"What happened?"
The bearded man's loud voice attracted the attention of his fellow disciples who were practicing martial arts in the courtyard.
The one who asked the question was a woman who had just walked over.
Her eyes were sharp, and her voice was full of confidence; she was the one who had sparred with the bearded man with a whip last time.
When the bearded man saw the woman approaching, the raging anger in his eyes instantly turned into grievance. "Master's wife, she's bullying me too much!"
The woman addressed as "Master's Wife" by the bearded man scrutinized Lu Qiqi with her gaze.
Lu Qiqi quickly explained, "No, I didn't, he's talking nonsense!"
The bearded man's wife remained silent, so Lu Qiqi questioned him, "You said I bullied you? What did I do to bully you?"
The bearded man looked sullen, and his belly had swelled up, like an inflated balloon.
My stomach might explode with anger at any moment.
With his master's wife backing him up, he stepped forward and said loudly, "You brought perfume powder to the Tianlang Escort Agency, we're not your servants."
My master said that we cannot ruin the reputation of Tianlang Escort Agency, so we will not take on any business from the merchant guild.
You even use face powder to humiliate people; isn't that bullying?
Lu Qiqi was completely confused, but she still spoke frankly, "The Tianlang Escort Agency has business but doesn't want to do it? They have money but don't want to make it?"
"Then what do you do with your security escort agency? Are you here to right wrongs and uphold justice?"
That's a rather unpleasant thing to say, but what's the logic behind the bearded man saying he won't transport perfume powder?
Since it's cargo, we can simply send a shipment to collect the corresponding bid amount.
Could it be that they're going to categorize the goods being transported into different grades before deciding whether or not to take on the mission?
Instead of considering whether the journey is dangerous or whether it's worth the trip, we should make a decision.
"You've misunderstood, young lady. My disciple is not good with words. Please don't take offense!"
"That's what the bearded woman said."
Seeing Lu Qiqi looking at her with a puzzled expression, she added, "I am the wife of the manager of Tianlang Escort Agency. You can call me Madam Gu."
Don't take Biaozi's words to heart.
Every profession has its own rules. Our镖局 (bodyguard agency) operates in the martial arts world; we can't swallow up the businesses of merchants. We have to leave them a way to survive.
Now Lu Qiqi finally understood what was going on.
Ordinary families would hire merchants to transport goods and letters, but these were usually small quantities.
Madam Gu's implication was that their Tianlang Escort Agency wasn't one to accept just any escort mission; they had their own integrity.
She said, "I not only have perfume powder, but also other goods that need to be transported by a security escort agency."
The reason I visited them three times was because I trusted the Tianlang Escort Agency.
You will still be charged the bid fee for your escort mission. The reason we chose you must be because you can do things that other merchants cannot.
"You refused to escort the goods without even asking what was behind me, which makes me think I overestimated the Tianlang Escort Agency."
They call it integrity? They're just sticking to old rules and refusing to take any new steps.
Madam Gu was rendered speechless by Lu Qiqi's words. Asking her to call for a fight was one thing, but asking her to discuss business was really putting her in a difficult position.
Just as Lu Qiqi was about to find another escort agency, a voice stopped her in her tracks.
"The Township Head of Kang Le?"
When Manager Gu saw a woman who looked somewhat like the Princess of Kangle Township, he approached her and, upon confirming it was her, bowed respectfully.
"Greetings, Lord Kang Le."
Lu Qiqi said calmly, "No need for formalities."
"Is Lord Kang Le here to patronize my little security escort business?"
Manager Gu smiled and said, "Please come into the main hall quickly to discuss this."
As the saying goes, one doesn't hit a smiling face. Lu Qiqi still had a good impression of Manager Gu, after all, their previous two collaborations had been very pleasant.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have come directly to the Tianlang Escort Agency to bid today.
So she took Li Changlong and the others to the main hall.
After Lu Qiqi and the others left the corridor, Madam Gu pinched Biaozi's ear.
"You idiot!" she said, applying a little pressure. "Alright, we're both going to get nagged by that old man tonight."
"Ouch, ouch, ouch!" Biaozi felt utterly wronged. He just didn't want to deliver the perfume powder, what was wrong with that!
Lu Qiqi had already entered the main hall and sat down with Li Changlong and the others when tea was served.
Lu Qiqi briefly explained what had just happened to Manager Gu.
"So that's how it is," Manager Gu couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Lu Qiqi asked in confusion, "Does your Tianlang Escort Agency have a grudge against Xiangfen?"
Shopkeeper Gu laughed for a moment before stopping and explaining, "Biaozi once took on a delivery mission, transporting incense powder. This stuff is precious and delicate, and it dissolves when it comes into contact with water."
During the period of delivering the goods, it rained incessantly, and by the time they arrived at their destination, the incense powder had all turned into empty boxes.
In the end, he failed to win the bid and earned Biaozi a reputation in the underworld for being unable to protect the goods.
Lu Qiqi frowned; she hadn't expected Biaozi to have such a shameful past.
She said, "Wasn't the powder box sealed? Since it's the rainy season, why didn't the host wait for the rain to stop before sending the goods?"
And since you knew it was face powder, why didn't you cover it with a tarpaulin and just let it get soaked in the rain?
Her questions came out like a barrage of cannonballs, coming one after another.
Manager Gu smiled but did not answer, because he had taken on this escort mission when his father was seriously ill, and at that time he was taking his father around to seek medical treatment.
By the time he found out, it was too late. Biaozi beat the man up, and in the end, Tianlang Escort Agency even had to pay for the medicine.
If he still can't see that the Tianlang Escort Agency has been set up, then he might as well give up on making a living in the martial arts world.
Lu Qiqi asked several questions, but received no answers. Manager Gu smiled but remained silent, offering no response.
She guessed it was about the outfit and didn't want to say more, so she didn't ask any further.
She told Manager Gu the purpose of her visit.
Upon hearing this, Manager Gu hesitated for a moment and said, "Transporting so much paper to Luzhou Prefecture is quite risky."
Paper was extremely valuable in the Jin Dynasty. If word got out, the entire escort team might not be able to return home.
Furthermore, unlike real gold and silver, paper is not afraid of water and fire; rather, it is like incense powder, which is destroyed by rain.
Whether this shipment will turn into a second shipment of incense powder remains to be seen.
After hearing about Biaozi sending the perfume powder, Lu Qiqi understood the concerns of Manager Gu.
Therefore, she proposed that a escort agreement could be signed.
The rights of both parties and the responsibilities they should abide by have been defined.
In the event of a natural disaster, neither party bears any responsibility, and the escort agency is not required to compensate for the value of the goods; however, the bid fee will be reduced by 30%.
Lu Qiqi's suggestion was immediately approved by Manager Gu, who laughed loudly, "Excellent, this idea is reassuring for both of us."
The two quickly signed the contract.
A moment later, holding the contract, he sighed, "If only I had known these tricks earlier, the Tianlang Escort Agency wouldn't have been ridiculed for its attire for so many years."
Lu Qiqi smiled and said, "Young Master Gu, if you trust me and cooperate with me a year from now, I will definitely make your Tianlang Escort Agency famous throughout the world!"
Her bold words were etched in the memory of Young Master Gu for countless years.
Just thinking about it for a moment makes my heart race and my blood rush.
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