A moment later, there was a knock on the door. When she opened it, her mother, Li Xiaoxiao, hurriedly ushered her into the room. After closing the door, Wu Xinyue found a stool and sat down, saying thoughtfully, "My child, you must never let servants eat at the same table with you in the future. You will be a general's daughter in the future, and you will have to set an example for thousands of soldiers. If you let servants sit at the same table with you at will, it will hurt the soldiers' feelings if they see it."
"Besides, these soldiers have always been proud and arrogant. How can they accept someone like you?"
Li Xiaoxiao fell silent for a moment. She had been negligent. Now that she was a general's daughter, her status was extraordinary, and she could no longer act as recklessly as before.
"Mother, I will definitely be more careful in the future."
Wu Xinyue sighed, fearing that Li Xiaoxiao was too wild outside and would need a head nanny to teach her manners when she returned to the General's Mansion.
She had observed that he had been spending too much time in the wild and had become reckless and unruly. He had done many crazy things on the street before, especially when he was drunk. Although he displayed superb fighting skills, his recklessness and vulgarity were also on full display.
My daughter has a wild nature, so I don't dare to be too harsh on her. She will have to face all sorts of things in the palace sooner or later, and I hope nothing goes wrong then.
"Little one, I'm only thinking of you, so please don't hate your mother."
Wu Xinyue started rambling on and on, which annoyed Li Xiaoxiao, but she could only suppress her temper and listen patiently. She talked about how there were many rules in the palace and how to behave so as not to be ridiculed.
Finally, Li Xiaoxiao couldn't take it anymore and simply made an excuse, "Mother, I will definitely pay attention to what you said. Please train the people in my courtyard well. I need to find my husband these next few days. I am not willing for him to leave like this."
Upon hearing this, Wu Xinyue couldn't help but fly into a rage. Although she would have accepted it if her daughter had been more ordinary and insisted on being with Qi Yu, this lowly and cowardly man, Li Xiaoxiao was a rare talent in the entire Northern Wei Kingdom.
Few people in the Northern Wei Kingdom possess spiritual power, while the Empire has a large number of people with spiritual power, and the Empire is much richer than this small country that has to pay tribute next year.
The backwardness here was horribly repulsive to her, and what she hated most was that she almost died in this garbage country.
"Stop right there, Li Xiaoxiao! Why are you so stubborn?"
Wu Xinyue couldn't help but yell, but Li Xiaoxiao still opened the door and left the room without the slightest hesitation.
Wu Xinyue was so angry that she kept clenching her sleeves. This was her own daughter, and now she didn't listen to her at all. How could she become a genius like this? Li Xiaoxiao should have fulfilled her dream and gone to the Heavenly Stems Academy to find a perfect partner, instead of thinking about that good-for-nothing man.
After a while, she loosened her grip and released the clothes that had been crumpled from being tightly squeezed. She felt a little relieved, knowing that Qi Yu was not there.
Li Xiaoxiao's innocence remains intact.
With that thought in mind, Wu Xinyue pushed open the door and left, returning to the courtyard to continue training the children.
Li Xiaoxiao felt a headache coming on after listening to Wu Xinyue's nagging for half an hour. Every sentence was full of rules and regulations, but she was also her mother.
Thanks to Wu Xinyue's efforts in finding enough people, the winery is now well-stocked with workers, as is the paper mill. The business empire is taking shape, and the next area to conquer is pharmaceuticals.
Upon inquiry, Wu Xinyue learned that the entire vast Duke of the Founding Mansion did not own any pharmacies or shops, only warehouses. Medicinal herbs were a major expense for the army, and she still had to handle this matter.
With the support of the General's Mansion, obtaining the necessary documents is easy, but recruiting pharmacists would likely require a significant financial investment.
Perhaps she should visit Wu Shiyao's junior sister, Shangguan Xi. This woman has remarkable medical skills in the later stages, but she has been suppressed for many years and has not been given important positions.
In her spare time, Li Xiaoxiao went to Yunli County again. This time she wore a hat and had a scarf covering her face, so no one recognized her.
First, listen to the storytelling at the storytelling hall to hear about any interesting news recently.
As soon as they sat down, many people in the storytelling hall began to whisper among themselves.
"Did you know? I heard that Madam Li bought a lot of those drugs that help men at the pharmacy. Now that she's divorced, she probably knows that man is no good and dumped him. So many of them, and she's so young yet already so horny. What man can stand that?"
“Wu Shiyao is no less impressive. She has three husbands, so what is this? She can do it for several days in a row without any problem.”
"Keep your voice down. She's a general's daughter now. If those soldiers hear you, you'll lose your head."
"Recently, the county magistrate asked her to sign a contract that allows commoners in Yunli County to voluntarily work there. I heard the pay is quite good, forty coins a day."
"To be honest, Madam Li is quite good at dealing with people, but she is too fierce. Compared to the neighboring Shiwu Village, this place is simply a land of plenty. I heard that there are hardly any children left in Shiwu Village. With Li Xiaoxiao keeping order in Yunli County, even the Rongguo Duke's men don't dare to act recklessly."
“In the past, quite a few children were arrested in Yunli County. I heard that the young master of the Rongguo Duke has unusual hobbies. If a child goes missing, it is probably impossible to control him for the rest of his life.”
“Recently, a lot of new people have come to the county, all of them with their children. They probably came because they heard about Li Xiaoxiao’s reputation.”
"And I heard that there are children in that brothel. The madam came from who-knows-where, so keep it a secret, don't let it get out."
As Li Xiaoxiao listened to the江湖人士 (jianghu figures) in the storytelling hall talking eloquently, she finally caught the key point: a lot of people had poured into the county, and these people who came to this county were probably not ordinary.
After hearing that Li Xiaoxiao had left, he changed into men's clothing at Chen's Clothing Store and went to Yihong Courtyard to play. The magistrate had left, but the brothel was still open for business.
Speaking of missing children, this shop is definitely involved. I wonder how the madam is doing now. The brothel was packed as soon as I entered. The scene inside was suffocating. The women were extremely revealing. The gauze they wore was practically naked. Li Xiaoxiao was dressed plainly, short, and wearing a mask. The girls didn't seem to be interested in her.
The madam glanced at her and smiled perfunctorily, "Xiaomei, go and attend to the master." A short, plain-looking woman walked timidly toward Li Xiaoxiao.
"Master, let me serve you."
Seeing that she was honest, Li Xiaoxiao didn't say anything and nodded in agreement. Li Xiaoxiao took out two taels of silver as a tip for Xiaomei. Xiaomei took the silver in surprise, her expression still trembling with fear.
At this moment, the madam was receiving the county magistrate surnamed Zhao from the neighboring county. "Sir, you've arrived. Are there any fresh vegetables served today? They're all tender and fresh. Would you like to take a look?"
Li Xiaoxiao was immediately struck by the key point and perked up her ears to listen carefully.
Master Zhao continued, "Then hurry up and bring it up here. How about the fresh dishes prepared for the Prince? I need to inspect them."
"Sir, of course we do. You have to back us up, because Li Xiaoxiao is having a hard time doing business in Yunli County."
"Li Xiaoxiao? What's so special about that shrew? I'll bring her over for a spin sometime."
The madam continued to fawn over him, saying, "Sir, you truly are worthy of the title."
As they talked, they walked toward another place. The men around them were still drinking, having fun, singing, and doing business. Li Xiaoxiao put her arm around Xiaomei and led her toward the madam.
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