Meng Changqi was genuinely infuriated by Zhuang Xiaohui's attitude, so he abandoned the idea of using courtesy first and then force. He sneered, "I'm making this clear today: if you don't lower the price of your cotton cloth, we'll put your business out of business. Unless you leave the capital, you and your sister will have no way out. You won't even make a penny!"
"I'm so scared!" Zhuang Xiaohui hugged herself tightly and shook exaggeratedly.
A wealthy businessman came up with a glass of strong liquor, his smile full of meaning: "Are you scared now? Come on, drink this glass of wine, and we will put aside our past grudges today. If you behave well, all of you brothers will take care of you in the future."
After one glass of wine, more was naturally needed. Everyone knew what would happen to Zhuang Xiaohui after she got drunk. In fact, this was a strategy that everyone in the Chamber of Commerce had already discussed.
The so-called care was nothing more than treating Zhuang Xiaohui as a private concubine. If a woman wanted to gain a foothold in the business world, she would naturally have to pay a higher price than the average person.
Yu Yuxian knew everything, but she didn't say anything to remind him. That extremely strong jealousy made her inner demon suddenly appear.
She lived in hiding for twenty years, almost suffocated by the thick gauze on her chest every day. Why was Zhuang Xiaohui able to be free and unrestrained?
Zhuang Xiaohui took the glass of wine and narrowed her narrow eyes slightly.
The wealthy businessman stared at her, his smile becoming more and more obscene.
The burly man strode forward, ready to stop them, but saw Zhuang Xiaohui raise her wrist and spill the wine all over the rich businessman's face. Then she slammed the glass down with a cold smile, "Do I need you cowards to take care of me? Do you think my brother is dead? I'm going to make this clear today. Whoever wants to shut down my business will be bankrupted tomorrow! Every one of you here will be punished! If you don't believe me, we'll see!"
The cup shattered all over the floor, leaving everyone stunned.
Zhuang Xiaohui stood up without stopping, turned around and walked away, her gorgeous skirt spread out in the air, beautiful and dazzling.
The strong man hurriedly caught up with her and said in a low voice: "Girl, walk slowly and be careful with your step."
"Don't call me girl, call me boss." Zhuang Xiaohui said without turning her head.
The sturdy man was slightly stunned, then smiled silently: "Okay, boss."
The two men came in a hurry and left in a hurry. They were not threatened at all, but instead left behind even harsher words.
Everyone in the Chamber of Commerce looked at each other, all with expressions of fear on their faces. They had seen many fierce women, but this was the first time they had seen a woman like Zhuang Xiaohui who had the aura of a bandit.
It seemed as if she wasn't joking when she said that before leaving.
"Brother Meng, she refuses to lower the price. What should we do?" a wealthy businessman asked cautiously.
"As we agreed before, cut off her supply!" Meng Changqi gritted his teeth and slammed the table. He then made a circle and ordered, "Buy more goods! I want that little bitch to never be able to buy even a piece of cloth again!"
Everyone agreed, and Yu Yuxian naturally did not dare to object.
Her shop was across from Zhuang Xiaohui's shop and was the most affected. She had lost a lot of money in just the past half month. If she had to use all the money in the family to purchase goods, she would probably have a hard time.
Fortunately, this autumn is particularly cold, and I believe winter will be even colder. We have stockpiled so much cotton cloth that we don’t have to worry about no one buying it during the Frost Descent. The price can be set even higher, at least five times the current price.
Yu Yuxian secretly calculated the money and thought he could make a lot of money, so he spent all the money on buying cloth after returning.
Strangely, from that day on, she frequently dreamed of Zhuang Xiaohui wearing women's clothes and striding in a hall full of men, while in the dream she was like a mouse, wearing only a gray skin, hiding in the dark and looking at the other person with jealousy and hatred.
She wanted to rush out and knock Zhuang Xiaohui over, but just as she took a step, she was tripped to the ground by the men around her.
After waking up, Yu Yuxian would always feel depressed for a while, and his temper became more and more weird and irritable day by day.
