Chapter 49

At the Jiangbei Inn, Yuan Qiong stood by the window inside the inn, while Lin Qiang sat on the roof of the inn.

The two were separated by the rough tiles of the roof. Her words drifted into his ears on the wind. Lin Qiang smiled brightly, his deep eyes like a dark, boundless sea, yet infinitely inclusive.

Tsk, what a stubborn but soft-hearted little girl. If she could really be ruthless, why would she need to bluff and scare him with a three-day deadline?

That day, Yuan Qiong searched her inn room inside and out, and finally found two hundred taels of silver notes and some loose silver in a bundle by the bedside.

Suddenly throwing the package to the ground, Yuan Qiong sat on the edge of the bed with an icy expression, gritting her teeth in anger.

"This is outrageous! This bandit leader is absolutely outrageous!" She is the mother of a nation, what can she do with this little bit of silver?

It's a shame she boasted during the day that she'd give Hong Xin any amount of money she wanted. With just two hundred taels, she couldn't even support herself, let alone save someone!

Filled with anger, Yuan Qiong stomped on the package several times before finally falling asleep after tossing and turning for half the night. Early the next morning, Hong Xin came to knock on her door.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

"Young lady, are you up?"

"Even the rooster has stopped crowing, young lady, aren't you getting up yet?"

"Oh dear, young lady, let me tell you, everyone, whether man or woman, must live diligently. Lying in bed is the act of lazy men and women, and should never be encouraged!"

"The plan for the year starts in spring, and the plan for the day starts in the morning. Especially for us martial arts practitioners, we must get up early to breathe in the first wisp of purple energy under the morning sun in order to greatly increase our skills!"

"Young lady! Young lady! Wake up! Open the door!"

...

The incessant chatter outside the door successfully enraged Yuan Qiong, who was known for her bad temper when she woke up.

She quickly dressed and styled her hair with a murderous aura, then with a loud clang, she drew her sword and opened the door, as if flames were burning behind her!

"Hahaha, young lady... Hey, hey, let's talk this out, let's talk this out, don't hit me!"

Hong Xin, who was casually leaning against the door with her arms crossed, was startled by the sword that Yuan Qiong swung at her as soon as she opened the door, and quickly dodged.

Seeing that his first strike had missed, Yuan Qiong immediately swung his sword again, as if he wouldn't stop until he had killed the guy who was disturbing his sleep.

"......."

Is morning grumpiness really that bad?

Hong Xin was both amused and exasperated. While dodging, she said, "I admit defeat, I was wrong, I apologize, I shouldn't have bothered you so early!"

As her mind gradually cleared, Yuan Qiong knew she couldn't hurt this person. She barely managed to control her emotions, sheathed her sword, and said to the waiter who was almost paralyzed with fear, "Prepare water, I need to wash up."

"No, no, no." The little boy's calves were trembling as he crawled away on a trot.

It seems that the more beautiful a woman is, the less likely you are to mess with her!

Yuan Qiong turned and went into the house. Hong Xin was about to follow him in when, before she could even put her foot down, a gleaming sword blade suddenly appeared in front of her.

"Lord Hong, don't you understand the principle of respecting the difference between men and women and the rule of 'no improper conduct'?"

Facing Yuan Qiong's cold, fox-like eyes, Hong Xin showed no fear. She pushed aside Yuan Qiong's sword and laughed, "You'll be my wife soon, so what's the point of talking about the difference between men and women?" With that, she strode inside.

Yuan Qiong gritted her teeth, her eyes growing increasingly dark.

The humiliation she has suffered in the past few days is far greater than she has in the past ten years combined!

Fortunately, Hong Xin was sensible enough to pull up a chair in the outer room and sit there instead of going into the inner room. So Yuan Qiong took a few deep breaths and silently told herself countless times not to act impulsively before she managed to hold back.

After the waiter brought the water, she deliberately avoided Hong Xin's piercing gaze, quickly washed up in the inner room, tied all her hair up in a simple single bun, put on a jasmine hairpin, and went out without applying any makeup.

She simply couldn't stand having other strange men in her room!

"Where are you going, young lady? I'm on leave these few days and can show you the way."

"No need."

“A fair maiden is sought after by a gentleman. Young lady, don’t be so aloof.” Hong Xin looked at this woman who, even without any adornment, exuded nobility from the inside out, her eyes gleaming with a determined light: “Give me a chance to pursue you, and you certainly won’t be disappointed.”

Yuan Qiong stopped and stared at him for a moment: "Are there Fengyun Gambling House and Fengyun Money Shop in Jiangbei Provincial Capital?"

"Yes, young lady, why do you ask this?"

She smiled slightly: "If you help me smash them all, I'll give you a chance."

"Forehead........"

"What? You can't do it?"

"Is this young lady deliberately making things difficult for me, or does she really have a grudge against Fengyun Gambling House and Fengyun Money House?"

The Fengyun Gambling House is backed by a large number of merchants in Jiangbei Province. It's not a big deal if he touches the Fengyun Gambling House, but if it affects the interests of a large number of merchants in the provincial capital, then it won't be so easy to resolve.

Yuan Qiong sneered, "Why would I deliberately make things difficult for you? I'll tell you the truth: the owner of Fengyun Gambling House is my missing husband. If you can help me smash those two places, then I'll consider giving you a chance."

"!!!"

This time, Hung Sin was truly shocked.

He had thought many times about what kind of man could marry her. He could be a romantic scholar, a rising star in the court, a scion of a noble family, or a prince or nobleman. But he never imagined that it would be a businessman!

