Yan Qingqing had heard about the Wu family's division of property; it had caused quite a stir, mainly because none of the Wu family members wanted to divide it.
But now that things have come to this, whether or not they divide the inheritance is no longer up to them, so they are tearing each other apart over the years to see who has squandered more of the family fortune, hoping to get a larger share when the inheritance is divided.
Without Wu Jingzhi, the Wu family was like a pile of loose sand. Even if Wu Dongcheng wanted to rebuild the family business, he was powerless to do so. Over the years, he had been indulging in women, which had drained his body and left him lacking in fighting spirit.
However, if Wu Jingzhi wants to completely break away from the Wu family, he still needs to have some discussion with these people.
Yan Qingqing just smiled when she heard the news. Wu Jingzhi handled the matter quite decisively. As for whether he could completely get rid of the Wu family, that depended on Wu Jingzhi's abilities.
Yan Qingqing thought for a moment and then asked Ruyi to call Ada over.
Soon Ah Da arrived. Although he was no longer the head steward of Mingzhao Prefecture after coming to the capital with the madam, he was still the madam's head steward.
The lady trusted him far more than she trusted Steward Yu.
Besides, Ah Da knows he is still young and inexperienced. His wife wants him to learn and see more for his own good. So even though Ah Da doesn't have a clear position right now, he never complains.
This is also why Yan Qingqing thinks highly of him.
After greeting Yan Qingqing, Ah Da asked, "Madam, what are your orders for me?"
Yan Qingqing smiled and asked, "Have you heard about what happened to the Wu family?"
Ah Da replied, "I've heard about it. After all, it concerns the young lady, so I've been keeping a close eye on it."
Yan Qingqing knew that A-Da was reliable, so she said, "The Wu family is currently splitting up, so there must be a lot of shops being sold cheaply. If you see any that are suitable, buy them."
After saying that, he had Ruyi give 50,000 taels of silver to A'da, and then said, "If it's not enough, come back to Ruyi for more."
Ah Da took the silver note and went out of the mansion to wander around. After all, a suitable shop needs to be carefully investigated, and he couldn't just buy two shops to fool his wife.
Before they knew it, it was the eighth day of the first lunar month. The festive atmosphere of the New Year was gradually fading, and Yan Qingqing planned to open Rouge Shop and Charming Beauty Shop as soon as possible.
Yan Qingqing had already written to Li Sanniu, asking him to select several capable managers and accountants to come to Beijing after the New Year.
It should arrive in about two weeks.
They don't have many businesses in the capital yet, so Li Xiang'an and Mu Xi can take care of them.
However, Yan Qingqing couldn't keep them both in the shop indefinitely, as they had more important things to do.
There are also members of the Han family; before the new year, the emperor bestowed a marriage upon Han Yu and Li Yueniang.
Although the Ministry of Rites was fully responsible for the Three Letters and Six Rites, Yan Qingqing still asked Han Yu's parents to come to the capital to discuss the matter further.
She didn't want Li Yueniang's marriage to end up like Li Xinniang's, with a troublesome in-law.
Although she felt that the Han family wouldn't, who could guarantee that the Han family wouldn't become arrogant? After all, Han Yu was now the top scholar in the imperial examination and had already entered the Hanlin Academy.
There has been a saying in officialdom since ancient times that there is no cabinet without members of the Hanlin Academy. The current cabinet elders are all from the Hanlin Academy.
However, given Han Yu's qualifications, even if she were to enter the cabinet, it would be decades later. The Han family doesn't yet have the leverage to treat her arrogantly.
As for Ding Xiu, Li Xiangkang had already sent him a letter by carrier pigeon before the New Year, inviting him to study at the Imperial Academy together, but the Ding family has not replied yet, and Yan Qingqing really has no idea what the Ding family means.
In addition, there's the matter of salt production. Besides writing out detailed procedures, Yan Qingqing will probably also have to provide on-site instruction. All things considered, there's quite a lot to do in the new year.
