Chapter 25 Completely Stirring Up Zhang Zhiheng
There were people queuing behind them, and when they saw Qingchen and Guyu going in, they shouted:
Why don't they have to answer questions?
The gatekeeper smiled and explained, "She's our boss."
The person behind them overheard this and asked, "Is your boss a woman?"
“This place was originally my wife’s dowry property. It used to be a teahouse, and it was later converted into Tianxing Tower.”
These people nodded in agreement.
After Xie Yunyu entered, a thin middle-aged man came out, greeted Xie Yunyu with a cupped-hand salute, and said:
"Miss."
This middle-aged man was the second steward of the Xie family, a servant of the Xie family, and formerly one of Xie Yuanshan's personal attendants. He was quite literate.
It was originally intended for him to take over after the head steward retired.
However, with the opening of Tianxing Tower, the scale of the operation was too large, and a literate person was needed to manage it.
Xie Yunyu and Xie Yunman searched the mansion for a long time before finally choosing Xie Fulai as the head manager.
He was clever and knew that the people who came and went here every day were scholars and literati, so when recruiting people in the early stages, he chose those down-on-their-luck scholars.
The servants who served tea and water, the accountant, and the managers were all scholars.
This is highly appreciated by those who come here.
"Uncle Fu, how have you been lately?"
Xie Fu smiled and said, "Thanks to Miss, everything is fine."
The two went inside while talking, and Xie Fu took out all the account books he had prepared in advance for Xie Yunyu to review.
As Xie Yunyu looked around, she asked, "Has anyone been causing trouble in the store lately?"
Xie Fu shook his head, then said, "Not long ago, someone came by. He seemed to be of high status and called me over to ask if we were selling this building."
I have already reported the matter to Erlangjun. Erlangjun should know the details of that person.
However, that guest hasn't come again recently, so I suppose Erlangjun has already dealt with it.
Xie Yunyu had not heard Xie Yunman mention this matter before, so she remained silent.
Turning to the other end, he added, "Will room number two in the west wing be unoccupied tomorrow?"
"Recently, apart from the Third Master bringing his colleagues twice, no one else has been employed."
Xie Yunyu didn't mind and nodded, saying, "I'll use it the day after tomorrow, so save some for me."
Xie Fu nodded in agreement.
I checked the accounts and there were no problems; they were still making a fortune every day.
While it doesn't compare to the benefits of time spent on scientific research, it's about the same.
In one day, Xie Yunyu inspected the accounts of four major stores before heading home.
When she got home, she wanted to ask Xie Yunman about the identity of the person who wanted to buy Tianxing Tower, but Zheng told her that Xie Yunman had gone to Nanshan Academy.
Xie Yunyu thought she would write a letter later to ask him about it.
But Xie Yunyu was tired after dinner and fell asleep, forgetting about the incident.
Xie Yunyu's itinerary for today had already been relayed to Xiao Ling's residence by Qingchen.
Xiao Ling told Qing Chen that Xie Yunyu would be making an inspection of the store the next day.
He then asked Qingfeng, "How is Zhang Zhiheng doing?"
When Qingfeng heard Xiao Ling ask, he smiled and said:
"Don't worry, my lord. Jiang Lingyun, the fourth daughter of the third branch of the Duke of Wei's mansion, has Zhang Zhiheng completely under her spell."
Ever since Zhang Zhiheng appeared in the Wei family, all the young ladies of the Wei family have seen him.
This young man has a handsome face, which makes him very popular with young women.
"We barely had to lift a finger; that Fourth Madam Jiang had already latched onto him."
At this point, Xiao Ling's lips curled slightly.
"Furthermore, Jiang Xingzhou, unsure of the Crown Prince's intentions, showed considerable concern for Zhang Zhiheng."
This led the third branch of the family to believe that the Duke's Mansion had taken a liking to Zhang Zhiheng.
"Hehe, that Fourth Sister Jiang stood out from the group of sisters, firmly monopolizing Zhang Zhiheng, practically seeing him as hers for the taking."
As Qingfeng approached Xiao Ling, he said mysteriously, "
I heard that the fourth daughter of the Jiang family is planning to make the deed into a fait accompli.
Xiao Ling listened without expression and said, "Tomorrow, let her see with her own eyes how affectionate Zhang Zhiheng and Jiang Si Niangzi are."