---
At the same time, the burly man sitting outside the carriage said in a muffled voice, "Master, it's not appropriate for a grown man like me to follow you around all day. How about I find you some women who are skilled in martial arts to serve you?"
His tone was sincere, but his eyes were dark. He had originally not wanted to take this job, but now that he could go back, he felt a terrible pain in his heart.
If it were an ordinary girl, she would have agreed immediately.
But Zhuang Xiaohui was a stubborn donkey, chuckling softly through the bamboo curtains: "The more people dislike me, the more I want to stand out. What's wrong with taking you with me? Are you ashamed to be seen?"
She lifted the bamboo curtain, and her narrow, beautiful eyes swept the burly man up and down, and said in a soft voice, "You are so handsome, so strong, and so imposing. You are really impressive."
The sturdy man's cheeks flushed red, and he was speechless. He pressed his chest, afraid that his frantic heartbeat would be heard by the girl.
Zhuang Xiaohui stuck her head out, staring straight at the burly man, and imitating her brother, raised the corners of her lips and smiled slyly: "I'm going to take you everywhere! I'm not afraid of a woman, so what are you afraid of?"
The sturdy man quickly glanced at the girl and said in a hoarse voice: "If the boss is not afraid, then I am not afraid either."
"That's good. I like straightforward people like you. By the way, what's your name?" Zhuang Xiaohui asked with a smile.
"My name is Wanjun." The strong man introduced himself seriously: "Wanjun, which means thunderous and powerful."
"Wanjun, which means thunderous and powerful, is a really good name." Zhuang Xiaohui murmured the name on the tip of her tongue, her voice as soft as clouds, making the strong man blush.
"Let me ask you," Zhuang Xiaohui approached the burly man and whispered in his ear, "What kind of person is my sister-in-law?"
Wan Jun's ears suddenly felt cold, and after a long pause he finally said succinctly, "He is as rich as a nation and as powerful as a giant."
But, he is not your sister-in-law, he is your brother-in-law.
Goff, that's what he's called, right?
Thinking of this, Wanjun's thick eyebrows twisted into knots.
Zhuang Xiaohui saw his embarrassment and stopped asking. She smiled gently, and her warm and fragrant breath sprayed all over Wanjun's face: "Okay, okay, I won't embarrass you. Anyway, my brother will bring my sister-in-law back to me sooner or later."
She retreated into the carriage, hugged the heater, and dozed off with her eyes half-closed against the pillow, looking like a kitten. When she mentioned her brother, she would become completely relaxed.
Wan Jun looked at her intently before lowering the bamboo curtain. He sat in front of it, using his strong body to block the cold wind, but a strange warmth flowed in his heart.
After leaving Liuyunzhai, Zhuang Xiaohui wandered around for more than an hour before slowly walking out of the city gate.
On the way, Wanjun helped her deal with several waves of pursuers. It seemed that the people from the Chamber of Commerce were very eager to find her source of goods.
This also made Zhuang Xiaohui more vigilant.
After arriving at the factory, she gave more than a dozen workers an extra month's salary, but required them to provide for their food and accommodation in the factory for the next few months and not to contact people outside in any form. Those who violated the rules would be expelled immediately.
She had to do this to ensure that her plan could be carried out smoothly.
Fortunately, the thirteen women she recruited were either childless widows or orphans from the Charity Hall. They had no ties and nowhere else to go except the factory, so they all agreed. They could earn three taels of silver a month, sleep on a warm kang, wear thick clothes, and eat hearty meals. They were crazy to run out and starve and freeze.
Besides, if the boss hadn't taken them in, they would have died long ago. Now, let alone keeping the boss's secret, even letting them die for him would be acceptable.
Everyone was very cooperative, so Zhuang Xiaohui felt relieved.
But Wanjun didn't think so. Before leaving, he sent dozens of people to lurk around to prevent outsiders from spying.
That night the two men set out to buy cotton, while the group from the Chamber of Commerce purchased cloth in large quantities.
