Since it was to be made for Shiliu, the other four masters should naturally be given some as well. Xu Zhi instructed Steward Xu to go to the clothing shops on the street and buy some clothes for them to change into. They were all ordinary clothes, and if they wore them out into the crowd, no one would notice anything unusual.

There was a small oven in the yard, made by Xu Bai from iron sheets and yellow clay. Several cake makers used this oven to make some sponge cakes, and Xu Zhi specially instructed someone to deliver them to Jia San and the others.

When Shiliu tasted the sponge cake, her eyes lit up, and she unusually told Honggu, "This dessert is so delicious."

Hong Gu followed Xu Zhi from Liaodong. She witnessed the opening of every shop and tasted every kind of pastry they made.

Seeing that Shiliu liked to eat, Honggu smiled and said, "If you think it's delicious, eat more. Our Ninth Sister makes this. The shop is going to launch a new dessert, but it will take many attempts. We will help with the taste tests."

Shi Liu's eyes crinkled into crescent moons as she ate, nodding as she ate. After swallowing the cake, she looked at Hong Gu expectantly and asked, "Does the shop make many other kinds of pastries?"

Hong Gu said proudly, "Of course! My favorite is cream cake, but it's not easy to make. The number of cakes produced each day is limited. When we return to the capital, when the young lady takes us to visit the stores, we can have a good taste of it."

Shiliu was in a better mood and kept nodding, which made Honggu feel a little sad.

After eating the cake, Xu Zhi had things to do, so she asked Bai Guo to take Hong Gu and Shi Liu to the street to buy clothes. Shi Liu was unwilling and said to Xu Zhi, "Ninth Miss, I am here to protect you closely. How can I leave your side?"

Xu Zhi had no choice but to ask Hong Gu and Bai Guo to bring back two sets of similar items for Shi Liu.

Shiliu started training at a very young age, and her mind was always focused on training. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to defeat so many people and enter the A team. You know, there is no distinction between men and women in the elimination and promotion process. When she put on the dark blue jacket that Baiguo had specially chosen for her, she was a little at a loss at first, but slowly she began to be curious. After all, no matter what, she was still a girl. No matter how strong a girl's character is, she is always interested in beautiful things.

Manager Xu went outside to find a real estate agent, but didn't dare invite him to the house. Instead, he invited him to a restaurant on the street. Xu Zhi arrived later because she had some questions for Manager Liu.

The real estate agent, surnamed Liu, was in his thirties and a native of Tongzhou. He had been living in Tongzhou since he was a teenager and was very familiar with the city, especially with the wealthy families.

Xu Zhi also knew that these people in the economy were very familiar with some local officials. She now wanted to know who the Tongzhou county magistrate was and why he was trying so hard to stop her from opening a shop in Tongzhou.

Liu Jingji naturally knew that Xu Zhi wanted to buy property here. After bowing with a smile, he said, "Madam, when it comes to houses in Tongzhou, they are truly in high demand but hard to find. Tongzhou is the gateway to the capital. The best way to get from the capital to Jiangnan is by boat from Tongzhou, traveling south along the canal. Therefore, in Tongzhou, every family that owns a house takes good care of their property. Of course, there are also families with unfilial sons, but they are a minority."

Xu Zhi listened carefully to Liu Jingji's words, and finally asked, "Liu Jingji, what if I want to add a little more money? You know, I'm not going to close my shop after a year or two. I plan to keep it open for a long time."

Liu Jingji nodded and said, "Madam, if that's the case, it will cost a lot of money. In our line of work, integrity is paramount. We can't inflate prices and make buyers suffer losses, nor can we lower prices and make buyers suffer losses. I see that you are sincere about buying, so I will keep a close eye out for you."

After discussing the house, Xu Zhi inquired about the situation of the officials in Tongzhou County. Liu Jingji commented on each of them. Tongzhou has a special geographical location, so the county magistrate cannot be an ordinary person. The current county magistrate came from the capital and had reportedly served as an official in the Ministry of Personnel. After arriving, he rectified the chaos in Tongzhou, and now Tongzhou is much more peaceful than before. At least, those hooligans who used to charge exorbitant fees on the streets are gone.

As for the county magistrate, he had been staying in Tongzhou for a long time and seemed to have served several county magistrates. Liu Jingji couldn't say exactly who he got the position through, but many people in Tongzhou said that the county magistrate was actually the behind-the-scenes boss of some shady places in Tongzhou.

Seeing that Liu Jingji was truly clueless, Xu Zhi had no choice but to give up. He thought he must figure out the ways of this county magistrate so that he could guard against him in the future. Otherwise, since he was an official and Xu Zhi was just a merchant in Tongzhou, if they really clashed, Xu Zhi would be the one who suffered.

Xu Zhi returned home from the restaurant and immediately arranged for someone to take several chefs to the dock in a grand manner to board a boat, making it seem like she was about to leave. Xu Zhi was afraid that the county town would find out about Liu Jingji helping her buy a house, and that something else might happen. This way, she could fool them for a while.

Shen Mingwan arrived in Tongzhou the next afternoon. Xu Zhi had sent people to wait at the dock early in the morning. As soon as Shen Mingwan's boat arrived, Xu Zhi went to pick her up.

Shen Mingwan returned to the capital, feeling as if she had been through another world. She was very excited to see Xu Zhi personally come to pick her up. The two of them sat in a carriage and went directly back to the courtyard where Xu Zhi was renting.

After Shen Mingwan had washed up carefully, the two best friends finally sat down to have a proper chat.

Shen Mingwan sat opposite Xu Zhi, picked up her teacup and drank it all in one gulp. She said to Xu Zhi, "My grandmother was worried about me coming here this time and didn't want me to come. I really didn't want to stay in Yuezhou anymore. I said I was going to visit my third uncle at Dafosi Temple after I came back, and I would stay with my third uncle near Dafosi Temple from now on. That's why my grandmother let me come."

Upon hearing that Shen Mingwan was going to Dafosi Temple, Xu Zhi quickly said, "The third master of the Shen family has already become a monk at Dafosi Temple. Is Sister Shen really going to stay with the third master of the Shen family at Dafosi Temple?"

Shen Mingwan sighed and said, "My family has a manor near Dafosi Temple. I plan to stay there when I come back. I'll only see my aunt there at most."

Although Shen Mingwan is the legitimate daughter of the Feng family, she is now a daughter of the Shen family and naturally cannot go to the Feng family. Fortunately, Lord Feng has already returned to Wuzhou with Madam Feng. Ever since Shen Mingwan's accident, the couple returned to handle the girl's affairs and then left again without ever coming back. They are actually somewhat disappointed with the Feng family.

At that time, several daughters of the Feng family went to their aunt's house together. If the daughters had helped each other, how could something like Feng Wan'er's incident have happened?

Since things have come to this point, some things cannot be said aloud. Even if one understands in one's heart, if one speaks out, it may cause discord among family members and be detrimental to the relationships between different branches of the family. In this era, if a family can produce one or more important officials in the imperial court, it is often because the entire family supports them together.