Qingfeng was delighted and said, "Alright, my lord, you can rest assured."
"Are we manpower enough? If not, I'll get you some more?" Xiao Ling asked.
"Enough, enough! Last time, the princess transferred those guards away, putting you in danger. The Duke was very angry and even argued with the princess."
Later, the Duke assigned several of his men to my command.
The Duke instructed us that we would only obey your orders, my lord.
The words of the eldest princess, the duke, and even the emperor can be ignored.
These people were all personally trained by Qingquan, and they're quite easy to use.
Xiao Ling nodded.
Of the three, Qingfeng, Qingchen, and Qingquan, Qingchen is the most honest, the best at tracking and gathering intelligence, and has the strongest execution ability.
Qingquan, like Xiao Ling, is cold and doesn't like to talk. He has the best fighting skills and is responsible for protecting her in secret.
Qingfeng is the smartest and best able to guess Xiao Ling's thoughts. He is also the most witty. Following Xiao Ling will give him a lively companion.
The next day, Xie Yunyu went to inspect the shops again, this time looking at the Jin Yu Man Tang shop.
Xie Yunyu had just finished her work and came out of Jin Yu Man Tang when someone called her to stop.
"Please wait, Third Sister Xie."
Xie Yunyu turned around when she heard the sound, and saw Zhang Zhiheng standing not far away on the street, dressed in a blue robe.
Seeing Xie Yunyu looking over, he walked over with a happy smile.
"Third sister, is that really you?"
"I have met the second brother of the Zhang family."
Xie Yunyu bowed to Zhang Zhiheng in a very generous manner.
"When did Third Sister return to the capital?"
Zhang Zhiheng looked her over. It had only been three or four months since he last saw her, but Xie San Niangzi seemed to have become even more beautiful.
Xie Yunyu replied with a smile, "I've only been back for two days."
Then, after looking Zhang Zhiheng up and down—he was wearing the blue robe of Nanshan Academy—he smiled and said:
"Is Brother Zhang studying at Nanshan Academy?"
Zhang Zhiheng smiled and said, "It's all thanks to Grand Tutor Xie's letter of recommendation."
"A letter of recommendation alone is not enough for Nanshan Academy; an exam is also required to get in. This shows that your scholarship is quite good, Brother Zhang."
Upon hearing Xie Yunyu's praise, Zhang Zhiheng smiled awkwardly and said:
"Did you come back alone, or with Grand Tutor Xie?"
Xie Yunyu replied with a smile, "Grandfather had important business in the capital, so we came back together."
Zhang Zhiheng said, "I took leave today because I had something to do. We will definitely visit Grand Tutor Xie another day when we are off work."
Xie Yunyu replied, "Good, if Grandfather knew we were coming, he would surely be happy."
Then he asked, "Second Brother Zhang, which teacher at the academy are you now studying under?"
Just as Zhang Zhiheng was about to answer, he heard a sweet, cloying female voice from behind him:
"Brother Zhang Er, who is this sister? Why didn't you introduce her?"
As she spoke, she walked over to Zhang Zhiheng and stood next to him. The two were very close, their arms almost touching.
Clearly, the relationship between these two people is far more than that between ordinary people.
Xie Yunyu looked at the woman in front of him. She had a sweet appearance, and the dimples on her cheeks were faintly visible as she spoke. She looked charming and lovely.
But at this moment, the other party was looking at her with an unfriendly expression, and Xie Yunyu could clearly feel the other party's hostility.
So he stepped back a little to the side, increasing the distance between himself and the two of them.
Smiling, he asked, "Second Brother Zhang, who is this?"
Zhang Zhiheng felt the fragrance emanating from Jiang Lingyun and took a step to the side, also wanting to increase the distance between the two.
Jiang Lingyun sensed Zhang Zhiheng's movement and took half a step to the side.
Xie Yunyu immediately understood what was going on as she watched the two of them interact.
Zhang Zhiheng introduced, "This is Jiang Si Niangzi from the third branch of the Duke of Wei's mansion, and this is Xie San Meimei from the Xie family."
Zhang Zhiheng's different ways of addressing the two people clearly show their closeness or distance.
Jiang Lingyun immediately understood and her gaze toward Xie Yunyu became even more hostile.
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