Chapter 112 Lin Shiyuan! That Lin Shiyuan!

Yao Qingling glanced at his knife, looking at him with a half-smile.

After a while, Ruan Da Hu Zi put his hand down on his own and sat down listlessly: "You're becoming less and less afraid of me."

Yao Qingling had already seen through this bearded man; he was just a blusterer.

Despite being a bandit, he was clear about his likes and dislikes and did not act rashly.

Yao Qingling talked with the bearded man for a while.

She wouldn't do a losing business, so she negotiated terms with Ruan Dahuzi: eighty taels of silver for each household registration document, seventy taels for twenty or more documents, and fifty taels for one hundred documents.

"Eighty taels!" The bearded man's eyes widened, and he slammed his hand on the table. "Why don't you just rob me!"

Hmph! I told you not to judge a book by its cover. She robbed people and money, and she's even more ruthless than him.

Tao Ye frowned and said with disdain, "Big Beard, you're the one who needs my young lady's help. Besides, if household registration were easy to obtain, the capital would be full of people, and there wouldn't be any vagrants left."

Conversely, if the refugees were wealthy, they would have no need to wander around.

"Hey, you timid girl, how dare you speak to me?" The bearded man glared at Tao Ye. Tao Ye was afraid of him after all, so she pouted and remained silent.

Yao Qingling said, "My maid is telling the truth. Don't think it was easy for me to get those people household registrations; I took the biggest risks."

"Fifty taels is the lowest price. You can also ask around; those who make fake household registration certificates charge twenty taels of silver each."

“Other vagrants who haven’t committed any crimes can get household registration documents as long as someone vouches for them, and it doesn’t cost any money. But Big Beard, are you a vagrant who hasn’t committed any crimes?”

Ruan Da Hu Zi blushed and coughed unhappily.

Migrants who cannot find guarantors must have obtained their money through illegal means, and these people will then seek ways to obtain legitimate household registration.

But those middlemen are very unscrupulous; they'll ask for a hundred taels right off the bat, without any room for negotiation.

The bearded man had contacted these people and considered the situation before he was willing to lower himself and approach Yao Qingling.

Eighty taels, which was much lower than those people, but the bearded man had more people, and he wanted to lower the price further.

Yao Qingling shook her head: "I can't go any lower. If it weren't for our cooperation, I wouldn't even be willing to pay eighty taels. Now you are the most wanted criminal in the court, and I'm taking a huge risk to associate with you..." She took a deep breath, looking extremely distressed, "I must be crazy to cooperate with you!"

"Yao Qingling, do you want to back out?" The bearded man reached for his knife again.

Yao Qingling said, "Fifty taels and one hundred taels, no discussion. You can kill me for the same reason!"

"Otherwise, you could go somewhere else; perhaps someone there can make things easier for you."

Ruan Dahu stared at her, his jaw clenched tightly; Yao Qingling also refused to give in.

After a brief stalemate, Ruan Da Hu Zi gave in.

He still wanted to do business with Yao Qingling.

His men disguised themselves and went to investigate the general stores selling goods from the north and south. With the God of Wealth and the Lucky Boy in charge, the business was booming, and the news spread throughout the capital in just a few days.

It's better to stick with someone you know than someone you don't know; at least he and Yao Qingling were acquaintances.

Seeing that he had given in, Yao Qingling smiled slightly: "That's more like it..."

The bearded man glared at her again, still feeling the pain of losing so much money.

Yao Qingling said, "You don't necessarily have to get household registration documents for everyone. Take it one step at a time."

“Buy a large cargo ship. Those without household registration can stay on the ship and take turns going ashore with the porters. Those who stay at the dock and warehouse must have household registration. With a hundred documents, about half of them will have household registration. Even if the soldiers board the ship to search, we can fool them.”

The bearded man looked at her; he had thought the same thing himself.

However, I'm afraid that those without proper documentation might cause trouble.

If we could get all the necessary documents, wouldn't that solve everything and eliminate all worries?

