Fengyu went bankrupt.
In order to raise enough money to open a factory, he sold many shops, emptied his private treasury, and squandered his wife's dowry.
Bribing the army, winning over the court officials, and maintaining the deadpool and staff all require huge amounts of money. Without these benefits, who would follow a down-and-out prince to do things?
The world is bustling with people because of profit. Without sufficiently large interests, no one would risk losing their head to rebel.
I watched him build a red mansion, I watched him entertain guests, and I watched his mansion collapse - Feng Yu's two months of revelry was all in vain.
He sat in the pavilion with a pot of wine in his hand, and all he could hear was his wife's heartbroken crying.
He was tricked by Zhuang Xiaohui!
That woman was really cruel. She actually opened a carpentry shop and specialized in making new spinning machines and looms for the common people. There were three models with three prices, one with eight spindles, one with sixteen spindles, and one with sixty spindles. The cheap ones were affordable for ordinary people, and the more expensive ones were sold to spinning workshops.
In just one month, these spinning machines and looms gradually became popular not only in the capital but also in the surrounding prefectures and counties.
Feng Yu's factory, which cost hundreds of thousands of taels of silver to build, was worthless in an instant. Compared with the productivity of millions of ordinary people, his hundreds of machines were simply not enough.
This is not the end. After Zhuang Xiaohui made a lot of money by selling machines, she became a buyer.
She sent people to buy the cloth woven by the people at a very fair price. Some people could not afford to buy a spinning machine or loom, so they bought one from her on credit, and the cloth they wove later was used to pay off their debts.
The cloth she had stockpiled was enough to sell all over the country and even to the frontier and overseas.
What's even more terrifying is that as early as early autumn, she had monopolized the cotton in the surrounding area and opened a cotton ginning mill, producing deseeded cotton in an endless stream.
Anyone who bought a spinning machine had to go to her to buy cotton, so she made a lot of money again.
In the textile industry alone, she earned money from upstream, midstream, and downstream businesses without interfering with the interests of others. Now, in the capital and surrounding areas, most families have purchased a spinning or loom and make a living selling cloth, gradually increasing their surplus income.
Winter is approaching and everything should be quiet, but the city is full of vitality.
Since everyone has money, they can naturally buy food and charcoal and have a peaceful and prosperous New Year.
The only person who didn't gain anything from this feast and lost everything was probably Feng Yu.
He lost so miserably just in a fight with a woman, Zhuang Xiaohui. The patriots who followed him based on their beliefs completely lost their faith in him and found excuses to leave.
If Feng Yu couldn't even defeat Zhuang Xiaohui, it would be even more impossible for her to defeat Zhuang Li and Feng Yi.
Being an emperor? He was afraid that he could only dream of it.
"How could I lose to a woman! The reason why Zhuang Xiaohui is so powerful is all because of her brother Zhuang Li's guidance behind the scenes! I didn't lose to her! I didn't lose!" The drunk Feng Yu pointed at the moon in the sky and cursed.
His wife said with some disappointment, "You lost, you lost. You should admit it. That's the magnanimity of a man. Also, I've wanted to remind you a long time ago that you're no longer a prince. Stop calling yourself 'this prince' all the time. If the censors hear you, they'll report you and your life would be in danger."
"Since you know that it was Zhuang Li who was behind the scenes giving Zhuang Xiaohui advice, you should understand that he will not let you go. Not only do you understand the principle of eradicating the roots, but he also understands it. Now he is a favorite of the emperor, and Feng Yi, whom he assisted, is already the crown prince. Who are you? What can you use to fight him? You should think carefully about what leverage he has on you."
His wife took out a divorce agreement and pleaded, "Our daughter is only five years old this year. If you still have any fatherly heart, sign the divorce agreement and let me take our daughter home. My father can at least save her life. You've offended Zhuang Xiaohui, and you've offended Zhuang Li. You know what kind of person he is. He's as heartless as the emperor. Zhuang Ai and Zhuang Yuqing were both ruined by him, and he's bound to ruin you too. Making you bankrupt is just the first step. The worst is yet to come."