However, things must be dealt with one by one, and Yan Qingqing has the patience to do so.
Just as Yan Qingqing was making plans for the new year, Ruyi brought back a note from the gatekeeper and handed it to Yan Qingqing.
Ruyi knew Yan Qingqing's habits; she wouldn't present ordinary invitations to Yan Qingqing.
So she took it and glanced at it. It turned out that Madam Pei had invited her to offer incense at Jiyun Temple on the tenth day of the first lunar month.
Yan Qingqing wasn't particularly enthusiastic about burning incense and worshipping Buddha, but she did hold Buddha in high esteem, and sometimes burning incense and worshipping Buddha was a way for her to find solace.
Moreover, Madam Pei's reason left her no choice but to agree, as Madam Pei said she was going to pray for the soldiers at the border and had invited a famous master from Jiyun Temple to perform a ritual to help the souls of those buried at the border find peace.
Yan Qingqing thought that Madam Pei sent her this invitation for two reasons: firstly, because they had a good relationship, and secondly, because Li Xiangjian was also a military officer, so they would have some common topics.
After reading the post, Yan Qingqing immediately wrote a reply, informing Madam Pei that she would definitely keep her appointment as scheduled.
On the morning of the tenth, Yan Qingqing got up early and asked Ruxue to find her a moon-white robe embroidered with lotus flowers.
She wore a top-grade jade hairpin with a precious flower design, and her outfit was simple yet luxurious.
When Yuan Huiniang and Mu Xi heard that Yan Qingqing was going to worship Buddha, they also wanted to go with her.
Yuan Huiniang wanted to go for a walk with Yan Qingqing because she was bored at home after arriving in the capital.
Mu Xi was worried that Yan Qingqing might be in danger while traveling, since Yan Qingqing had already been targeted by two assassination attempts, both overt and covert, since arriving in the capital.
Even though Yan Qingqing made very thorough arrangements, Mu Xi was still worried.
Yan Qingqing saw that the two wanted to go and didn't refuse, thinking it would be good to take them out for a walk.
Seeing that Yan Qingqing had finished packing, Mu Xi said, "Madam, I have arranged the manpower."
There are eight guards traveling with us, twenty secret guards, and another twenty positioned around the perimeter of Jiyun Temple, ready to provide immediate assistance in case of any emergency.
Yan Qingqing looked at Mu Xi and said with some amusement, "Mu Xi, if you act like this, I won't dare to go out anymore. It's not that exaggerated."
This is the capital, right under the emperor's nose. Who could possibly assassinate me?
Mu Xi replied, "That's not necessarily true. Even the Lady can be assassinated in the palace, let alone outside the palace."
Li Xiang'an also told Mu Xi about Yan Qingqing's salt-making skills, and told her to make sure Yan Qingqing's safety was guaranteed.
With such a big matter, it's inevitable that someone will leak the news, and then Yan Qingqing will be in real danger.
Yan Qingqing felt somewhat helpless upon hearing this, but since Mu Xi wanted to deploy more manpower, she let her do so, since their family didn't lack bodyguards anyway.
Regardless of whether there is any danger, it's good to let them go out for some fresh air and boost their spirits.
Yan Qingqing picked out two pieces of jewelry from her dressing table and casually put them on Yuan Huiniang and Mu Xi's heads. Then she said with a smile, "Alright, if we keep dawdling, Madam Pei will think we're going to break our promise."
After saying that, he led the two of them into the carriage.
Jiyun Temple is located ten miles outside the city. It is the state temple of the Great Yan Dynasty, and generally only the royal family and high-ranking officials in the capital are qualified to offer incense at Jiyun Temple.
Yan Qingqing soon arrived at Jiyun Temple. Looking at the majestic gate and the solemn Buddha statue with its golden body, Yan Qingqing felt a sense of awe.
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