Chapter 274 Two Branches
Rather than taking such a risk, Xie Wanniang would rather abandon this troublesome place and open her shop in other prefectures.
Of course, seeking advantage and avoiding harm and secretly reporting on others are not contradictory.
Judging from the lustful and lecherous nature of the prefect of Qizhou, Xie Wanniang believed that the emperor must have at least one of his overt or covert schemes targeting him.
They haven't reacted yet, whether because they haven't collected enough evidence or because they want the old man to go even further and then take his official hat or even his head off.
Having no idea who those people were, Xie Wanniang naturally had no way to find out, but that didn't stop her from being a helpful person and spreading the glorious deeds of that prefect throughout the city.
The prefect never dreamed that he would be summoned and severely scolded by the magistrate for simply helping his concubine's family with a small favor.
He felt wronged and, quite naturally, began to suspect the former top merchant in Qizhou, who had been suppressed by his and his concubine's family and had started transferring his assets and family members out of the country.
If he weren't currently in the eye of the storm, he would have already taken drastic measures to deal with that ungrateful family.
The former top merchant of Qizhou, who had suddenly found himself in a predicament, was not in a position to do anything to the prefect for the time being, even though the prefect had been severely threatened by the governor. However, they keenly sensed the impending danger from the attitude and behavior of the prefect's concubine's family.
The head of their family acted decisively, preferring to temporarily abandon the remaining valuables in the old house and the several lucrative shops that had not yet been sold, in order to immediately take his family to settle in the prefectural city. Because the Marquis of Dingbei's mansion was stationed in the prefectural city, all the people of Baoding Prefecture firmly believed that the prefectural city was absolutely safe.
The prefect of Qizhou was surprised that this family could slip away so easily, but he really didn't have the guts to extend his reach into the prefectural city.
Helpless, they could only curse a few times in private and that was it.
Even so, he still could not escape the tragic fate of being dismissed from his post.
Why? Because his concubine's family actually seized the rival's house and shops after the rival fled.
They took over the property that the other party hadn't had time to take, and beat up and threw out all the subordinates who were left behind to clean up the mess. They acted like bandits and thugs.
The prefect of Qizhou, who was hiding at home to avoid the limelight, was completely dumbfounded when he heard about this. He really didn't expect that his in-laws would be so bold.
However, since they had already done it, and did it under his name, he naturally had to bear the consequences.
The prefect of Qizhou certainly felt wronged, but ultimately, the reason why his concubine's family was so arrogant was because he had spoiled them.
Without the prefect of Qizhou, who had slunk back to his hometown, to act as their protector, his concubine's family was quickly squeezed out and forced to retreat in disgrace by the merchants they had previously targeted.
The family that had been forced to move to the prefectural city took the opportunity to reopen their previously closed shop.
However, the family did not move back. Others may misunderstand them, but they themselves knew very well that the downfall of the prefect of Qizhou had nothing to do with them.
Although they didn't understand who the person who did the good deed was, they wouldn't move back to Qizhou with such a reputation.
Living in the prefectural city wouldn't prevent them from continuing to run their shops in Qizhou, and they were indeed quite comfortable living there.
While the family was busy restoring the normal operation of their shops in Qizhou, Xie Wanniang's Yaweixuan branch also successfully opened in two other prefecture cities.
With consistently high-quality products, identical service standards, and the same pricing, even their promotional activities were synchronized with the main store in the prefectural city. This made customers in the state city feel that Xie Wanniang had simply brought Yaweixuan from the prefectural city over.
Overjoyed, everyone frequented Yaweixuan even more often.
As for those shops that try to imitate Ya Wei Xuan, although they price their goods slightly lower than Ya Wei Xuan in order to grab business, how many people who can afford Ya Wei Xuan's snacks, desserts and drinks would care about the few extra coins they offer? They care more about the quality of the goods, the taste and the level of service provided by the merchants.
The three shops of Yaweixuan were all so popular that they made people envious, and Xie Wanniang also made a lot of money because of them.
She used all the money to buy estates, because the brokers in Qingyuan County had not been able to bring Xie Wanniang any good news. So Xie Wanniang decided to focus her purchase on Tang County, Yizhou, and Anzhou.
Tang County was the stronghold of the Xie family and also the place where she started her business from scratch. Yizhou and Anzhou were because she opened shops there, and the grains, fruits, vegetables and other agricultural products produced on her estate could be directly supplied to her two Yaweixuan branches.
By producing and selling their own products, and with short transportation distances, they can ensure low freight costs and minimal damage, thus maximizing their profit margins.
As for Qizhou, she won't open a branch there until the new prefect takes office and she has a clear understanding of his background and character.
After entrusting the two branch stores, which were now on the right track, to trusted managers, Xie Wanniang led Haitang and the others back to Zijing Pass.
As the convoy traveled to a village about twenty miles from Zijing Pass, someone suddenly shouted loudly and charged towards the convoy from the other side of the village, brandishing a weapon.
Xie Wanniang's guards immediately gripped their weapons and became alert. However, the first to rush in front of them was not the group of burly men wielding sticks and farm tools, but a beautiful girl with a distressed expression and tears streaming down her face.
The girl stumbled and staggered as she ran, but she was still quite fast. She shouted "Help! Help me!" as she sprinted toward the convoy.
Hearing the commotion outside, Xie Wanniang leaned out of the carriage window and glanced at the group of people chasing after her.
"Mind your own business and keep moving forward." With that, Xie Wanniang pulled her head back out of the car window.
"Miss?" Having been used to Xie Wanniang doing good deeds, Haitang was puzzled when she suddenly made a decision that was completely opposite to her usual style.
It wasn't that she felt Xie Wanniang had to rescue everyone she caught; she was just curious why Xie Wanniang had suddenly chosen to "mind her own business" in a completely uncharacteristic way.
Xie Wanniang patted her daughter, who was grinning foolishly with her little hands outstretched, and said, "Those people are acting."
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