The wife knelt heavily, tears in her eyes: "Please sign it! You have used up all my dowry, just to buy Yan'er's life!"
Thinking of his daughter's innocent smile, Feng Yu finally came to his senses. He slowly knelt in front of his wife and burst into tears.
He finally signed the divorce papers and let his wife and daughter escape overnight.
Zhuang Yunzhu came out from the corner and said hesitantly, "Prince, please let me go too."
"Let you go?" Feng Yu sneered, "Where can you go?"
"I can ask Zhuang Li for help. He is my brother after all." Zhuang Yunzhu's eyes flashed with hope and ambition.
Seeing how good Zhuang Li was to Zhuang Xiaohui, she was so jealous that her eyes turned red. He was her brother after all! She could have lived the same unbridled, free, and unfettered life as Zhuang Xiaohui! She wanted to go out, she wanted to please Zhuang Li, she wanted to stay with him and become the most noble lady in the capital!
"Do you think he will recognize you?" Feng Yu's face was full of sarcasm.
"How can I know if I don't try? Your Highness, please whip me and then throw me in front of the villager's door. They will take pity on me and will definitely take me in. After I stay here, I will find a way to gather intelligence for you. Your Highness, please help me." Zhuang Yunzhu knelt down and begged.
Feng Yu stared at her with a cold tone, "I can help you, but let me make it clear first. If you leave me and you can't get into the dealership, then you can never come back. I'm not your escape route. It's freezing cold, and you have nowhere to go. You'll die out there. This time, you're gambling with your own life. If you want to be a spy for me, you must first be aware of this."
Zhuang Yunzhu's face turned pale when she heard this, and all her hesitation disappeared completely.
She doesn't dare to gamble!
"Your Highness, please allow me to think about it again." Zhuang Yunzhu got up and ran away in embarrassment.
Feng Yu stared at her back and smiled sarcastically, "We are sisters, yet there is such a huge gap between us. If I had married Zhuang Xiaohui, I wouldn't have ended up like this."
It would have been fine if he hadn't thought about it. The thought of it made Feng Yu's heart ache like a knife. He regretted it so much! He was so close to the Zhuang family, why hadn't he seen the abilities of these two siblings? If he married Zhuang Xiaohui, all the money she earned would be his, and Zhuang Li would spare no effort to help him win the throne.
He will have it all!
It was all that old Zhuang Ai's fault! Couldn't he see the potential in his own children? Why did he recommend two useless people?
Feng Yu fiercely swept the wine jug, cups and plates off the stone table and roared to the sky.
Three days later, the Dragon Guard surrounded Feng Yu's residence, accusing him of possessing weapons with the intention of treason, a serious crime punishable by the death of nine generations of his family.
Zhuang Yunzhu had been taken as a concubine by Feng Yu, so naturally she couldn't escape. Shortly after being thrown into the Heavenly Prison, she was sent to the Jiaofang Division. She asked someone to send a letter to Zhuang Li asking for help, but there was no response from him.
If she had shown a little kindness towards the brother and sister, she would not have ended up like this.
---
Zhuang Xiaohui was holding a hand warmer, curled up in a carriage covered with thick blankets, and stretched out a finger to gently poke Wanjun's back.
"Come in, Mu Mu, it's warm inside." she called out in a soft voice.
"Once you go in, your vision will be limited. How can I protect you?" Wan Jun seemed unmoved, but his back felt numb.
The boss must have learned this bad habit of poking people with his fingers from Master Zhuang. When he returned to the palace to report on his work, he often saw Master Zhuang poking the emperor's eyebrows with his fingers, which made the emperor very obsessed.
Now he realized how powerful this trick was.
The scorching heat brought by the slightest tingling sensation made his heart melt.
Look, the boss is still poking, still poking...
Wan Jun had to turn around and pleaded in a low voice: "Boss, please stop poking me. You're making me feel hot all over. Sit outside, the cold wind can help me cool down."
After realizing what he meant, Zhuang Xiaohui blushed.
The two looked at each other, their eyes filled with strands of affection and increasingly burning sparks.
