Chapter 82

As a modern person, Xiao Letian had no psychological burden about such a one-night stand, but he was very clear that in the late Qing Dynasty, the most brutal era of Confucian rites, a woman sleeping with him meant something significant.

Fu Hui was not a courtesan or a half-open door woman; she was a proper Manchu lady, someone who could easily enter the Forbidden City. Once such a woman clung to Xiao Letian, it would be hard to shake her off. He feared that this woman would insist on taking Hu Niu's place.

In the days following that incident, the astute Fu Hui noticed Xiao Letian's melancholy. The cunning woman immediately guessed the reason. The smart woman took action to dispel Xiao Letian's doubts; she treated Hu Niu even better and, after buying gifts, Fu Hui proactively suggested returning to Beijing.

Xiao Letian only remembered the farewell at the dock by the Haihe River, where Fu Hui secretly whispered in his ear, "You don't need to avoid me anymore. I'll leave first to save you from embarrassment. In the eyes of others, you are a renowned master of Western learning and a god of wealth riding a black tiger. I never thought you would be so timid about this..."

Fu Hui reached out to remove a strand of hair from Xiao Letian's shoulder. "Don't worry, I won't compete with Hu Niu. I am a thrice-married, inauspicious person, not worthy to enter your home, not even as a concubine..." As she said this, Fu Hui choked up, turned her head to wipe her eyes, and held back her tears.

At that moment, Xiao Letian's heart felt as if it had been struck by a hammer, blood rushing to his head. He didn't know how he managed to say something he himself didn't believe, "Sister Hui, if you're willing, wait for me. When I can protect you, I will marry you and Hu Niu as equal wives..."

Fu Hui's eyes instantly lit up with hope. "Really?" But before Xiao Letian could answer, the light in her eyes dimmed again. "I'm sorry, Sister, I can't harm you. I am destined to bring bad luck to my husband; I can't harm you..." She turned and fled to the ship, never to come out again.

"Brother Xiao! Brother Xiao... drink up..." Xiao Letian's reminiscence was interrupted by Qing Sanye. Fu Qing looked at Xiao Letian's slightly flushed face and asked in confusion, "Why did you suddenly become mute while drinking?"

"Sister Hui! Sister Hui... the Empress Dowager praised you..." As if they shared a telepathic connection, when Xiao Letian was lost in thought, Fu Hui was also lost in thought at the imperial garden banquet, only waking up after An Dehai called her three times.

"Empress Dowager, look at me, this unworthy one. Grateful for the Empress Dowager's banquet, I can't help but think of the hard times of the past few years, wu wu wu... I won't say more, I don't want to upset Sister again..."

Oh, how pitiful, Empress Dowager Cixi thought, it must have been tough for the siblings to manage such a large family. She, as the elder sister, had not taken good care of them. At that moment, even Empress Dowager Cixi's eyes turned red.

"Good sister, from now on, I will protect you. If anyone dares to bully you, just let me know, and I will stand up for you..."

"Sister..." Fu Hui sobbed and buried herself in Cixi's arms, crying bitterly. Cixi wiped her tears and patted Fu Hui's back, comforting her.

The garden lunch turned into Fu Hui's performance show. The top figures in the palace immediately raised Fu Hui's status. An ordinary royal relative suddenly became a favorite in the Forbidden City.

When Empress Dowager Cixi went to rest after lunch, An Dehai personally escorted Fu Hui, a distance of only a hundred meters, but this was a tremendous honor. More and faster chapters are available.

"Lord An, you don't need to see me off, you are too kind... By the way, this morning I had my servants deliver some local specialties to your residence outside the palace. Don't mind, they are just some local products from Tanggu..."

"Not... not at all, if you had sent a couple of crabs, they would have stunk on the way! Tanggu has many foreigners, and they prefer to use foreign currency. I specially exchanged ten thousand silver dollars for you... Yes, the kind that hum when you blow on them..."

Eunuchs have always been greedy. Hearing that Fu Hui had given ten thousand silver dollars, even An Dehai, who had seen many grand scenes, was taken aback.

"Oh, Sister Hui, what are you saying? You are embarrassing me..." Before An Dehai could finish, Fu Hui covered his mouth with a handkerchief.

"You are being too formal. My dear sister, who works hard for the country, relies on you to be comfortable. My small gesture is to help you buy some supplements and take care of yourself, which is also a way to show respect to my sister."

The palace maids and eunuchs now understood. The title of "female Zhuge Liang" of Beijing was not given lightly. In just half a day, both the Empress Dowager and Lord An were won over. More and faster chapters are available.

An Dehai was now speechless. Fu Hui was no longer the poor and humble person he remembered. In his memory, Fu Hui had to beg for a job and couldn't even come up with seventy or eighty thousand taels of silver, which An Dehai had mocked. But in just over a year, Fu Hui could now spend ten thousand silver dollars to build relationships.

Not only that, An Dehai knew that the foreign goods Fu Hui sent were worth at least 150,000 silver dollars. In just one day, this woman had spent 250,000 silver dollars, a level of generosity rare even in Beijing. Updated first.

