62 Su Yubai

"Even in this situation, he still remembers to send me money."

"Winter hunting? Hunting?"

"Yes. Heading south, past Yongluo County, there is a mountain. Every year in the twelfth lunar month, the general would lead men to the mountain to hunt, as a way of preparing for the New Year."

Shen Suqin chuckled: "So fierce? What kind of things can they hunt?"

"We have robes, deer, and bears."

"I'm going, but is the general coming back yet?" Shen Suqin was too busy to keep track of the news. "Is the battle over?"

"The battle is over. Zhu Xiegebo fled back to his hometown in a panic. The general should be resting by the Shule River now, and will go hunting in a while."

"Just go directly? How am I supposed to get there?"

“I will have someone escort the lady there, and the general will also send someone to pick her up.”

"Okay, it's settled then."

She really wanted to go out and clear her head.

Anyway, it's still a while before the vegetables are ready, and the shopkeepers won't be here until the end of the year, so she still has time.

Thinking about this made her feel better, and a smile appeared on her face.

Seeing this, Shi Ye couldn't help but ask, "Are you this happy just from going hunting?"

"certainly."

"Is it because of hunting, or because you want to see Xiao Pingchuan?"

Shen Suqin paused for a moment, realizing she hadn't really thought about that question before, and replied, "Good question, I'll answer you after I've thought it through."

Good things always come in pairs. Just when Shen Suqin's savings were about to run out, a box of silver, totaling 50,000 taels, was suddenly delivered from the south.

Upon opening it, I saw that it was sent by Su Yubai.

She had initially arranged a business for him to buy winter clothes for the Black Flag Army, promising to give her 20% of the profits. It seems she was overpaying.

Thinking of Su Yubai, he had offended the Pei family in order to help her.

He originally thought the Crown Prince could protect him, but the Crown Prince himself was in trouble, forcing him to give up Jinyunfang and return to his hometown of Jiaozhou. He wondered how the Crown Prince was doing now.

"Ju Tao, how is the situation with Master Su?" Shen Suqin asked.

Ju Tao kept quiet.

Shen Suqin's face darkened: "He won't let you speak?"

Ju Tao nodded.

"Then I'll send you to Jiaozhou and make you his concubine."

Ju Tao: "Don't you get tired of using this same thing all the time?"

"As long as it works, that's fine. Now, tell me, what's wrong with him?"

"They were retaliated against by the Pei family, or more accurately, by Shen Suqiu. Many of the Pei family's shops in the north were taken away by Shen Suqiu, and Jinyunfang was also taken back by her."

"Tsk." Hearing that name again, Shen Suqin felt as if it were a past life. "More than that, Shen Suqiu alone is not enough to do anything to him."

"Yes, Prime Minister Pei has also made a move. He's short of money and has his eye on the Su family."

With a "bang," Shen Suqin slammed her hand on the table and stood up. Pei Ruhai had already set his sights on Xingyuan before, and now it was even better, as he had directly targeted the Su family.

The Su family has been in business for generations; they might really be no match for the Pei family.

"How is the situation now, Su family?"

"It's not good. They say that Old Master Su has been imprisoned for some time, but the higher-ups haven't given any instructions on what to exchange him for."

Shen Suqin sighed deeply, "Even in this situation, he still remembers to send me money. He... sigh."

She had to find a way to help the Su family.

But how can I help?

The Pei family is now at the height of its power, and even the emperor avoids their wrath, having no choice but to send his son to the northern border to save his life.

Yes, the North.

"Ju Tao, if all else fails, write a letter and have Master Su slip away and come to the Northern Border."

You can earn more money if you lose your fortune, but you only have one life.

Moreover, given the Su family's wealth and Su Yubai's intelligence, if they really wanted to escape unscathed, they wouldn't have to empty their entire fortune.

"Okay, I'll write it for him right away." After saying that, she remembered something, "By the way, do you know what Yuanxiang does every day?"

"do what?"

"There was a small school where she was a female teacher, teaching people to read."

"...He's quite capable, so you should keep an eye on him."

"good."

"Also, Brother Yan hasn't written to us for some time," Shen Suqin said.

Ju Tao: "I sent someone to check, and there's nothing wrong. We've just established ourselves, so we're quite busy."

"What? My brother's already made his business a success?"

"It seems so."

"Hmm, that's good. It's good to have two options, more ways out. I'm thinking of sending him a letter these next few days, asking him to help me find something to send back. Would that be too much trouble?"

"Fortunately, the two sides have now ceased hostilities, and the black market will soon become active again. At that time, it won't be difficult to use the black market."

"Okay, remember this for me."

"Hmm." Ju Tao's eyes showed worry. "Sister Qin, are you not planning to come out of seclusion?"

Shen Suqin stayed there.

Ju Tao continued, "You're planning for the long term; you should also invite the Su family to Jinzhou."

"I, Ju Tao, haven't thought it through yet. To be honest, my parents died tragically, and the aristocratic families have to give me an explanation. The only way I can get what I want is to borrow Xiao Pingchuan, borrow Shi Ye, and borrow the Northern Border, and stand above the aristocratic families."

"But what's the point of doing this?"

“I used to think it was meaningless, but looking at Xiao Hei, it seems to have meaning.”

Ju Tao didn't understand: "Xiao Hei? Why?"

Shen Suqin shook her head, not wanting to say more: "Go ahead and get busy."

"good."

Three days later, Xu Youcai escorted Shen Suqin out of the city. Originally, he wanted to arrange for someone else to escort him, since measuring the land was a major event, and the Crown Prince couldn't leave, let alone him.

But he dared not. If something were to happen to his wife on the way, he couldn't afford to pay for it even if he were to skin himself alive.

Shen Suqin hadn't expected the departure to be so sudden. "I thought it would be a few more days."

"The mountain will be closed off by heavy snow in a few days, and we won't be able to get in."

"oh."

"Isn't Miss Ju Tao coming along?"

"She's not going." Ju Tao was even busier than her, busy delivering various messages.

As they were talking, the two arrived at the city gate.

The city gate of Ningyuan is still dilapidated, and the three large characters of Ningyuan City are hung crookedly, which is really unsightly.

Outside the city, a solemn procession had already formed, composed entirely of the manor's personal guards, the elite of the elite.

Perhaps because they weren't going to the battlefield, they weren't wearing armor; instead, they wore thick, cotton-padded shirts.

This looks thick, but it's not actually warm, Shen Suqin knew, because it was filled with reed fluff.

The winter clothes that Su Yubai made for the Black Flag Army were also filled with reeds. No matter how thickly they were stuffed, they were still breathable. However, compared to many people who only wore thin clothes in winter, they were already quite good.

If only we could find cotton.

Shen Suqin thought.

The head guard greeted Xu Youcai as he arrived, saying, "Madam's carriage is ready."

Shen Suqin: "Hunting is not a trip. Why take a carriage? I want to ride a horse."

Xu Youcai quickly stopped her: "The general's original intention was to take you out for fun. Why are you riding a horse in the dead of winter? You'll catch a cold before you even get there. I had them put a charcoal stove and a wolf skin in the carriage. It will be warm inside. Let's go by carriage."

Shen Suqin wanted to say something more.

Xu Youcai stopped her from speaking, saying, "Quickly take Madam to the carriage, and drive carefully."

"yes."

And so, Shen Suqin was forcibly put into the carriage, and the procession slowly set off.