Textile factory sealed off
The shop assistant pulled Manager Zhang aside and whispered, "Manager, since the soap shop is going out of business anyway, why don't you come with me to Ci'en Temple to pray?"
"What did you say?"
A loud shout rang in the waiter's ear. The waiter turned around and met Yue Xiao's terrifying face, which looked like a fierce ghost. He was so frightened that he didn't move.
Shopkeeper Zhang stepped on the shop assistant's foot. The shop assistant snapped out of his daze and stammered, "Someone just said that you can get a soap recipe at Rongguang Perfume Shop, and a lot of people have gone there."
After his initial rage, Yue Xiao became unusually calm. He instructed Manager Zhang, "Go and investigate. After you're done, come to the Prince's Mansion to see me."
Back at the Prince's mansion, Yue Xiao smashed everything in the study to pieces.
After venting his anger, he calmed down and ordered his subordinates to summon his staff.
"Have you found out who's behind that textile factory and Rongguang Perfume Shop?"
The advisors reported, "Young Master, the Crown Prince and members of the Jin family have been seen at both the Jinjin Textile Factory and the Rongguang Perfume Shop."
Mentioning the Jin family, Yue Xiao suddenly realized that he hadn't seen Jin Yuanyuan for a long time. He had originally planned to bring her into the mansion after finishing the soap business, but now it seemed that bringing Yuanyuan into the mansion would have to be postponed for a while longer.
Seeing Yue Xiao lost in thought, the staff members called out softly, "Young Master?"
Yue Xiao waved his hand, "It's normal for the person behind the scenes to seek help from the Jin family. Let's skip the Jin family and continue the investigation."
The staff thought it made sense and completely missed the truth.
"Yue Jia and the person behind the scenes conspired to trick me, causing me heavy losses. I can't be satisfied until I avenge this. Do you have any good ideas?"
A thin, middle-aged man stepped forward from the staff, a glint of evil in his eyes. "Young master, we can't deal with that perfume shop, but that textile factory full of young women is much easier to handle."
Yan He had a rather sleazy appearance, and Yue Xiao would not have paid any attention to him in the past. But today, Yue Xiao was so angry, and since only Yan He stood up, Yue Xiao patiently listened to him.
Seeing that Yue Xiao did not stop him, Yan He became even more unscrupulous and said, "I heard that there are many widowed young women inside. Just find a few scoundrels and tell them that the young women in the textile factory are not only beautiful but also rich. They will definitely have wicked ideas! Once they have wicked ideas and cause some trouble, hehe, we will add fuel to the fire and guarantee that the textile factory will not be able to continue operating."
Yue Xiao did not adopt his idea, saying, "The textile factory has skilled guards; a few hooligans won't amount to anything."
Yan He said mysteriously, "Young master, you might as well wait for me for three days."
Apart from Yan and his staff, no one else spoke, and Yue Xiao did not refuse him again.
A large number of gamblers and scoundrels gathered in front of the Hongyun Casino in Beijing.
When Yan He arrived at the entrance of the gambling den with a still-attractive woman, he instantly attracted everyone's attention.
Yan He shamelessly pleaded, "My dear, my left eyelid has been twitching all day. It's like the God of Wealth is sending me money. I'm a little short on cash, can you lend me some? I'll pay you back tenfold once I win some money!"
All eyes at the entrance of the gambling den were fixed on the woman, their gazes intense and strange, giving her the unsettling feeling of being stripped naked. She felt extremely uncomfortable and wanted to hide behind Yan He.
Yan He thought she wanted to leave, so he gripped her wrist and pleaded, "Good girl, can you lend me some money?"
The woman, both ashamed and angry, pulled out a money bag and threw it to Yan He. Taking advantage of the fact that he had both hands to catch the money bag and didn't have time to grab her, she immediately lowered her head and ran away.
Yan He weighed the money bag in his hand and revealed a satisfied smile.
As soon as the woman left, Yan He was surrounded by gamblers.
"Was that woman your wife?"
Yan He chuckled lewdly, "Her? She's a lonely widow."
The gamblers were envious, saying, "You're so lucky to have hooked up with such a rich widow."
Yan He beckoned to them with his finger and whispered, "I wasn't just lucky. I know which widows are rich, and that's where I picked her."
The gamblers were invigorated after hearing this and pleaded with Yan He, "Good brother, you've already chosen the people, so please tell us where that place is!"
Yan He pretended to look at the money bag in his hand with a troubled expression. The gamblers exchanged glances, then reluctantly took out their last remaining money and gave it to Yan He.
After collecting the money, Yan He lowered his voice and said, "That's the Jinjin Textile Factory in the north of the city. It's full of wealthy women. But there aren't many young women left. If you go too late, you'll only find old women who have lost their beauty. You'd better hurry."
The gamblers scattered in all directions, rushing towards the north of the city.
Although the Jinjin Textile Factory was located in a remote area, after three months, the area around the factory was just as bustling as the market town.
Shouts and cries of vendors rose and fell in waves.
If it weren't for the textile factory sign, the gamblers would have thought they had gone to the wrong place.
It was just the time when the female workers were getting off work, and the gamblers' eyes scanned the female workers. Once they identified their target, they would follow the female worker home.
Jin Xiaoxiao rested her chin on her hand and said to He Nanxing, who was writing at his desk, "Something's not right. It's been three days, and Yue Xiao still hasn't made a move."
He Nanxing stopped writing, looked up at her, and said, "Perhaps he has run out of options and has temporarily given up on revenge?"
Jin Xiaoxiao sat up straight, her brows furrowed with worry. "Yue Xiao is not one to swallow his anger; he is definitely plotting something much bigger."