Fu Hui was the most important link in Xiao Letian's intelligence network. Both Xiao Letian and Fu Hui herself were well aware of this. Having grown up in the political arena, Fu Hui was much more mature than her brother Qing Sanye. When Xiao Letian hinted that she should spend money to build a relationship with Empress Dowager Cixi, Fu Hui understood his intentions.

But women in love are foolish. She knew that Xiao Letian was using her, but she had no reluctance. Instead, she used her skills to help Xiao Letian build relationships with all her heart.

Just as Lord An was about to return, Fu Hui suddenly "accidentally" saw Er Mao at the end of the procession. Fu Hui's maternal instincts kicked in, and she walked over to stroke Er Mao's face, saying with concern,

"Lord An, how can this child be so adorable? What's his name... I wish I had a son like him, he is so handsome..."

"Oh, Sister Hui likes this child? Yes, Er Mao is indeed clever. Though he is new to the palace, he is very capable for his age..." An Dehai echoed.

Seeing that Lord An was receptive, Fu Hui quickly seized the opportunity. "I shouldn't say this, but I really like this child. I want to adopt him as my godson. I wonder if this goes against palace rules?"

"Look at what you are saying. Who are you? The Empress Dowager's sister. Not only can you adopt a godson, but we can even assign some eunuchs to serve you! Er Mao, quickly kowtow, your good fortune has arrived..."

Er Mao, of course, knew who Fu Hui was. This was all part of the plan. He kowtowed on the ground, "Mother, I kowtow to you..."

"Oh, poor thing, get up quickly... I don't have much to give you, but these more than a hundred pure gold coins from the United States are a gift for our first meeting. If you miss your godmother, come find me at Xianhua Alley..."

Amidst countless envious gazes, Fu Hui walked out of the palace gates. When people turned to look at Er Mao, they found the clever child already kneeling before Lord An, holding the hundred gold coins in his hands. More and faster chapters are available.

"Lord An, you have taught me the rules, and I cannot repay your great kindness. Please accept this small token of my gratitude, or I will not get up..." Everyone's hearts skipped a beat. At fourteen, Er Mao had become their primary competitor, his flattery skills not far behind Fu Hui's. More and faster chapters are available.

An Dehai laughed, "What a clever boy, do you think I would be greedy for your gold? But since you have such filial piety, I cannot refuse... Li Lianying!"

At his call, a plain-faced eunuch stepped forward, none other than the Grand Eunuch Li Lianying recommended by Prince Zheng Duanhua.

In front of An Dehai, Li Lianying was not as arrogant as he was in history. He quickly knelt, "At your command, Lord An..." An Dehai nodded in satisfaction, "Little Li, do we have any good positions available? Assign one to Er Mao..."

"Yes, Lord An! Since Grand Eunuch Zheng's incident, the supervisor of porcelain and silverware has been vacant. Though I temporarily took over, I am too busy. I think Er Mao is clever enough to handle it..."

"Alright, let Er Mao take it. You must make your godmother proud!" An Dehai laughed and returned to the palace. More and faster chapters are available.

Er Mao, a eunuch who had been in the palace for less than a year, was promoted to a mid-level supervisor thanks to Xiao Letian's efforts. This result made all the eunuchs in the Forbidden City envious, but no one dared to say anything, given his excellent godmother.

At this moment, Fu Hui had already walked out of the palace walls. She sat in her carriage, opened the curtain, and gazed at the majestic palace walls, muttering to herself, "My dear, what are you planning? Do you really need to make things so complicated to get rich? But no matter what you are planning, you are my man, and I will always support you..."

What a love-struck woman, truly a love-struck woman. A woman in love cannot be explained by reason.

Xiao Letian's last concern was resolved thanks to Fu Hui's efforts. As a woman, Empress Dowager Cixi could not fail to see Fu Hui's affection for Xiao Letian. Honestly, Cixi also hoped that a Manchu woman could win Xiao Letian's heart.

When An Dehai returned to Cixi's side, massaging her leg, and reported everything in a low voice, Cixi actually chuckled.

"My sister, who has had three failed marriages, perhaps it is fate that this half-foreigner will shake her up. Xiao Letian needs a Manchu lady to manage him, and I will feel at ease..."

An Dehai, as if a bit jealous, pouted, "Empress Dowager, how can the rule against intermarriage between Manchus and Han be broken for Xiao Letian? This is too much of a favor..."

Cixi rolled her eyes, "Raise his banner, what's the problem? As long as he can win this monkey's heart, I would even give him a princess... Besides, Fu Hui's marriages have been tragic enough. If this really happens, it will be her fourth. We should support her, not hinder her..."

Xiao Letian did not know that he had become the predestined son-in-law of the Manchu Eight Banners, even recognized by Empress Dowager Cixi. He only learned from the pigeon message that Er Mao had been promoted and that Fu Hui's mission was successful.

In the following days, nothing major happened. Xiao Letian and Qing Sanye carefully planned the Tanggu Industrial Special Zone, while Fan Lian, the shopkeeper, busily bought goods across the Qing Empire, making a fortune. Even a fool could see the bright future of foreign trade.

Just as everything was trending towards perfection, a simple British merchant ship docked at the Tanggu port on a rainy night, and a middle-aged man with a weathered face stepped off.

And this man was about to take Xiao Letian out of the Qing Empire, embarking on a strange journey to the sea.

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