"Brother, I'm leaving." Before leaving, Zhuang Xiaohui leaned against the car window and said reluctantly.
"Let's go." Zhuang Li waved while standing on the steps.
"Are you at ease if I go out with him?" Zhuang Xiaohui pointed at Wanjun who was sitting on the shaft of the cart.
Seeing Zhuang Li's gaze sweeping over him, Wan Jun quickly lowered his head to show respect.
"I am indeed worried." Zhuang Li shook his head and chuckled.
Wanjun's heart sank.
Zhuang Xiaohui showed a satisfied look. She knew her brother was still worried about her.
"I'm afraid you'll eat him." Zhuang Li suddenly changed the subject.
Wanjun's cold face quickly turned red, and smoke almost came out of his head.
Zhuang Xiaohui called him "brother" in a coquettish tone, then looked at Wan Jun and found that he was extremely shy. She immediately laughed at herself. It's true, this man who was as red as a shrimp looked quite delicious.
"Let's go. Be careful on the road. Your sister-in-law's people have been protecting you all the way. When you come back, you must thank your sister-in-law very much, okay?" Zhuang Li waved his hand.
"I know. You're still talking about sister-in-law before the wedding. You're being partial, brother." Zhuang Xiaohui said sarcastically, but then smiled. "But I'm so happy, because you and sister-in-law have a good relationship. You'll definitely be happy in your life. When I make some money this time, I'll help sister-in-law prepare a big betrothal gift!"
Zhuang Li walked up to her, rubbed her head, and said firmly, "You will definitely be happy. Your brother will prepare a bigger dowry for you. Let's go, don't hesitate."
Zhuang Xiaohui nodded and then retreated into the carriage.
Wan Jun bowed respectfully and said in a deep voice, "Master, please rest assured. I will definitely take good care of the girl."
"I said it's the boss, not the girl!" Zhuang Xiaohui poked her head out of the car.
Zhuang Li smiled happily, and Wan Jun turned to look at her, his eyes full of tenderness.
---
The next day, Feng Yi, who received an oral order from his uncle to return to the palace to study, drove a carriage to pick up Zhuang Li with great difficulty.
"When will this kind of life end?" Feng Yi lamented as he lay in the car. Glancing at his cousin's attire, he immediately asked, "Why are you wearing a pink dress embroidered with peach blossoms?"
"Does it look good?" Zhuang Li took out a peep show and looked at it.
"It looks good. Only you can wear such fancy clothes so well. What's wrong with you, cousin? Are you in love?" Feng Yi jumped up with an excited look on his face.
"Well, it's true that I've run into someone in love, and it's a big one." Zhuang Li glanced at him with a smile.
While the two were talking, the carriage had already entered the imperial city and stopped directly at the palace gate. From outside, the coachman's voice could be heard calling out to the emperor in fear and trepidation.
Feng Yi was shocked. He never thought that the emperor's uncle would actually come to the palace gate to greet him. Is this flattery or flattery?
Confused, he lifted the carriage curtain, only to see the emperor's uncle already on board, looking in. His cousin immediately threw himself into the emperor's uncle's arms, wrapped his arms around his neck, and kissed his cheek while chuckling.
The emperor's uncle, who had a particularly bad temper, actually laughed in a low voice.
Feng Yi: “!!!”
Shit, am I still dreaming?
"This is for you." Zhuang Li took out a note from his sleeve.
Feng Ming quickly took it and carefully put it into his purse. The two of them hugged each other, whispering to each other, and then one went to court and the other went to study.
Feng Ming, sitting on the dragon chair, took out the code stick, rolled up the paper, and rotated each plane until he finally saw the following sentence: [We've only been apart for one day, and I miss you so much.]
He stroked his thin lips and laughed softly on the spot, frightening all the court officials standing in the Golden Throne Hall.
Wasn't the day before yesterday the anniversary of Duke Cheng'en's death? How could the Emperor still be laughing? Could it be that his inner demons have finally driven him mad?
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