Before he could finish speaking, the old woman, perhaps having guessed Jiayin's identity, rushed over desperately.
Mu Xu darted forward and kicked the old woman in the leg, causing her to kneel down.
Shui Ling and Shui Yun also stood in front and behind, protecting their master in the middle.
The old woman winced in pain, but she endured it and said in a low voice, "Princess, I am the personal maid of the old lady of the Wang family. Our old lady instructed me to discuss a deal with you, a big deal!"
The Wang family?!
Jia Yin and Mu Xu exchanged a knowing glance, both of them showing interest.
Shui Ling and Shui Yun opened the door, and everyone returned to the backyard of the fruit and vegetable shop.
Perhaps feeling hopeful, the old woman was much more composed when she entered the room than before, and even straightened her coat and patted the snow off her knees.
Unfortunately, Jiayin sat under the eaves, holding a hand warmer, watching her fuss, but didn't say a word.
The old woman cursed inwardly, but having no other choice, she could only kneel down again. "Princess, our Wang family has been wronged by having our property confiscated and being imprisoned."
“But our old lady said that the Marquis was just following orders and it’s not his fault. But our Wang family has been a family for centuries, and we can’t let this matter break our tradition.”
"Therefore, our old lady is willing to offer 20,000 taels of silver to ask the Marquis to show leniency and release our old lady and the two young masters."
"We only ask that the princess help us by acting as an intermediary. If it is successful, our old lady will give the princess an additional ten thousand taels as a reward."
Jiayin was surprised and asked, "Where did your old lady get the money? She just threw away 30,000 taels! How generous!"
The old woman, thinking Jiayin was interested, felt emboldened and stood up. "There's no need to know about this princess. The Wang family is a century-old family, not something that a small family can compare to!"
In Xinduli, everyone knows that the Li family is most often insulted for being "a small and insignificant family".
These four words express the utter contempt and disdain that the powerful and wealthy family holds for the Li family, who have transcended social classes.
The old woman's words clearly showed that she looked down on the Li family.
Jiayin's expression changed, and she sneered, "Our Li family is what you call a small, insignificant family, and we have an irreconcilable feud with the Wang family. Yet you still come to me for help, don't you?"
"I just don't know what's wrong with you guys. You think that if you throw out a few silver ingots, I'll definitely help you?"
"They even want to release her and the two boys? They're dreaming!"
"How can we cut the weeds without pulling out the roots? Our Li family has no habit of letting our enemies go and waiting for them to come back and cause trouble!"
After saying that, she called two veterans, "Tie this man up and send him to my godfather. Inquire thoroughly about how the Wang family managed to contact the outside world while they were in prison."
"If we don't take remedial action now, all the sheep might escape!"
Two veterans were about to step forward when the old woman shouted in disbelief, "Princess, don't you love silver the most? This is thirty thousand taels, not three thousand!"
Jiayin stood up and said, "No wonder you came after me. So you heard I like money."
"Then your information is really incomplete. I do like money, but I only like my own money!"
"I don't want dirty money!"
"I don't want my enemy's money!"
The old woman was so anxious her eyes were practically bulging out, but her mouth was gagged and she was dragged away.
After all that commotion, Jia Yin lost interest in shopping and decided to go to the relief agency instead.
Today is not a grand court assembly, so Li Lao Er will stay here.
Seeing his niece approaching, he smiled and said, "Oh my, my little god of wealth has arrived!"
Recently, the staff of the Relief Department, young and old, bought bean sprouts from the Second Village and sold them door-to-door.
While it wouldn't make you rich, earning fifty or sixty coins a day was still easy.
This solved a big problem for him.
After all, sweeping the streets and sewing military uniforms and shoes alone is not enough to support all the elderly and children in the relief department!
Jiayin smiled and bowed, then recounted what had just happened and asked, "Second Uncle, when will the matter concerning the Wang family and the Wu family be completely resolved? Will there be any reversals?"
"No, it won't." Li Lao Er was afraid that his niece would worry about this, so he reassured her, "Originally, we were also worried that the Wu family might have some changes of heart. After all, the Emperor has no intention of deposing the Empress, so we have to be careful."
"But for some reason, the Emperor is particularly angry with the Wu family, and the Wu family is doomed."
"It's just that it's not easy to take action in Xindu, and we can only arrange for them to set off after the New Year."
"As for the Wang family, after the court moved to the new capital, the Wang family became a fence-sitter, and the emperor disliked them."
"Now, in order to deal with our family, Wang Lao Er has colluded with 'the other side' again, which has angered the Emperor even more. This time, he will definitely cut off the Wang family completely and also cut off 'the other side's' arm."
Jiayin nodded, completely relieved.
However, Li Lao Er remembered some news he had heard recently and tentatively revealed a little bit to his niece.
"However, in this case, 'that person' will be without help and will probably have to take matters into his own hands."
"You probably can't escape the palace banquet this year!"
Jiayin waved her hand dismissively, "Don't worry, Second Uncle, Grandma and my mother are already thousands of miles away."
"Even if that person takes action, there's nothing they can do to restrain our family. At most, they'll try to find an opportunity through me."
"But I'm not afraid of that at all; in fact, I'm hoping she'll come out soon."
"Since we're enemies, we'll fight each other sooner or later, so we might as well start sooner rather than later."
"It saves me from having to guard against thieves every day, worrying about when she will make a move, and being too restrained in everything I do."
"You little rascal, you've got guts." Li Lao Er chuckled with a mix of amusement and pride, patting his niece's shoulder. "Just remember, never be afraid, always put your own safety first, and don't worry about the family."
Jiayin felt a warmth in her heart and didn't forget to remind her to go back.
"Second Uncle, you must also remember not to panic if you ever hear that I am in danger."
"I assure you that I am absolutely not in any danger to my life; at most, I will just be trapped for a while."
"So you can take your time to think about how to save me, and don't fall into a trap because you're in a hurry."
"I know, my Fu Niu'er is really capable!" Li Lao Er couldn't help but tap his niece's head. "Don't you want to show your uncle what you're capable of? I'm very curious, how did you manage to fool your grandma and mother away back then!"
"Hehe," Jiayin chuckled, her eyes narrowing.
She casually flattered him, "My second uncle is so wise, he doesn't need me to fool him. It's just a little trick, it's fine if he doesn't know!"
The father and son exchanged pleasantries for a while, discussed a few trivial matters, and then went to the Hundred Flowers Garden together.
The Chinese New Year is just around the corner, and families are busy exchanging gifts.
Gift-giving is an art; satisfying the recipient is no easy feat.
But in the end, it all boils down to four words: treat the symptoms!
If you like silver, give silver; if you like food, give food; if you like elegance, give calligraphy, paintings, or famous flowers.
As a result, Baihuayuan's business also experienced a small boom!
With Li Lao Er's help, Jia Yin left many more potted flowers in the small greenhouse in the East Garden.
Soon, these flowers will turn into silver.
The Li family is no longer the refugees who fled famine. They may not dare to say they are among the top families in Tianwu, but they are still very influential in Xindu.
This requires connections, reputation, and, most importantly, the support of many people working behind the scenes.
With the year drawing to a close, connections need to be cultivated, reputation requires providing food and medicine, manpower needs to be rewarded, and money is indispensable everywhere...
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