Chapter 1180: Touched

Mu Yangling met Mrs. Hua’s eyes and smiled. “I chose you because I think you’re the most suitable candidate.”

While the few candidates recommended by Little Madam Xia all had their advantages and disadvantages, the most suitable ones were Mrs. Hua and Mrs. Lin.

The reason why Mu Yangling gave up on Mrs. Lin was firstly because she had already decided to let Lin Weide take over as the Editor-in-Chief of The Great Qi Times; secondly, it was because of Mrs. Hua’s social circle.

Although Mrs. Lin was not bad, due to Lin Weide’s influence, her social circle was very narrow. Mrs. Hua’s father-in-law, Hua Hui, was a loyal and brave duke. Not only was he a general, but he was also a noble. She also came from the scholarly family, the Shanyin Lu clan. Thus, it could be said that she had connections in both civil and military positions; also, she had a good relationship with the madams on both sides.

Mu Yangling didn’t want the court to start a fight before The Lily Times even started, so Mrs. Hua was undoubtedly the best candidate.

Madam Lu was the same age as Mu Yangling and was in her prime. When she heard this, her eyes lit up and she said confidently, “Since Your Highness trusts me, I am willing to take on the position at the newspaper office. A scholar will die for a confidant. Jingshu is willing to be Your Highness’s confidant.”

As she spoke, Madam Lu bowed respectfully.

Shocked, Mu Yangling quickly came down to support her. Her eyes sparkled as she laughed loudly. “Alright, since you view me as your confidant, I’ll naturally view you as my confidant, too.”

Little Madam Xia looked back and forth between the two of them and felt an inexplicable ache in her heart. Wasn’t she Ah Ling’s best friend?

“Your Highness, my maiden name is Jingshu. You can call me Jingshu from now on.”

“Then don’t address me as Your Highness either. Call me Ah Ling. My maiden name is Yangling, and people close to me call me Ah Ling.”

Madam Lu muttered, “It’s rare for a woman to have such an impressive name. The person who gave Your Highness this name must have high hopes for you.”

Smiling, Mu Yangling said heartily, “My name was given by my mother in the hopes that I can press forward when I encounter difficulties and sail forward like the wind and waves. My father thought that the name sounded good, so he decided on it.”

Seeing that their chemistry was growing as they chatted, Little Madam Xia immediately pouted and went forward to hug Mu Yangling’s arm. “Ah Ling, the guests in front are still waiting. Why don’t you send everyone away first and we’ll chat later?”

Madam Lu said apologetically, “I forgot that you have other guests to attend to at the banquet. I’ll go back first and we can discuss work when you’re free.”

Mu Yangling nodded and personally sent her to the door. Seeing that she had walked far away, she turned around and put her arm around Little Madam Xia’s shoulder with a smile. “Are you jealous?”

Little Madam Xia pouted. “Well, you guys can even ‘die for each other’, so why would I be jealous? If anyone should be jealous, it should be Fourth Brother.”

Mu Yangling laughed out loud. After laughing for a long time, she said solemnly, “Lu Jingshu is indeed not bad. She’s very good at stirring people’s emotions. After talking to her, my heart surged for a long time.”

Stunned, Little Madam Xia said, “I think she said those words from the bottom of her heart…”

Mu Yangling smiled and said, “I’m also sincere. If she’s really my confidant, I’ll naturally be her confidant too. And you’re more than a confidant. You’re my best friend, alright?”

Little Madam Xia blushed slightly and pinched her arm angrily. “Even if I were to get jealous, it’d be over my husband, not you. What nonsense are you spouting?”

Mu Yangling jumped away with a smile and said, “What’s there to deny? When I was young, I was jealous because my younger brother liked my mother more. Later on, I specially took two days to play with him, determined to make him say that I’m his favorite person.”

Jealousy did not only exist between men and women.

Little Madam Xia’s face turned even redder upon being exposed. She started tickling Mu Yangling and only stopped after the latter begged for mercy.

