Abandoning Wife and Selling Daughter? Turning Around to Marry a Powerful Minister and Wiping Out Your Entire Clan! - Chapter 23

The thug furrowed his brow. “Tell me everything in detail.”

The bigger one explained what he knew and what he had heard from his grandmother. The leader of the group got the gist of it, told the bigger one not to overthink, then walked around the courtyard. He easily found a piece of paper.

“Tomorrow, Qinghua Alley, East Market Street.”

It only stated a time and location, not even a specific time. The thug hesitated, but since he had nothing to do the next day, he figured there was no harm in going.

“Big Brother,” a little girl’s head peeked out from behind the door. “Did you and Third Brother talk it over?”

The thug’s name was Han Boguang. The one with him was Han Changshu. The one who reported was Han Tingyang. The little girl was Han Yun.

All the children in the courtyard shared the same surname as the courtyard’s owner. They were all orphans taken in by the grandmother.

Seeing that Han Yun had something to say, Han Tingyang went inside to study. The sun hadn’t fully set yet, and he cherished the remaining light.

“The ten taels of silver you brought back last time… most of it is spent. Only about one tael is left,” the little girl bit her lip and looked up at Han Boguang nervously.

“Is that all?” Han Boguang ruffled his sister’s hair with a big hand. “Don’t worry, your Second Brother and I will go find some money tomorrow.”

By “finding money,” he meant looking for someone who needed their kind of thuggish work.

If not, they would steal.

The Han brothers rarely resorted to theft. After turning fifteen, they only took on the first type of job.

Their Third Brother had a talent for studying, and they couldn’t ruin his chances of taking the imperial exam.

The next day, Han Boguang and Han Changshu arrived at the designated location and squatted under a tree, chewing on some grass stems.

Before long, their stomachs started growling.

They didn’t seem to notice, still crouching there, glancing around, trying to spot the woman.

Zhang Xiaolan secretly watched from a crack in the back door of the restaurant. These two brothers had good patience.

She wasn’t intentionally making them wait. Fenghua Restaurant had just introduced a new version of its Crystal Dragon Phoenix Cake, and even the Qin Prince’s household had praised it.

The restaurant was now busier than ever.

Today, there were important guests. She hadn’t even had a moment to rest.
She would have to make them wait. Clapping the dust off her hands, Zhang Xiaolan went to check on the steamer in the kitchen.

Zhou Quan, having heard that Prince Qin was visiting Fenghua Restaurant today, brought Shen Ting along and booked a private room, hoping to “accidentally” run into the prince and have a pleasant conversation. That way, his promotion would be within reach.

Though he was a Censorate Attendant Censor, he was mainly responsible for reviewing officials’ misconduct in the capital and handling public petitions. His tenure was short, his rank low. He occasionally had the chance to see the Emperor, but only for official matters—he was not in the Emperor’s inner circle.

Like any man, he desired power and status.

Meeting Prince Qin was his way of improving his standing with the Emperor.

He wasn’t worried about his low rank. What troubled him was that he wasn’t part of the Emperor’s trusted circle.

Since marrying Shen Ting, he no longer had to rely on Zhang Xiaolan for money. In Fenghua Restaurant, he ordered a lavish meal without hesitation.

Shen Ting disliked Crystal Dragon Phoenix Cake, so he didn’t order it.

He understood—she didn’t want him reminded of the Zhang family. It was a small matter.

Zhou Quan valued Shen Ting’s ability to manage household affairs.

Shen Ting, in turn, enjoyed his attentiveness.

Now that he was bringing her along to social events, she was thrilled.

The two whispered sweet nothings in their private room.

Knock, knock.

The waiter Zhou Quan had bribed lightly tapped the door and left.

This was their agreed signal—Prince Qin had arrived. It was time to step out and “accidentally” run into him.

Zhou Quan straightened his robe, exchanged a look with Shen Ting, and went downstairs.

At noon, Zhang Xiaolan checked again. The Han brothers were still there, but their faces were pale and their lips dry.

A few tables from the front courtyard had barely touched their dishes before leaving. The plates were taken to the back kitchen, and Zhang Xiaolan got her share.

She wasn’t hungry yet, so during a free moment, she packed a food box and brought it out.

“These were barely touched from the front courtyard. If you don’t mind, take it and eat,” Zhang Xiaolan placed the box before the two brothers and spoke softly. “But after eating, stay here a while. I won’t be free to talk until mid-afternoon.”

The Han brothers looked up and found her familiar. Han Boguang, the sharper one, suddenly remembered—this was the woman he had extorted before. He immediately grabbed his brother and tried to leave.

“What’s wrong? That ten taels of silver lasted you this long?”

Zhang Xiaolan’s words stopped Han Boguang in his tracks. The brothers stood there, unable to leave or stay.

“Take someone’s money, do their bidding,” Zhang Xiaolan forced herself to remain calm. “This wasn’t your fault. You were just trying to survive.”

Did she hate them? Of course, she did. If not for these two, she might have already redeemed her daughter.

But were they truly to blame? The real culprit was the one who orchestrated it.

If it hadn’t been them, it would have been someone else.

Now, she needed people she could trust, and only these two brothers fit the bill.

The brothers had heard plenty of insults before, but this was the first time someone told them it wasn’t their fault.

Han Boguang wanted to leave right away, but their money situation was dire. Food was one thing, but their grandmother was old, and they had a baby brother still in swaddling clothes.

If anything happened, he needed a plan.

Han Boguang turned back, pulled his brother down, and bowed deeply. “I was wrong before. Please forgive me, Miss. From now on, I will serve you loyally.”

Zhang Xiaolan said nothing, just set the food box down in front of him. “Take it. Be here by mid-afternoon.”

Han Boguang stood up and watched Zhang Xiaolan hurry inside.

So, this was the back kitchen of Fenghua Restaurant. He picked up the food box and strode home.

Han Changshu didn’t understand but followed his brother. Suddenly, he remembered something and whispered in his ear.

“We must never speak of this again,” Han Boguang said sternly, cutting off his brother’s question. “We’ll talk at home!”

He walked quickly, silently admiring Zhang Xiaolan’s tactics.

She had run into him by chance but played dumb, figuring out their home situation. She had gotten leverage over them while also giving them a favor, making them willingly wait for her.

That level of skill—far beyond the person who had hired them to block the road before.

That person had only been ruthless but had no brains—just a lone wolf trying to act tough.

Prince Qin came incognito today. Zhou Quan, after a few words, managed to strike up a conversation.

He invited the prince into his private room.

As they chatted, the prince’s servant had already ordered the dishes in advance.

Before long, the table was filled with Fenghua Restaurant’s signature dishes.

Among them was the newly popular Crystal Dragon Phoenix Cake.

Prince Qin ate at ease, talking and drinking.

Zhou Quan was nervous but kept his composure. Seeing the cake on the table, he picked up a piece.

The moment he tasted it, he was surprised and spoke without thinking.

“This…”

“This Crystal Dragon Phoenix Cake is delicious, isn’t it?”