Just when Wanjun couldn't hold on any longer and wanted to climb into the carriage, a figure suddenly rushed out from the corner of the street.
The horse was startled and neighed, and the man fell down. The scroll in his arms fell to the ground and unfolded, revealing a picture of a quiet night in a snow house and a love poem expressing the pain of lovesickness.
Both the poetry and the painting are breathtakingly beautiful.
Passersby only took a casual glance and expressed their sincere admiration. Some scholars were so fascinated that they couldn't leave and exclaimed loudly.
Zhuang Xiaohui looked at the painting, then looked at the person who fell, and her eyebrows raised.
Isn’t this Yu Yuxian?
As Zhuang Xiaohui's business grew, she naturally came into contact with more people, making it difficult to deceive her. She had already seen that Yu Yuxian had deliberately bumped into her carriage. What was she trying to do? To scam her?
Adhering to the principle of less trouble is worse than more, she threw out a tael of silver and said nonchalantly: "This is compensation for you. Go see a doctor yourself."
Yu Yuxian's cheeks turned slightly red, and tears of humiliation welled up in her eyes.
"I'm not hurt, so I don't need you to compensate me." She picked up the silver and put it on the board outside the carriage, then slowly rolled up the painting that had fallen on the ground and limped away.
She bumped into him just to say something so gentle and polite? What was she trying to achieve?
Zhuang Xiaohui was a little dazed and stared at Yu Yuxian's back in a daze.
Wan Jun knew Yu Yuxian was a woman, but he was still very upset. He pointed out, "She deliberately bumped into our carriage. Her clothes looked shabby, but she was actually very free and easy, which was deliberately embellished. Her painting is beautiful, but her love poems are even more beautiful, which fully demonstrates her talent. Although she was angry after being bumped into, she was also polite and polite, neither humble nor arrogant, and her demeanor was very good. If an ordinary woman bumped into her, she would definitely fall in love with her."
Zhuang Xiaohui's eyes widened as she said in disbelief, "You mean she's seducing me?"
Wan Jun nodded affirmatively: "Yes, she must be seducing you."
Zhuang Xiaohui's voice cracked: "Why?"
"Maybe she doesn't want to work hard anymore." After returning home and listening to his sister's vivid description of the incident, Zhuang Li said with a smile.
"Ah? What do you mean?" Zhuang Xiaohui didn't understand.
"Because you are a wealthy woman, she can live off you." Zhuang Li rubbed his sister's head.
Zhuang Xiaohui looked at her brother in disbelief, then retched. Damn it, even in this second life, Yu Yuxian is still so disgusting!
"I have to tell Wanjun to take a detour as soon as he sees this man!" Zhuang Xiaohui ran away in a hurry.
Looking at her back, Zhuang Li's expression suddenly turned cold.
"Yu Yuxian wants to harm Xiaohui." He said in his heart.
7480 was startled: "Why? Xiaohui has never provoked her in her life, right?"
"Jealousy is enough to justify murder."
"How do you know she wants to kill Xiaohui?"
"In her previous life, she dared to marry Xiaohui without fear of her true identity being exposed because she knew Xiaohui was cowardly and wouldn't dare to resist, and she didn't have the support of her family. She was in an absolutely dominant position, so she could naturally suppress Xiaohui. In this life, she has fallen to such a state, yet she still seduces Xiaohui, and she's not afraid of my revenge afterwards. It's obvious that she's determined to use her egg to hit the stone."
Zhuang Li sneered, "What do you think she wants to do when she's so desperate she doesn't even care about her own life or death? If she's not afraid of death, what else is she afraid of? She's desperate."
7480 said in horror, "Is she trying to drag Xiaohui down with her to hell?"
"Which of the people chosen by the Lord God is not such a ruthless character?" Zhuang Li walked to the window and saw Wan Jun running towards him with a worried look on his face.
He also felt that something was wrong.
"Go check on Yu Yuxian." Zhuang Li ordered.
Wanjun immediately took the order and left, his eyes filled with terrifying murderous intent.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