Only when Spring heard that there was no more noise inside did she bring in some snacks and refreshments.

Little Madam Xia sat cross-legged on the couch and asked, “If you’ve settled things with Mrs. Hua, what are you going to do with Mrs. Lin?”

“I’ve decided to invite her to be the Editor-in-Chief. In terms of talent, I believe no one in the capital can compare to her. It’s best if she’s willing to take up the position. If not, I can only seek someone else.”

Mu Yangling smiled at Little Madam Xia and said, “I want to invite you to be the Deputy Editor-in-Chief and take over as the Deputy Publisher in the future.”

Startled, Little Madam Xia asked, “Take over from who?”

Mu Yangling blinked. “From me, of course. It’s not like you don’t know that I’m a lazy person. Working in the newspaper office isn’t my hobby. Compared to sitting in the house to review manuscripts and deal with matters, I prefer riding horses, archery, and taking the children out to play. Even shopping is better than sitting in the house. When The Lily Times gets on track, I’ll definitely resign and let you take over.”

Little Madam Xia was silent. She now somewhat understood why Ah Ling had been pestering her to help deal with The Lily Times’ matters recently.

Her eyes were a little red as she asked, “Is it because of me…”

Seeing her like this, Mu Yangling hurriedly waved her hand in panic and said, “Of course not. What are you thinking? If I really enjoy being the Deputy Publisher, I won’t even give it up to Qi Haoran, let alone you. Since I’m not keen and you’re interested, I might as well let you take over, right?”

Little Madam Xia rubbed the corners of her eyes, lowered her head, and said softly, “Thank you.”

However, Mu Yangling was very happy as she held her hand.

Little Madam Xia had always been dedicated to managing the household. Now that she was finally interested in something, Mu Yangling was naturally willing to fulfill her wish.

Other than her family, a woman should have other priorities. Otherwise, if she focused all her attention on family matters, she would easily be frustrated and break down.

Little Madam Xia was both touched and frightened. She feared that she would not perform well and let Mu Yangling down.

At the end of the day, she was still a tad timid and inferior. All these years, she had only been dealing with family matters. If Mu Yangling hadn’t let her manage King Rong’s Residence the previous year, such that she had to manage two households alone, she probably wouldn’t have had the confidence to tell Mu Yangling that she wanted to work in the newspaper office.

Sensing that her hand was trembling, Mu Yangling leaned close to her ear and said, “Don’t be afraid. I’ll help you learn the ropes and only let go when you familiarize yourself with things. Aren’t you and Mrs. Hua very close? She’ll help you, too.”

Little Madam Xia nodded slowly.

Seeing that she was still in a dazed state, Mu Yangling let her rest in the room while she went out to entertain the guests.

After that, Mu Yangling met several targets. Mrs. Lin only thought about it for a moment before agreeing to be the Editor-in-Chief. As for the others, they mostly said that they had to consider it for a day or two, because this was a big deal and they had to discuss it with their families.

Not everyone had Lu Jingshu’s decisiveness and Mrs. Lin’s confidence.

Mrs. Lin had long become the decision maker in the Lin family. She was already a grandmother, her mother-in-law typically didn’t interfere in things, and her husband was open-minded, so she could make the decision herself. The other madams weren’t in the position to do so.

Mu Yangling agreed to give them three days to consider.

After everyone left King Rong’s Residence, they did not return home. Instead, a few close friends gathered together and continued to discuss.

Mu Yangling nodded slightly at Mrs. Hua and Mrs. Lin before turning around to leave.

Little Madam Xia helped Mu Yangling instruct the servants to clean up before returning home.

For the first time, Fan Zijin wasn’t welcomed by Little Madam Xia when he returned home. Not used to it, he asked, “Where’s Her Highness?”

A servant lowered her head and whispered, “Her Highness is in the study.”

Frowning slightly, Fan Zijin stopped in his tracks as he walked towards the dining room. After some thought, he turned around and went to the small study instead.

Why would Little Madam Xia be in the study at this time? Could something big have happened?

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