A series of hurried footsteps came from outside the door, and Bai Guo appeared in front of the two of them, panting.
"Xiaoxiao, the textile factory is surrounded by people, I can't squeeze in."
Jin Xiaoxiao and He Nanxing stood up at the same time and walked towards the door.
The textile factory was surrounded by people in layers.
Aside from the crowd watching the spectacle from the outer edge, two scantily clad men and women knelt in the innermost open space. Before them sat a woman in fine clothes, her face grim. On either side of the woman stood a dozen or so servants wielding clubs.
This is the scene that Jin Xiaoxiao and the others saw when they followed Ji Yun into the inner circle.
Bai Guo recognized the kneeling woman as a textile factory worker, and her expression changed slightly. She walked up to the woman in brocade and asked in a deep voice, "May I ask, Madam, what crime has my employee committed that you would humiliate her like this?"
The woman in brocade lifted her eyes and glanced sideways at Bai Guo's beautiful face. "Heh, no wonder she dared to seduce a married man. It seems the atmosphere here is corrupt, with a slutty vibe permeating everything."
At this moment, another commotion arose in the outer circle, the crowd parted, and an elderly woman dressed in hemp clothing arrived with three constables.
She pointed to the textile factory, "This is it, the three constables."
Three constables surveyed the surroundings with sharp eyes. The constable in the middle asked, "Who is in charge here?"
Bai Guo composed himself and stepped forward to reply, "Yes, sir."
“We are here on orders to capture Sun Erniang. Take us to her.”
Bai Guo respectfully led the three into the textile factory to arrest the person.
Before long, three constables were seen holding down a thin woman, and the crowd of onlookers followed them away from the textile factory.
Watching their departing figures, Jin Xiaoxiao decisively said, "Sister Baiguo, go and inform the female workers that the textile factory will cease operations starting today. Also, settle their wages in full."
Bai Guo did as Jin Xiaoxiao instructed.
He Nanxing was stunned. "His methods of revenge are so despicable."
Jin Xiaoxiao's expression was grave. "On the contrary, he has found our weakness. If nothing unexpected happens, the textile factory will be shut down tomorrow."
As Jin Xiaoxiao had predicted, the matter was being discussed in the court the very next day.
Imperial Censor Zhao stepped forward, his expression indignant, and said, “Your Majesty, I have heard that there is a Jinjin Textile Factory in the countryside that has produced many women of immoral character. They specialize in seducing married men. I am worried that others will imitate the behavior of these women, and if this continues, it will surely corrupt the morals of the world. I propose that the textile factory be shut down.”
Imperial Censor Wang stepped forward to argue, “Your Majesty, I have also heard about the Jinjin Textile Factory. However, I believe that Imperial Censor Wang’s proposal is too extreme. Although the Jinjin Textile Factory has its drawbacks, it also has its merits. It provides a livelihood for the elderly, weak, women and children, and I believe that the original intention of establishing the textile factory deserves praise. In my opinion, it is sufficient to order the textile factory to remove the bad apples.”
Imperial Censor Zhao was adamant: “Your Majesty, the textile factory is the source of evil and must be shut down. If it is not shut down, it will encourage women to develop ambitions to compete with men for power and profit. Once these ambitions are fueled, they will want to compete with men for the same jobs, they will want to study for the imperial examinations, and they will want to become officials. At that time, men’s dignity will be trampled under their feet.”
The court was deathly silent; none of them could tolerate having a woman serve as an official in the same hall. Even Censor Wang, who was most at odds with Censor Zhao, lowered his eyes and remained silent.
The emperor made the final decision: "As Zhao Qing said, shut down the textile factory."
Jin Xiaoxiao and He Nanxing stood on the observation deck, gazing at the textile factory and the sealed gate, both remaining silent.
Da da da.
Bai Guo's hurried footsteps broke the silence of the observation deck.
“Xiaoxiao, there are still some female workers in the textile factory who don’t want to leave.” Bai Guo turned to He Nanxing, “Coincidentally, their granddaughters are all Nanxing’s students.”
Hearing this, He Nanxing smiled with satisfaction and said, "My student is certainly not an ungrateful person."
The textile factory didn't screen workers during recruitment, resulting in a mixed bag of quality, which was bound to cause trouble sooner or later. After this incident, those who remain will surely be people of good character, whom she can employ with confidence. Jin Xiaoxiao smiled, "Sister Baiguo, ask them if they'd be willing to sign a long-term employment contract."
Jin Xiaoxiao returned home with dozens of employment contracts. She had just finished drinking a cup of tea when Jin Minzhi walked in with a heavy expression.
"Xiaoxiao, Jinjin Textile Factory has been shut down?"
"Brother, don't worry. The closure of the textile factory may not be a bad thing." Jin Xiaoxiao poured him a cup of tea. "Brother, have some tea."
Seeing that her expression was normal, Jin Minzhi was relieved.
While the brother and sister were talking, Chuanbei suddenly came to the east wing looking for Jin Xiaoxiao.
"Sister Chuanbei, what brings you here?"
Chuanbei glanced at Jin Minzhi, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.
Jin Xiaoxiao stopped Jin Minzhi, who was about to get up and leave, saying, "Brother, there's no need to avoid us. Sister Chuanbei, brother is not an outsider."
Chuanbei no longer hesitated, "Today, Miss met Yue Xiao, and Yue Xiao and Miss agreed to meet at the city gate tomorrow and go boating outside the city together."
With no way to make money, Yue Xiao turned his attention to his aunt. Did he want to take over the Jin family?
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