Qingling said, "Big Beard, you're too heartless. Even with my eighty-six people, I've only given twenty spots so far. The others are still working on the estate."

Even if the merchants act as guarantors and the imperial court issues a document, it still needs to be verified.

Yao Qingling's general store is only so big; if she handles too many paperwork, the government will become suspicious.

She was thinking of opening more shops, which would make her qualified to handle household registration documents.

The bearded man had never done this before and didn't know, but after hearing Yao Qingling explain her predicament, he didn't say anything more.

These people have become accustomed to straightforward murder and robbery, finding it easy to make money, and have long since abandoned the lives of normal people.

"Okay, a hundred it is!"

Qingling and the bearded man agreed that the first batch of twenty household registrations would be given, and the rest would be given out gradually.

This time, the bearded man didn't puff out his beard or glare.

Back at the Marquis's residence, the sky was still relatively bright. Yao Qingling wiped her sweat and had just entered the inner courtyard when Lou Yue rushed over to speak.

Her face was full of anger: "Miss Qingqi took several daughters of officials to Hui Ba Fang, and when she saw something she liked, she wanted to take it directly. Young Master Lin refused and made them pay before leaving, which made Miss Qingqi lose face. She went back to the manor in tears. I wonder what she will say to the Lady of the Marquis!"

No sooner had she finished speaking than a maidservant of Lady Ma came to deliver a message, asking Yao Qingling to come over.

Lou Yue spat out, "It really is... This Miss Qingqi didn't show up to support the opening on the first day, but now she's pretending to be generous and acting like the shop belongs to her."

Qingling's eyes flickered slightly, as if she had thought of something. She smiled faintly and said, "It's nothing, it's just going to say a few words."

She went out, covered in dust and sweat, and only went to the Lady of the Marquis's courtyard after washing up.

Upon arriving at Dan Gui Courtyard, one could hear the sound of weeping and wailing.

"...What's so great about that Lin fellow? He's not a general anymore, just a commoner, or even just a dog of the Yao family. How dare he embarrass me! Mother, you must go to that shop and drive that man away!"

Then I heard Madam Ma's voice: "Not a general, yet acting like one. I'll go to the shop tomorrow..."

Before she could finish speaking, she caught a glimpse of Yao Qingling out of the corner of her eye, and her gaze turned cold, even showing some anger.

"Madam Yao, you're making quite a grand entrance these days. I sent someone to tell you early this morning that you're only coming over for dinner. Could it be that you want to eat with me?"

"I'm so sorry, I don't have an appetite."

Qingling didn't take it seriously, glanced at Yao Qingqi, and said, "I just heard you say who is a dog of the Yao family, but I didn't hear you clearly. Say it again?"

Yao Qingqi was crying while lying on Madam Ma's lap. Yao Qingling bent down slightly and looked into her eyes.

Qing Ling's eyes were cold and authoritative, and when he stared at her like that, Yao Qingqi actually trembled slightly.

But the thought of how she had lost face in front of those daughters of officials made her furious: "Lin Shiyuan! That Lin Shiyuan!"

She stood up, waving her arms wildly, completely disregarding her image.

All she knew was that the young ladies looked down on her even more; they wouldn't even listen to a servant, how could she act like a mistress?

If those rumors reach Princess Jinyang's residence, how will her future in-laws view her?

Yao Qingling's expression grew even colder.

With a "smack," she slapped Yao Qingqi across the face, stunning her.

Everyone else was also stunned.

"You, you hit me for a servant!" Yao Qingqi said, about to strike Qingling.

The two had fought several times when they were young, but Qingling had returned from the border. As a pampered young lady in the manor, she couldn't beat him in a one-on-one fight, so she would often call on her other brothers and sisters to fight together.

But this time, no one helped her.

Yao Qingling gripped Yao Qingqi's wrist, and Yao Qingqi tried several times to pull her hand away but failed.

Ma's facial muscles twitched several times before she abruptly stood up: "Yao Qingling, you're lawless! You hit someone right in front of me! Do you have any manners at all?!"

"Do you still respect me as the Lady of the Marquis?!"