He Jiuniang did not go directly to the shop, but instead strolled around the more bustling streets of the capital. She would look at any shops she saw that were for sale, and buy them if she felt they were suitable for the occasion.

Since I've received such a large sum of money, I might as well spend it to make myself happy.

She has many business opportunities. Even if she doesn't start new businesses for the time being, she can open more branches. In any case, she can make a profit without any risk.

Only then did he go to the shop to check on everyone's work, and then he took the kids home.

Upon learning that she had bought another shop, Lianhua said, "Don't worry, Auntie. The people we've been working with recently are quite good. I believe they can help you manage the shops in the capital well when we get back."

Youya nodded repeatedly and said, "I don't know why, but I always feel that the people here in the capital are smarter and learn things very quickly. It hasn't been long, and they're already very proficient!"

He Jiuniang smiled and said, "It's not about which place has smart people and which place has stupid people. It mainly depends on the individual's level of effort. Think about when you started learning, didn't you also put in a lot of effort? Here in the capital, there are many opportunities, but the competition is also fierce. They know that if they don't work hard, there are plenty of people willing to take their place. It's not easy for them to have such an opportunity, so they will work even harder."

After hearing what she said, Youya thought about it carefully and realized that it was indeed true.

In Jingzhou, they were training the children of officials who had paid money to learn. Many of them were just going through the motions and didn't study seriously. Others who wanted to learn didn't have a good comparison and naturally lacked motivation, making them much weaker in comparison.

Other people who are properly trained are not necessarily worse off.

“I understand, Auntie. I shouldn’t have had such thoughts.”

Youya readily admitted her mistake. He Jiuniang patted her head and said, "You did nothing wrong. You're still young, and your perspective is still limited. Take your time."

At this moment, Lu Xiaoyang suddenly interjected, "Third Aunt, do you know if the person who attempted assassination at the city gate that day has been caught?"

"No, why?"

Although He Jiuniang didn't care about those things, Lu Baichuan would tell her, so she knew a little about them.

Those assassins seemed to have vanished into thin air; there's been no news of them for the past few days.

"It's nothing, I just find it a bit strange. I think those assassins were probably people from Dongting in disguise."

Lu Xiaoyang scratched his head, smiling somewhat embarrassedly. He was afraid he had said something wrong, but that was indeed what he thought.

"What do you mean? What did you discover?"

He Jiuniang looked at him, wanting to hear his thoughts.

Actually, it's easy to guess that this was orchestrated by the Dongting people themselves. After all, no one from Beiyan would want anything to happen to the Dongting people in Beiyan, as this would be a slap in their face.

Since envoys from other countries haven't arrived yet and can't possibly extend their reach that far, it can only be the people from the Eastern Court.

It's one thing to have a guess in your heart, but it's another to be able to find evidence. So at this time, listening to Lu Xiaoyang's thoughts is not a bad thing.

“When we were exchanging blows, I felt something was off. I felt that those assassins weren’t real assassins. They didn’t really hurt the people of Dongting. It was like they just wanted to make a fuss.”

However, he only felt something was strange, but after thinking about it carefully over the next few days, he realized that something was wrong.

"Good, you've observed very carefully. Are there any other suspicious points?"

"Their fighting skills are also strange. I can't quite put my finger on it, but something just feels off! Oh, by the way, if they really are using their own people, then we should keep an eye out for any injured people in the delegation who need medical attention. I didn't hold back when I attacked them."

Lu Xiaoyang spoke very seriously, and was more confident than before. It was probably He Jiuniang's affirmation that gave him the courage.

He Jiuniang said, "Alright, I'll tell your third uncle later and have him send someone to keep an eye out. If they really catch those assassins, you'll get credit for it!"

"Hehe, I was just guessing."

Lu Xiaoyang scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly, feeling that he hadn't really been of much help.

He was quite adept at business matters, and could speak fluently about them, but when it came to matters of great importance to the court, he was still cautious, fearing that he might say something wrong and cause trouble.

He Jiuniang looked at Lu Xiaoyang and suddenly asked very seriously, "Xiaoyang, do you want to enter the imperial court?"

"ah?"

Lu Xiaoyang didn't immediately understand what He Jiuniang meant.

"What I mean is, whether you want to join the army and become a military officer, or you want to take the imperial examination and pursue an official career, as long as you want to, you can do it. Your third uncle still has influence in the court. As long as you want to and are willing to work hard, there is nothing that is impossible."

He Jiuniang felt that they were all children of the family, and she couldn't favor one over the other. Lu Xiaoyang was capable and might want to become an official in the court. She couldn't let the child's future be delayed, so she asked him what he thought.

Lu Xiaoyang felt a little awkward and subconsciously looked at Liu Yuexiang. In front of so many people, Liu Yuexiang blushed instantly and lowered her head, not daring to look at the crowd.

He Jiuniang found it amusing and said, "You don't need to rush to answer me. Just tell me tomorrow. You're still young, there's plenty of time."

Lu Xiaoyang said, "Thank you, Third Aunt. I will think about it carefully."

In fact, he already had the answer in his heart, but he still wanted to ask Liu Yuexiang what she thought. After all, he had decided to spend the rest of his life with Liu Yuexiang, so he should respect her wishes.

That night, the two young people agreed to go stargazing on the rooftop.

Before Lu Xiaoyang could speak, Liu Yuexiang said, "You don't need to ask my opinion. Do whatever you want. Whatever decision you make, I will support you."

Seeing Lu Xiaoyang's stunned expression, she continued, "You are a capable person. Whether you do business, join the army, or pursue a career in politics, I believe you will do well. But I still hope you can choose what you like, that's what I want."

When she took a liking to Lu Xiaoyang, he was already a businessman, so naturally she liked that he was a businessman too.

"If I chose to go into business, would you... feel ashamed that I'm a merchant?"

Lu Xiaoyang looked at her, feeling somewhat nervous.

"Of course not, doing business is great, you can live a carefree and wealthy life!"

As Liu Yuexiang said this, she suddenly remembered what she had told her cousin before: that she would live a life of luxury with Lu Xiaoyang, and that she would help her cousin if she was ever unhappy!

Hearing this, Lu Xiaoyang smiled and said, "That's what I think too, so I still want to continue doing business."

"Um!"

The two looked at each other and laughed heartily from the bottom of their hearts.