Market hidden pearls
The aftermath of the flower viewing banquet rippled through the Lu Mansion for a few moments before gradually subsiding. However, Lu Qinglan could sense that the servants in the mansion now looked at her with a genuine awe, in addition to their usual respect. This also led to a much smoother process for the Lan Courtyard staff to go out and do their work.
Reputation is false; the real benefits in your hands are the real thing.
The night was deep, a single green lamp burning in the study of the Lan Courtyard. Spread out before Lu Qinglan was a simple map of the capital, with several locations circled in red ink: the Mule and Horse Market in the west, Rouge Alley in the south, and several seemingly insignificant goods stores in the east market. These were all industrial areas that, according to past memories, would skyrocket in value or come under the control of important individuals in the coming years for various reasons.
She needed money, a large amount of private property that was not controlled by the Lu family or the future royal palace. Selling jewelry alone was not enough; she needed a hen that could continuously generate gold.
"Miss, the person you want is here." Fu Yu's voice sounded outside the door, with a hint of caution.
"Come in."
The door opened, and Fu Yu led a thin woman in coarse cloth, her head bowed, into the room. She was about fifteen or sixteen, with slightly dark skin, rough hands, and thick knuckles, evidently accustomed to rough labor. She entered the room, plopped down on her knees, and trembled in her voice, "Your servant... Your servant Chun Xing, pays respects to the young lady."
"Raise your head." Lu Qinglan said in a calm voice.
Chun Xing raised her head timidly, revealing a fairly pretty face, with fear and anxiety between her eyebrows.
"Don't be afraid." Lu Qinglan looked at her. "Did Fu Yu tell you?"
"I'm going to tell you..." Chun Xing's voice trembled even more. "The eldest lady wants to know...about my mother's illness, and...about Madam Zhang in the laundry room withholding the regular payment..."
"Your mother's illness requires constant medication, which is very expensive. Aunt Zhang withheld your allowance, and when you went to argue with her, she falsely accused you of theft and fined you three months' salary. Is that right or not?"
Chun Xing's eyes turned red and tears fell: "Miss, please understand! I didn't steal anything! It was Aunt Zhang... her nephew fell in love with me, and I refused, so she made things difficult for me in every way..."
Lu Qinglan listened quietly, and finally said, "I can help you. Not only can I help your mother find a better doctor, but I can also let you and your mother leave the Lu Mansion and find a stable livelihood outside. No one will dare to bully you anymore."
Chun Xing raised her head suddenly, her eyes gleaming with disbelief, then dimming again: "Miss... your servant... your servant is of low status, how could I possibly deserve this..."
"I need a reliable person to manage some of my businesses outside of the company," Lu Qinglan said directly. "You can read and write, you can do accounting, and you're quick and nimble. More importantly, you're filial and resilient. I'm interested in your abilities and character, not your status."
She picked up a small brocade bag from the table and handed it to Chun Xing. "This contains fifty taels of silver, enough for your mother's medicine for six months and your own food expenses. Tomorrow, I will have Fu Yu arrange for you to be 'sickly discharged' and leave the house. Afterwards, you will go to Lihua Lane in the south city. There is a small courtyard there, and the title deed is here. Your mission is to buy the 'Chen's Grocery Store' at the entrance of the lane, which is on the verge of bankruptcy, and reopen it."
Chun Xing held the heavy brocade bag and the title deed in her hands, as if they were hot potatoes or a life-saving straw. She was trembling all over. "Miss...Miss, you are so kind. Chun Xing...Chun Xing will never be able to repay you even if she dies! But...I am afraid that I will not be able to run the shop well and betray your trust..."
"Don't underestimate yourself," Lu Qinglan said firmly. "I'll give you the initial capital and business direction. You just need to remember a few points: First, be honest and trustworthy; second, pay attention to the comments of merchants, especially those regarding grain transport and border trade. Record them and report them to me regularly through Fu Yu. Third, make friends with all kinds of people, but be careful not to get involved in disputes. Can you do it?"
Chun Xing took a deep breath and kowtowed heavily, her forehead hitting the ground with a sound. "Yes! I can definitely do it! Young lady has entrusted me with such an important task, and even if I risk my life, I will never let you down!"
"I don't want your life, I want your loyalty and ability." Lu Qinglan helped her up. "Go, and follow Fu Yu's instructions. Remember, from tomorrow on, there will no longer be Chun Xing from the Lu Mansion's laundry. There will only be Chen Xing, the female shopkeeper of Chen's Grocery Store."
"Yes! Your servant... Chen Xing, will remember the young lady's instructions!" Chun Xing, no, Chen Xing, had new hope and fighting spirit in her eyes. After bowing again, she retreated quietly with Fu Yu.
Lu Qinglan gazed at their departure, her eyes dark. Chen's Grocery Store, though remote and slow in business, served as a subtle hub for news flow in South City. From this point, her tentacles would slowly extend to every corner of the capital.
After dealing with this matter, she turned her attention to the list and landed on the name of "Old Horseman - Zhao Tieshou". This person might be useful.
The next day, Lu Qinglan asked Wang for permission to learn how to manage the farm for her dowry, and then left the house with Fu Yu and two trusted maids. The carriage did not go directly to the farm outside the city, but instead took a detour to the mule and horse market in the west of the city.
