“Especially President Qin’s attitude toward her.”
"Anyone who sits in Chairman Qin's position, even a servant, would be treated with respect by the master. Let alone a mere woman. That young lady swaggered in front of him and spoke to him with ease. No matter how much Chairman Qin fawned over her, she took it all for granted."
"I think that young lady is probably the real head of the West Market, and Chairman Qin is just a smokescreen for her."
"If it is her, then she is truly an unparalleled genius. From three shops to owning twenty shops, the entire West Market follows her every word and obeys her every command."
"However, I am not sure either. At present, the Song family is already stretched thin in dealing with the Zhou family and Nanshi. They cannot spare more people to investigate her. Moreover, I observe that her clothes and behavior are definitely not those of an ordinary person. If we investigate further, and we anger her, she may join the Zhou family in dealing with the Song family. If the Song family is attacked from all sides, then it will truly be beyond saving."
Song Yi gave another bitter laugh as he finished speaking.
"Of course, it's possible. She's also preparing to make a move. After all, we're enemies, not friends. She can't possibly not kick us while we're down."
"However, she is truly a genius. If the Song family is driven out of the capital, Your Majesty can start with her and make her work for you."
As Song Yi spoke, he kowtowed several times, as if to say, "I am afraid I am not up to the task, please ask the lord to find another capable person."
Then there was still no reaction from inside the house. No matter what he said, it was like throwing stones into the sea, failing to elicit any response.
"Is she really that amazing?"
An elderly woman with white hair entered from the other end of the corridor, followed by four maids. The maids carried trays filled with extremely bland side dishes and pickles, as well as a bowl of vegetable porridge.
—It looks extremely simple, but it is precisely these simple dishes that truly test a chef's skill.
The bowls for serving side dishes were also made of glass.
Glassware is expensive; a single bowl can cost as much as a small shop.
As the old woman directed the maids to bring the dishes in, she asked Song Yi, "How powerful can a woman be? Besides, she hasn't been in business for very long. You are the vice president of the East Market Association, and your family has been in business for three generations. Why are you so afraid of her?"
“Granny, it’s not that I’m afraid of her. In just six months, she promoted her servant to the president of the Chamber of Commerce. The twenty shops on the four food streets are making a fortune every day. She also resells shops and houses around the food streets. In just one or two months, she has probably made 100,000 taels of silver.”
"One hundred thousand taels!" The old woman's pupils dilated suddenly, her previous arrogance vanished.
"Good heavens! A first-rank official in the imperial court earns no more than a hundred taels of silver a month. How could she have earned a hundred thousand taels in just one or two months? Even the mint wouldn't do that fast!"
"That's exactly right!"
Song Yi's voice was hoarse as he said with a bitter laugh, "She's still young! Only about sixteen or seventeen!"
In the end, Song Yi was filled with mixed feelings and complex emotions.
He was praised by everyone in his business career, but after meeting Jiang Shuwan, he realized that there are always people more capable than him and that there is always something beyond his reach.
He lost in Donglai Street, and he deserved it.
"Sixteen or seventeen years old?"
"To be so amazing at sixteen or seventeen? Isn't that a prodigy?!" the old woman exclaimed in surprise.
The maid kneeling in the corner also looked over in surprise.
There was finally some noise inside the room, as if someone had lifted the blanket and made a slight sound. The old woman quickly instructed the maid to fetch water and change clothes for the people inside, and also sent in the maid who was bringing side dishes.
The room was filled with about twenty servants coming and going in an orderly fashion, without making a sound.
Song Yi remained kneeling outside the door, and kowtowed once towards the inside.
"Master, that woman's surname is Jiang."
---------
On the other side, Jiang Shuwan, along with Nai Ge and Qing Xing, leisurely left the Song family's Treasure Pavilion.
Qingxing whispered in Jiang Shuwan's ear, "Miss, the Song family is really not doing well. The goods in the counter are all old jewelry and ornaments from years ago, as well as some new jewelry, but they are obviously not from the south."
Jiang Shuwan nodded, then weighed the gold-inlaid jade bracelet in her hand, which she had bought at the Treasure Pavilion.
High-quality jade is not used to set bracelets. Since Zhenbaolou is the ancestral property of the Song family, the fact that such high-quality gold-inlaid jade is displayed on the counter shows that the Song family really couldn't find a source of goods.
When the manager of the Treasure Pavilion across the street saw Jiang Shuwan and her group come out of the Song family, holding two bracelets in their hands and looking dejected, he immediately came over with a fawning smile.
"Isn't the young master right? The Treasure Pavilion really doesn't have any good stuff."
"Miss, why don't you come and take a look at our Treasure Pavilion? We have the latest jewelry and ornaments from the south, and we have more than the Treasure Pavilion used to have."
As the shopkeeper spoke, he sized up Jiang Shuwan's attire. Jiang Shuwan's elegant and refined clothes clearly indicated that she came from a wealthy family. However, he wanted to take a closer look. Some wealthy families liked to have their family crests tattooed on their clothes, jewelry, and carriages. If they knew which family the person was from, they could cater to their preferences based on their family background.
Unfortunately, he was destined not to see that today, not only were there no clothes with markings, but the carriage Jiang Shuwan was riding in was also the most ordinary one.
"Great!" Jiang Shuwan entered the Treasure Pavilion with a smile. Just as the shopkeeper had said, the store was filled with a dazzling array of items, and even she, with her extensive knowledge, found many of the jewelry pieces to be exquisitely crafted.
The Treasure Pavilion was also bustling with customers, which only made the Treasure Tower look even more desolate. Even the early summer sun refused to shine on it. The once magnificent and lively Treasure Tower looked like a dead building, and the shopkeeper was listlessly swatting flies in the shop.
This is a sign of defeat and despair.
Jiang Shuwan withdrew her gaze and picked out two pieces of jewelry from the Treasure Pavilion before heading home.
After that, she went out for several days in a row, wandering around famous jewelry and ornament shops in the capital. In a short time, she visited all the famous jewelry shops in the capital.
After shopping, she went on a buying spree of shops on Donglai Street in Dongshi.
Having lost out in the competition on Donglai Street, most of his shops were closed and couldn't be rented out. But when he heard that a sucker was coming to buy, he sold them all to her without asking any questions, at a very favorable price.
Some people were being coy, but seeing that Jiang Shuwan really wanted to buy, they raised their prices. Jiang Shuwan didn't care about the small amount of money and bought them all.
In no time, she had acquired dozens of shops across half the street.
She continued buying shops, seemingly determined to buy the entire street, and even Brother Nai couldn't stop her.
Donglai Street has become a hot potato, and everyone else is eager to get rid of it, but her young lady is buying it like crazy.
She previously said she was going to deal with the Song family, but now she hasn't made any moves. I wonder what she's up to.
Besides these, Jiang Shuwan also wrote and drew in the room.
While pouring her calming tea, Qingxing secretly glanced at the items. They looked like strangely shaped utensils with instructions for their use written next to them. The dense text made her dizzy, but the words "Liuli" (琉璃, meaning glass or crystal) made her eyes light up.
Does the young lady want to buy glass?
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