In contrast to small county towns, buying and selling shops in the capital city involves a very complicated process. For businesses like Xiao's Restaurant that are directly operated, debt settlement and employee placement alone can take a lot of time. For rented shops, it is necessary to renegotiate contracts with the tenants.
The government doesn't just stamp things; they also need to conduct on-site inspections, post public notices, and pay deed taxes. The whole process would take at least ten days, but news of the new city gate could spread at any time. How could she wait?
Before the money was fully in place, Meng Zhao had already begun making arrangements everywhere. On the sixteenth day of the first month, as soon as the yamen opened, the broker hurriedly took Meng Zhao and Xiao Hengyu to transfer the property. At this time, apart from Meng Zhao, he should be the most anxious.
When it came time to weigh the silver, the bailiffs saw the ingots bearing the imperial seal of the treasury and their movements immediately became more efficient.
Meng Zhao originally did not want to use the gold and silver bestowed by the emperor, but in addition to the shops owned by Xiao Hengyu, she took a fancy to several other shops. She was really short of money, so she had no choice but to take it out. Fortunately, the court had already issued a clear order that large transactions could be conducted directly with treasury funds, which saved her the trouble of melting and casting.
After the 20th of the twelfth lunar month, for some reason, the usually deserted Zhuque Street had many shops with signs saying they were for sale. Some people had already sensed something unusual and hurriedly removed the signs from the shops that were up for sale at the brokerage.
At this time, the silver that Meng Zhao had transferred from Hongnong County had arrived. She originally planned to take advantage of the fact that the situation had not yet taken hold and look for a few more shops in the surrounding area, but she found that there were no shops available for purchase. Either someone had already snapped them up, or the owners had suddenly removed their signs.
At this moment, even the most foolish person would know that something must have happened. Xiao Hengyu was pacing anxiously at home because he discovered that ever since his shop was transferred to another owner, even the most remote shops on Zhuque Street had started to attract buyers. This was a stark contrast to the deserted shops before the Lunar New Year. Only then did he realize that something was wrong!
He inquired around and heard that the prices of shops on Zhuque Street were rising steadily, but no one was willing to tell him the reasons. This secretive attitude made him even more restless. Finally, he couldn't hold back any longer and whipped his horse to head straight for the Xiao residence.
Dong Heqing sat upright in front of the rosewood dressing table. At the age of thirty-seven, despite using the most expensive cosmetics to carefully maintain her appearance, fine lines inevitably crept up the corners of her eyes. She stared at herself in the mirror and thought of the seventeen-year-old girl that the master had taken in two months ago.
After that girl entered the household, all sorts of good things, like pearls from the South China Sea and rouge from the Western Regions, were sent to her courtyard, leaving nothing for the wife herself.
But then she thought again, the old man's body was already depleted. Even if he took in a celestial beauty, it would only be a feast for the eyes. Could he really take her as a concubine? As long as that girl couldn't give birth to a son, her favor would be meaningless. Thinking of this, she felt much better.
She picked up a small celadon bottle, poured out a few drops of the clear, viscous lotion, rubbed it gently in her palm, and then lightly touched her cheeks with her fingertips, spreading it slowly from her forehead to her chin, following the texture of her skin. She paid special attention to the corners of her eyes and mouth, gently lifting them with her fingertips.
Once the skin has fully absorbed the product, the face in the mirror looks like a flower petal that has drunk its fill of morning dew, radiating a moist glow. After applying a thin layer of powder, drawing eyebrows and dotting lips, you can hardly tell that she is a thirty-seven-year-old woman.
Just as she was admiring herself in the bronze mirror, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside. Dong Heqing frowned in displeasure as Xiao Hengyu burst in, shouting, "Mother! Something's happened!"
Dong Heqing slowly turned around, her phoenix eyes filled with reproach. "How many times have I told you? No matter what happens, you must act with composure." Xiao Hengyu straightened his back immediately after being scolded, but he was so anxious that he could only pace back and forth in place.
Dong Heqing gently closed the dressing case, stood up, and gracefully walked to her son's side. "What's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry?"
"Mother, do you still remember those shops I sold on Zhuque Street?"
Mentioning this matter, Dong Heqing's brows furrowed involuntarily. A few years ago, he went to great lengths to send that little bastard away, hoping to keep him away from the Xiao family. Who would have thought that the brat would actually have some talent, managing several inconspicuous branches to great success, and even making the Chunfenglou business in the capital more and more prosperous. The old man was so happy that he directly transferred Chunfenglou to his name.
What's even more hateful is the silk business in Jiangnan. It's been under her control for almost ten years, but suddenly a few new businesses have emerged, not only stealing a lot of her business, but also displeasing the old man, who then sent that wretched child over there.
She had put in so much effort to try and cover it up, but in the end, he seized on a small oversight in the shop's accounts and made a big fuss about it, eventually uncovering a deficit of 20,000 taels of silver, leaving her in a state of panic and desperately trying to cover it up.
If it weren't for that wretched child causing trouble everywhere, she wouldn't have aged so quickly. At this moment, she suddenly remembered that the young shop assistant in the rouge shop had said that if you frowned often, it would be easy to develop lines. So she quickly raised her hand and touched her brow.
"I know, so what? Didn't we already get the money smoothly?"
"I've got the money, but something's been off lately. In just half a month, all the shops on Zhuque Street have been sold off one after another!"
Dong Heqing suddenly clenched the embroidered handkerchief in her hand: "Have you inquired about who these buyers are?"
“My son went to investigate. Those people didn’t seem special, but they were incredibly generous. They would sell directly to anyone without even haggling over the price.”
This was indeed unusual. Alarm bells rang in Dong Heqing's mind, and he immediately summoned his trusted confidant to investigate. Before long, in addition to Xiao Hengyu pacing back and forth in the courtyard, there was also Dong Heqing, who was constantly rubbing his temples.
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