect this. Mrs. Cui was actually so generous, she actually gave them an iron mine directly.
Let’s not talk about whether this thing can be given away. Even if it can be given away, it is not comparable to gold and silver.
If it were something else, Tang Ning would definitely reject it without hesitation, but iron ore...
Tang Ning pinched the snacks in her hand and tightened her fingertips. Although brother now has the tiger talisman in his hand, in the final analysis, they are not close confidants. Emperor An and the prince are still there. Forcibly transferring the army is prone to backlash. The tiger talisman is more of a deterrent and more important at critical moments. Used by force.
If brother wants to succeed, he still has to find a way to conquer or cultivate a trustworthy "private army" as soon as possible, but the most important thing is "arms".
