Chapter 469 The Reforms Have Been Effective

Every time Xue Pan's leg injury was about to heal, it would inexplicably break again.

Sometimes it was when he slipped while going down the steps, sometimes it was when the horse was suddenly startled while he was riding. The strangest time was when he was sleeping peacefully in the house and woke up to find his leg broken again.

The doctors all said they had never seen such a strange injury before, and the bone-setting process was extremely painful.

Xue Pan still remembers that excruciating pain, as if countless needles were churning inside his bone marrow.

"It's retribution...it must be Feng Yuan's vengeful spirit..." Xue Pan said, trembling.

"Looking back now, I remember that before each leg injury, I could smell a faint fragrance of plum blossoms..."

At this moment, Yuan Hongqu is playing chess with Lan Su at the academy.

"I heard Xue Pan has been behaving much better lately?" Yuan Hongqu placed a piece on the board and asked, seemingly casually.

Lan Su smiled slightly: "The pain of a broken leg will surely teach him a lesson. For those two years, I would 'visit' him every six months, using the most subtle force to make him suffer excruciating pain without leaving him with a disability."

Yuan Hongqu sighed softly, "If it weren't for Baochai's suffering over the years, I wouldn't have let you stop. That girl has really had a tough time; she's the sole breadwinner of this large family business."

“You’ve become soft-hearted.” Lan Su raised an eyebrow. “I remember when you found out that this fool Xue had disturbed Daiyu, you were so angry that you wanted to take Xue Pan’s life.”

Yuan Hongqu shook her head: "Taking his life would be easy, but that would be too lenient on him. It would be better to let him suffer while he's alive, so he'll remember this lesson. Besides..." She paused, "You've seen what Baochai has done over the years. She's not only been reorganizing the family business, but she's also been doing a lot of good deeds in secret."

This was new information that Lan Su was unaware of.

“This girl…” Lan Su pondered, “does have some sense of responsibility.”

“That’s why I’m willing to give the Xue family a chance,” Yuan Hongqu said. “If Baochai can really lead the Xue family onto the right path, then the sins of the past can be considered to have been somewhat compensated.”

At this moment, Daiyu came in with an account book: "Granny, Sister Bao has compiled a list of the Xue family's good deeds over the past three years. Look, they spent 30,000 taels of silver just on helping the orphans and widows."

Yuan Hongqu flipped through the ledgers and saw that they recorded in detail where every donation went: in a certain year and month, it was used to support impoverished students; on a certain day and time, it was used to provide porridge to disaster victims; there were even records of secret compensation to families who had been oppressed by the Xue family in the past.

“She is… atoning for her brother’s sins,” Yuan Hongqu remarked with emotion.

Daiyu nodded: "Sister Bao said that if you're going to change your ways, you should change them completely. She also plans to hold a memorial service for Feng Yuan on the anniversary of his death."

When the news reached Xue Pan's ears, he was drinking to calm his nerves.

Upon hearing that his sister was going to perform a religious ceremony for Feng Yuan, he smashed the wine glass in his hand on the ground with a "crack".

"What...what is she doing?" Xue Pan's face turned deathly pale. "What if someone finds out..."

"So what if I know?" Aunt Xue pushed open the door and said coldly, "Your sister is just trying to save you from trouble! If it weren't for her good deeds over the years, you would have lost your legs long ago!"

Xue Pan then realized that his sister had been secretly making amends for his sins.

Recalling the hardships Baochai had endured in single-handedly supporting the family business over the years, and comparing it to his own absurdity, he finally lowered his head.

"So be it...so be it..." Xue Pan sighed. "I'll leave this family entirely to my sister."

Xue Pan completely loosened his grip, and the resistance to Xue Baochai's reforms was immediately reduced by more than half.

She hired a retired criminal expert as a consultant to ensure that all her businesses were legal and compliant; she also invited students from the Women's College to work as accountants and establish a new accounting method.

Half a year was fast approaching, and on the eve of the second evaluation, Baochai received bad news: Xue Pan had secretly started lending money at exorbitant interest rates again!

"This wretched child!" Aunt Xue was so angry that she trembled all over.

Baochai remained unusually calm: "Mother, there's no need to be angry. I was prepared."

She took out a document and said, "This is a guarantee signed by my brother. If he commits the same offense again, he will voluntarily give up half of his share of the profits. If there is a second offense, he will voluntarily give up all of his share of the profits."

“Baochai, that’s your brother. Let it go this once. If it happens again, we’ll reduce his share of the profits.” Aunt Xue couldn’t bear it.

Xue Baochai sneered, refusing to yield an inch.

"Mother, my brother has earned half his life's share of profits and is doing this heinous thing. Isn't that profit more than what he made lending money at exorbitant interest rates? He can't do the math, so it's his own fault for having his profits deducted!"

She immediately led her servants to Xue Pan's loan shark den, tore up the loan agreements on the spot, and returned the principal.

Those who lent money were all desperate people, and upon seeing this, they all kowtowed in gratitude.

"Miss Xue is truly a living Bodhisattva!"

"We will never dare to borrow money at exorbitant interest rates again!"

Somehow, the news reached the ears of the inspector.

On the day of the second evaluation, Yuan Hongqu specifically asked about this matter.

Baochai frankly replied, "That is indeed the case. However, I have already handled it properly and strengthened the control over my brother."

She took out the new family rules, "From now on, any expenditure of more than one hundred taels of silver by the Xue family must be approved by the joint signature of the three managers."

The Xue family owns many businesses, so the evaluation process lasted for a full half month.

The inspectors checked the accounts, visited customers, and even conducted undercover investigations of various shops owned by the Xue family.

On the final day, Yuan Hongqu announced with a satisfied smile: "After a comprehensive evaluation, the Xue Family Trading Company meets the criteria for investment!"

Baochai wept with joy.

Over the past six months, she has worked day and night to reorganize the family business, and her efforts have finally paid off.

On the day of the formal investment, all of Xue's shops were marked with the plaque "Heroine's Business".

This signboard not only signifies goodwill, but also represents the glory of women's entrepreneurship.

To Baochai's even greater surprise, the Xue family's business flourished after she invested in the company.

With the academy as their backing, the officials who had previously made things difficult for the Xue family dared not cause any more trouble; and the prestigious reputation of "Heroine's Business" attracted customers like moths to a flame.

When Xue Pan and his wife saw that their dividends were even higher than before, they were finally convinced and settled down to be wealthy men.

On this day, when Baochai was checking the accounts, she discovered a familiar name—it was the farmer whose land had been forcibly seized by Xue Pan years ago.

Now he works as a shop assistant in the Xue family's shop, and he works very hard.

"Master," the farmer said gratefully when he saw Baochai, "thank you for upholding justice back then. Now I work in the shop, and my whole family is settled."

Baochai smiled with relief. She finally understood that doing business was not just about making money, but also about being a good person. Only by operating with integrity can one last.

As the sun set, Baochai stood atop the highest pavilion of the Jin Guo Trading Company, gazing at the cityscape of the capital. Here, there was no more intrigue or backstabbing, only the simple joy of earning a living through one's own abilities.

“Boss,” a female shop assistant reported, “the academy has sent a letter inviting you to discuss the development of the Southeast Asian market tomorrow.”

Baochai took the letter, a confident smile spreading across her lips.

Her world is expanding ever wider.

All of this stemmed from a painful decision that made her realize that it was better to be self-reliant than to live under someone else's roof.