When Zhao saw the magistrate, she stammered, "Your... Your Excellency, I am a woman, my sister-in-law..."
"Who is your sister-in-law! Look closely, she is the Tea Lady personally appointed by the Emperor. Even I, as the county magistrate, dare not offend her, let alone you!"
Zhao trembled with fear: "This is outrageous! With the Emperor's backing, will no one dare to offend her now?!"
Zhao Heng strode over: "What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and apologize to Madam!"
"Apologize?"
Zhao Heng appeared to be trying his best to protect his elders, and coupled with the magistrate's gloomy face, Zhao had no choice but to crawl in front of Liang Shuyan!
"Yes, I'm sorry, madam, I was too presumptuous!"
Liang Shuyan shook her head indifferently: "In that case, do you want to support the work of the village market?"
"I...I know, we'll put in 20 taels...as a stake?"
Liang Shuyan wanted to laugh but couldn't. If it weren't for the lady's face, and the help of the county magistrate and Zhao Heng, this matter probably wouldn't have been settled for a while!
Having settled things with Jinwang and the Zhao family, Lizheng quickly received the funds raised by the villagers. Time was of the essence, so he distributed the funds rapidly and got everyone started building the market!
Upon hearing this news, the county magistrate instructed Li Zheng: "Daling Village is going to build a market. How could I, the county magistrate, be left out? Here is fifty taels of silver. Take it first. Once construction begins, I plan to apply to the imperial court to donate some more. I'm sure the emperor will be very pleased to know that our Daling Village is going to build a market."
Liang Shuyan said excitedly, "I never thought that our Daling Village would actually be able to establish a market. Now, this is a small market for us!"
Li Zheng was very enthusiastic, and the villagers also gathered at the drying ground with their tools, all expressing their willingness to take action immediately. Li Zheng hesitated for a moment, then turned to Liang Shuyan: "However, I haven't decided what kind of market we should build yet. I wonder if you have any good ideas?"
Liang Shuyan has always been full of ideas, so naturally, people would ask for her opinion when it came to building a market in the village.
A rough outline appeared in Liang Shuyan's mind: the village streets were lined with neat and orderly shops, and the shops were designed with lines and colors to create a distinctive character. Liang Shuyan wanted to build Daling Village into a small village with a strong local flavor. In addition to greening the village roads, she also created some slogans and made them into wooden signs to stand by the roadside.
Liang Shuyan didn't know what to say, so she nodded: "I'll think about it when I get back and draw it up so I can show it to you. I can't explain it right now!"
Li Zheng agreed: "Alright, we need to plan this well. With such a large investment, we must create a unique village street!"
Manager Xiao, carrying a bundle and wearing a royal blue robe, saw Su Qiaoqiao's reddened eyes and asked somewhat excitedly, "What happened? Are you reluctant to part with the child?"
Su Qiaoqiao did leave him because of the child and Mr. Su. Mr. Su is getting old, and his daughter didn't let him enjoy his retirement at this time, but instead left him.
"There's one thing, and there's my father. He finally got to live a happy and peaceful life, but I never thought that at his advanced age, I would have to leave him behind?"
Manager Xiao blushed and said, "I understand how you feel. If we can settle down in the capital, we will bring your father and children here. That way, the children can go to school in the capital, and it will be easier for us to take care of them."
Su Qiaoqiao glanced at Steward Xiao and said somewhat apologetically, "This is my business, so don't worry about it. My aunt said that when we get to the capital, we should first inquire about the situation. If there aren't any other teas available, we'll choose a large shop and open a tea business!"
After exchanging a few words, the two boarded the carriage. Su Qiaoqiao was a little sleepy and dozed off against the carriage.
Halfway through the journey, Su Qiaoqiao got a little bored and stopped to check out the surroundings. But as soon as she stopped the carriage, she heard the sound of a whip cracking. A man in black, wearing a purple-red robe, galloped over. The man on horseback pulled on the reins: "Halt! Who are you?"
Su Qiaoqiao looked out the window and saw a man holding a bayonet. The gleaming bayonet exuded a chilling aura.
"Who are you people?" Su Qiaoqiao showed no fear, but Steward Xiao, who was sitting to the side, pulled Su Qiaoqiao over.
Manager Xiao was quite skilled; he kicked the knife out of the man's hand with a single kick, and the knife fell to the ground with a crisp sound.
"Who dares to attempt to assassinate us on the way? Tell me, who sent you?"
The man stammered, "If you're from the Jin family's teahouse in the capital, we won't let you go!"
Su Qiaoqiao realized that this must be Wang Yuanwai's doing. Last time, she had a falling out with Liang Shuyan because of the tea. Now, Wang Yuanwai must have done something in the capital to send people to intercept them.
"Is it Master Wang who's been dealing in tea in the capital? Speak up, or don't blame me for being ruthless!" Steward Xiao stomped on the man's chest, and the man's face turned pale before he finally said, "It was Master Wang's idea!"
"Confess honestly what shady things Master Wang has done in the capital!"
The man, panting, said, "The goods from Jin's Tea House have already been bought by Master Wang, so even if you go to the capital now, our family's tea will be of paramount importance!"
"Tell me, your teahouse!"
"Wang Family Tea House!"
After getting into the carriage, Steward Xiao said to Su Qiaoqiao, "It seems that Auntie's prediction was correct. It was that scoundrel Master Wang who beat us to it. We need to go to the capital first and destroy this tea shop. Otherwise, wouldn't the reputation of Jin's Tea House be ruined?"
Su Qiaoqiao said through gritted teeth, "I really didn't expect that such a thing would happen. This Master Wang is really despicable and shameless. He actually tried to ruin the reputation of our Jin's Tea House!"
The two drove day and night and finally arrived in the capital the next morning. The location of Wang Family Tea House was indeed good, right in the middle of the street. Many people gathered there, some selling tea, some drinking tea, and there was a stage in the middle with some people watching the play.
Manager Xiao stepped forward, and the shopkeeper, wearing a small round hat, came over: "Excuse me, are you here for tea?"
Manager Xiao looked around the shop and then asked, "Excuse me, may we try some of your tea?"
The shopkeeper immediately instructed his servants to brew a pot of tea and bring it over: "Please enjoy. Our tea is the only authorized distributor of Jin's Tea House in the capital, and our prices are very reasonable. Jin's Tea House's prices in Qingfeng Town are definitely more than this!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com