The mule and horse market was bustling with activity, the air thick with the mixed smells of livestock, fodder, and sweat. All sorts of people moved about: shrewd horse traders, wealthy young men selecting mounts, and ordinary people bargaining for prices.
Lu Qinglan, wearing a veil hat, sat down in a tea stall with the support of Fu Yu, and glanced at the market seemingly casually.
She quickly spotted her target. An elderly man, dressed in a worn sheepskin coat, with graying hair and a hunched back, was silently brushing the coat of a bony old horse. His movements seemed slow, yet remarkably steady. As his fingers brushed across the horse's body, the restless animal gradually calmed down.
It was Zhao Tieshou.
Lu Qinglan winked at Fu Yu. Fu Yu understood and walked up to the old man, handing him a piece of silver. "Father, my daughter wants to pick out a docile pony for my younger brother. Could you please give her a try?"
Zhao Tieshou raised his head, glanced at Fu Yu with his cloudy eyes, then glanced at Lu Qinglan who was wearing a veil hat in the direction of the tea stall. He nodded silently, took the silver, and walked over with Fu Yu.
"What kind of horse would you like to choose, young lady?" His voice was hoarse, like an old bellows.
Lu Qinglan spoke clearly through her veil, "Regardless of breed, the most important thing is a gentle disposition and understanding of human nature. Secondly, they need steady feet and sufficient endurance." She paused, then added casually, "I heard that my father-in-law was once a famous horse appraiser in the north, with a pair of 'wind-chasing hands' that could feel the muscles, bones, and blood of a horse. Is that true?"
Zhao Tieshou's body stiffened imperceptibly, a glint of hawk-like sharpness flashing through his cloudy eyes, but quickly vanished. "Miss, you've got the wrong person. I'm just a horse-feeding servant."
"Really?" Lu Qinglan smiled softly. "Thirty years ago, Zhao Ting, the 'Wind Chaser' of the Northern Caravan, was a skilled horseman. He could heal horses and identify routes, making him famous along the border. Later, he became embroiled in a dispute and was hunted by his enemies. His entire family... only one person remained, hiding their identities and living in obscurity."
Zhao Tieshou clenched his fists violently, veins popping out on the back of his hands, and a dangerous aura emanated from him. Fu Yu subconsciously took a half step forward, blocking Lu Qinglan.
Lu Qinglan waved her hand, signaling Fu Yu to withdraw. Through the veil, she calmly looked at Zhao Tieshou, "Don't be nervous, father-in-law. I have no intention of exposing anyone's wounds, and I'm certainly not your enemy. I simply need someone reliable to help me with something. Something that might give you a new lease on life, or even... perhaps even a chance to fulfill a long-cherished wish."
Zhao Tieshou stared intently at the blurry figure behind the veil. After a long pause, he rasped, "Who... are you? What do you want to do?"
"It doesn't matter who I am," Lu Qinglan said calmly. "What matters is that I can provide you with shelter, a new identity, and... the resources to uncover the truth of what happened back then. In exchange, I need your loyalty and your abilities."
She picked up the teacup, dipped her fingertips in the tea, wrote the number "seven" on the rough wooden table, and then erased it.
Zhao Tieshou's pupils shrank slightly. The Seventh Prince?!
He was silent for a long time, so long that the waiters at the tea stall looked over curiously. Finally, he let out a long breath, and his hunched back seemed to bend even more, and then straighten a little.
"I am an old man...with only a broken body, I am at your service." His voice was low, but with a determination to burn his boats.
Lu Qinglan knew she had made the right bet. For someone like Zhao Tieshou, favors alone weren't enough to sway his heart. Only by touching upon his deepest obsessions could one secure his unwavering support.
"Very good." Lu Qinglan gestured for Fu Yu to hand over another bag of silver. "This money is enough for you to settle down. For the time being, you will remain in the Lu Mansion stables. I will have someone transfer you to a lighter job. When you are needed, someone will contact you."
"Yes." Zhao Tieshou took the purse, without any extra words, turned around and walked back to the old horse, as if everything that had just happened had never happened.
After leaving the mule and horse market, the carriage drove towards the farm outside the city.
Fu Yu couldn't help but whispered, "Miss, is Zhao Tieshou...reliable? After all, he is..."
"It's precisely because of his past that he knows how to cherish the opportunity to start over, and he needs my protection even more." Lu Qinglan lifted a corner of the car curtain and looked at the rapidly receding fields outside the window. "Trust those you employ, and don't employ those you doubt. Besides, the offer I gave him is something he can't refuse."
She lowered the curtain and closed her eyes.
The market is full of hidden talents. Chun Xing's tenacity and Zhao Tieshou's skill are just the beginning. She aims to weave a vast network that spans the capital, penetrating the government and the people. Intelligence, wealth, and manpower are all essential.
All of this must be laid a solid foundation before marrying into the Seventh Prince's Palace. That palace will be a bigger stage and a more dangerous battlefield.
She had to go faster, faster.
Because she had very little time left after the "accident" that changed her fate in her previous life. She remembered clearly that in the summer after the marriage, her eight-year-old half-sister Qingyu would die of a "cold".
Aunt Zhou's claws were already extended. She needed a sharp knife to cut them off and, by the way, clean up the turbid water in the Lu Mansion.
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