And he's such a difficult businessman!

"Didn't you say you weren't afraid of even the Heavenly King himself? Why are you chickening out now?"

“Young lady, you are underestimating me, Hong, by saying such things. Since I have made a promise to you, I will certainly keep my word. I hope you will also be a man of your word.”

“Of course!” Yuan Qiong smiled, his slender fox eyes crinkling. “Things shouldn’t be delayed. Since you’re willing to do it, gather the brothers today. I’ll go with you.”

The bandit refuses to show himself, right? Then she'll smash his shop and ruin his business. Even if she can't seriously damage him, it'll be good to vent her anger. Besides, she can use this opportunity to test who this Hong Xin really is.

Killing two birds with one stone!

“Alright!” Hong Xin said with a smile, “In that case, young lady, how about you tell me your real name?”

So far, all I know is that her surname is Yuan, and I know nothing else about her. This feeling is terrible.

"Actually, my surname is not Yuan, and I have no relation to the direct line of the Yuan family." Yuan Qiong never blushed when lying: "Last time I impersonated a direct line of the Yuan family to go to the prefectural governor's mansion, I had my own reasons, but the prefectural governor saw through my disguise and locked me up."

“My name is Wang Yao. My father was a high-ranking official in the imperial court, and my birth mother died early. My stepmother could not tolerate me after she entered the family and persecuted me one after another. Later, I was rescued by the owner of Fengyun Gambling House. In order to repay his kindness, I married him.”

"Two years ago, my father offended a powerful official in the court and was dismissed from his post and exiled. Since then, my husband has become indifferent to me. As you can see, he often leaves me alone and disappears without a trace."

Yuan Qiong blinked after speaking, her sincerity evident. Her fabricated backstory was perfectly plausible and didn't seem out of place at all.

Did Hong Xin believe it? Only a fool would believe it!

"May I ask if you may disclose the young lady's father's name?"

“My father’s surname is Wang, his given name is Chen, and his courtesy name is Zixuan. He once held the official position of Shangdafu and was in charge of criminal cases.”

She knew the court officials like the back of her hand, and could find suitable candidates to fill the gaps in their ranks in an instant. She remembered Wang Chen most vividly; he had offended her grandfather a couple of years ago, and she had personally ordered his exile. Coincidentally, he had also remarried.

"......."

Such a perfect lie—if Hong Xin hadn't remembered how confident she looked when she entered the prefect's mansion, she might have actually been fooled!

He squinted and sized her up. Could this dignified demeanor really belong to a pitiful girl who was often persecuted by her stepmother? It was more like she was the one persecuting her stepmother!

Although she didn't believe it, Hong Xin didn't ask any more questions. Instead, she went straight back to the patrol office, took dozens of officers, and smashed up Fengyun Gambling House and Fengyun Money House in front of Yuan Qiong!

After all the officers and soldiers left, the fifth brother, Toothless Dog, who had rushed over after receiving the news, looked at the mess in the gambling den and was almost in tears.

His beloved sister-in-law brought people to vandalize the place; what could he do? Retaliate? He wouldn't even dare to think about it!

"Boss, these soldiers are bullying us too much, should we..." Before the smuggler could finish speaking, Lao Wu slapped him on the head: "No one is allowed to cause trouble! If I find out any of you dare to report this on your own, I'll kill you all!"

"Yes, yes, yes." The slap wasn't forceful, but the snakehead understood his boss's meaning and immediately agreed with a forced smile. He turned to his men and ordered, "Get to work faster! We're opening for business tomorrow!"

The fifth brother stood alone to one side, looking worried.

Sigh, when gods fight, mortals suffer. When the eldest brother and sister-in-law have a falling out, their subordinates suffer the most! Hopefully, the younger sister-in-law won't come and smash things up every day; that would be real torture!

After smashing the shop, Yuan Qiong felt a little relieved and refreshed! She looked around, hoping to see if the bandit leader would suddenly jump out and reprimand her for causing trouble. However, after looking for a while, she didn't see any familiar figures, and her mood immediately darkened again.

"Does my word still count, young lady?" Hong Xin asked after dismissing her brothers. Yuan Qiong readily nodded, "Yes, I do!"

Since he still won't show himself, she'll force him to!

"From this moment on, you shall call me Wang Yao." Regardless of what he thought in his heart, Yuan Qiong appeared to have accepted him.

She asked with a slight smile, "Lord Hong, have you ever heard of Fengyunxu? Do you know where in the provincial capital of Jiangbei one can find people from the ruins?"

"What do you want to do with Fengyun Ruins?" Hong Xin raised an eyebrow, her smile rather frivolous. "Wife, I can smash up Fengyun Gambling House and Fengyun Bank, but I really can't smash up Fengyun Ruins! Don't be fooled by the fact that they both start with Fengyun; they're not from the same family, they're completely different things!"

"Don't worry, I have no grudge against Fengyunxu." Yuan Qiong smiled and touched the hairpin in her hair. "I'm not going there to cause trouble, but to find someone."

I've heard this is a newly emerging organization, active in most corners of the Great Yan Dynasty outside the capital. Previously, she had her own power within the palace, so she didn't pay much attention to such civilian organizations. But times have changed; dealing with such organizations is now quite necessary.

Moreover, Fengyun Gambling House, Fengyun Money Exchange, Fengyun Market... Based on the names and her intuition, she always felt that there was some connection between the three, unlike what outsiders said about them being completely unrelated...