Madam Rong's back sprain was not serious. It was only because she had not exercised for a long time and her personal nanny was too worried and applied hot compresses several times a day that the injury was aggravated.

Lu Qiqi closed the medicine box and gave the maid some instructions.

"The order must be correct, have you memorized it all?"

"Yes, I've noted it all down!"

With the help of servants, Madam Rong dressed herself and was led outside by her nanny. There she overheard Lu Qiqi's conversation with her maid.

She smiled and said, "It's almost noon. You've postponed it the last few times because you had something to do. You have to have lunch with me today no matter what."

Lu Qiqi always had a knack for coaxing old ladies. After several visits, she managed to win over the daughterless Madam Rong.

It made her wish she could go back 30 years and try to have a third child.

The previous times she had declined because she had something to do, but this time Lu Qiqi came with a purpose, so naturally she wouldn't refuse Old Madam Rong's kindness.

She smiled gently and said, "Alright, I'm off today, how about I accompany you to Madam Rong's home?"

At this point, Madam Rong's face visibly stiffened, but she quickly composed herself and instructed, "Have the kitchen prepare more delicious food."

The maidservant accepted the order and withdrew.

Lu Qiqi walked to Madam Rong's side, quietly took over the nanny's work, and helped Madam Rong sit on a soft stool.

After exchanging a few casual words, Lu Qiqi pretended not to understand and asked Madam Rong, "I've heard that in the border town, half of the fields are used for growing grain and the other half for growing salt. I wonder if that's true or not?"

Madam Rong couldn't help but laugh at her naiveté, saying, "Don't listen to those monkeys talking nonsense. It's true that there are many salt fields in the border town, but it's not as exaggerated as that."

Preserving the salt fields will not be an easy task.

At this point, Madam Rong seemed to recall some unpleasant memory and let out a long sigh.

Lu Qiqi was unaware of the bloodshed and turmoil involved, and did not intend to delve into it. She asked a few more questions about the salt fields.

Madam Rong may seem like a kind old lady, but when Lu Qiqi asked her several questions about salt, she became alert.

The answers are mostly based on information that can be found online.

Lu Qiqi naturally noticed her and didn't want to say much. After lunch, when Old Madam Rong yawned twice, she took her leave under some pretext.

Watching the maid lead Lu Qiqi out of the courtyard, the old woman muttered softly, "Madam, Princess Kangle is acting a bit strange today."

What the old lady Rong could see, she had long understood. She asked, "Has there been any news from the Second Master recently?"

The old woman thought for a moment, then lowered her eyes and shook her head. "I haven't heard of it, but a couple of days ago, the Second Master did send someone back some fine salt."

They own salt fields, and everyone in the household eats salt from their own fields, so there's no need to buy it from outside.

When Madam Rong thought about the dishes she ate today, she realized that they were indeed different from usual. Today's dishes were salty with a hint of sweetness, which was quite different.

She turned to look at the old woman and asked, "Is it the salt we ate today?"

"Exactly."

Madam Rong immediately instructed, "Send someone to inform the Second Master about the visit of the Princess of Kangle today."

"yes."

After leaving the Rong residence, Lu Qiqi already knew that trying to gain trust by practicing medicine would not work.

However, she did not give up and went to several more salt merchants' residences, ostensibly for follow-up medical treatment, but in reality, she was just trying to raise money.

After several days of running around, Lu Qiqi finally calmed down. Women in this era had little power and were expected to obey their husbands in their husband's family.

They were confined to the inner courtyard and largely unaware of the businesses outside.

Having realized this, Lu Qiqi no longer placed her hopes on the wives of the salt merchants.

What she didn't know was that these women were also learning to do business and would run to General Wu's mansion every day.

At this moment, the Wu residence was as lively as if a banquet were being held.

The courtyard of Consort Ning in the mansion was crowded with the wives of wealthy merchants from the border town.

These people used to feel inferior to Madam Wu.

Most of them were the principal wives of noble families, but the title of nobility did not go to their husbands, and they would have no chance of being granted the title of Lady of the First Rank in the future.

On the other hand, Lady Wu's husband is a great general, and with frequent battles, it is the perfect time for him to make a name for himself. The matter of being awarded a title and honors is just around the corner.

Madam Wu was well aware of this, so she always tried to stand out among these women.

Now, Aunt Ning is in charge of General Wu's mansion. Women who were once ridiculed by Madam Wu will deliberately gravitate towards Aunt Ning's courtyard in order to spite Madam Wu.

What's more, Aunt Ning would also help them earn money to spend.

Madam Rong sat in the main seat, seemingly unaware of anything amiss.

Among these women, her family had the largest salt fields and the most saltworks, so naturally they obtained the most salt permits from the Salt Transport Office.

He became somewhat conceited amidst the adulation of the crowd.

"Madam Rong, you're really worried about us girls!"

“Madam Rong is the most righteous person here. How could she forget us? You can all put your minds at ease.”

Several other women around them echoed this sentiment, which made Madam Rong feel somewhat embarrassed.

Just then, Aunt Ning spoke up to smooth things over, saying, "Madam Rong only remembers the affection between sisters, why do you need to remind her like this?"

"It's getting late, I think. Let's each finish what we're doing so we can start earning money sooner!"

Upon hearing this, the ladies all took their leave and hurried home to prepare.

However, none of them realized that in just a few days, Aunt Ning had become "Madam Wu" in front of them, the legal wives, and had taken the lead.

On the other side of the Wu residence, Lu Xiangxiang paced back and forth in the room, holding her child.

She dared not make too much noise, partly for fear of waking Xiao Lingyue, and partly because her thoughts were completely elsewhere, having already drifted to the courtyard.

Hearing the sound of the door being pushed open, Lu Xiangxiang's heart suddenly started racing.

When she saw that it was Xiangling who entered the room, her heart nearly jumped out of her throat, and she asked in a low voice, "How is it?"

This was also the first time Xiangling had ever eavesdropped. When she returned to her courtyard, her legs were still weak.

She peeked out suspiciously, and only closed the door when she found no one was there. Then she quickly walked up to Aunt Xiang.

She said breathlessly, "I found out that these past few days, Aunt Ning has been calling all the salt merchant women from the border town to her courtyard, saying that she wants to do a big business."

It seems these salt merchant women all trust Aunt Ning.

Lu Xiangxiang tightened her grip on the child and asked again, "Have you found out what kind of business they're planning to do?"

Xiangling thought for a moment, then shook her head to indicate that she had overheard them. "I didn't dare ask anyone. I came back as soon as I saw them leave."

Lu Xiangxiang knew that Xiangling had a hard time. This was the first time she had handled something like this, and she had already done a great job by being so careful and cautious. She couldn't ask for more.

When she thought about how General Wu returned to the manor yesterday and the first thing he did was to imprison Madam Wu, she knew that Aunt Ning must be doing something for General Wu.

That's why Xiangling risked going to inquire.

Since we can't find out anything, it's best to be cautious.

Her husband was never an easy person to get along with. She needed to save her own life first so that she would have a chance to leave the mansion in the future!