Chapter 249: Chapter 249: Qu Fulan, I Know You Have Your Own Pursuits
Xiao Shiqing ultimately did not hold Ji Nishang accountable, not even mentioning the case once after returning home.
Because of that, Mrs. Xiao and Ji Nishang spent the entire day on edge, before daring to speculate that he was unaware. After all, there was no concrete evidence, and Lv Daopo likely did not expose Ji Nishang.
Even on the second day, Xiao Shiqing said nothing. By then, the case was already closed, with the guilty punished and the deserving dead, without implicating anyone else.
The stone in the hearts of Mrs. Xiao and Ji Nishang finally fell to the ground, leaving them in peace.
As for the actual truth of the matter and what plan Xiao Shiqing had, perhaps no one knew other than himself.
However, those around him clearly felt that Heir Pei had become even more silent than before. In addition to being silent, he often looked at two pouches repeatedly, and no one knew what he was looking at.
Not everyone had the fortune to witness this scene, only those around him, having glimpsed it once or twice by chance. At other times, if a sound occurred, he would notice immediately.
Meanwhile, Heir Pei reviewed the case dossiers on Pei Ji’an’s side.
The accompanying staff served cautiously, saying, "This kind of witchcraft, every time it’s practiced, not only shortens one’s lifespan, but also drains one’s cultivation. It’s said that cultivation is hard to accumulate, taking many people most of their lives to gain a little, and it’s not worth depleting it for a bit of money. Thus, many with true cultivation are unwilling to engage in such detrimentally unethical acts, leaving it to those with half-baked skills who love to flaunt and deceive."
"How many truly cultivated individuals are there?" Xiao Shiqing asked.
"Not many, just three. The rest are all con artists. In this trade, it has to be said their methods are skillful, capable of deceiving others completely and making them foolishly give money."
The three cultivated individuals investigated by Pei Ji’an were all sentenced to death.
On Xiao Shiqing’s side, only Lv Daopo could be considered cultivated. Compared to others, Lv Daopo’s cultivation wasn’t high, otherwise, with her greedy nature, given the right price, she wouldn’t hold her cunning, claiming not to harm lives.
So in the end, it was insufficient cultivation, not enough to pose a life threat to others.
The more critical problem was, what Lv Daopo had done, had little irrefutable proof, relying on her words alone, true or false, known only to her.
While some continued to endlessly sort through the case here, on the other side, Qu Fulan had already started looking for a storefront.
Although there was an embroidery workshop, a store was needed for business, and deciding on a store name would help inform people where they could order clothes.
Qu Fulan searched around clothing shops, like rice shops, clothing lines, and food streets, targeting clearly established areas, where customers could find them more easily.
Otherwise, opening in a mismatched location as a standalone store wouldn’t draw enough influence to attract customers to you unless it grew large enough and gained fame for opening a branch store, allowing slight rule-breaking at that point.
Finally, at the end of an alley, Qu Fulan found a shop labeled for rent.
This was typical, as not every shop in the industry was profitable, some couldn’t sustain and had to close.
Now this shop at the end, with no other exit at the other end, equated to a dead end. Often, customers couldn’t be bothered to walk there, being attracted to other shops midway.
It’s likely this shop changed hands many times, all ending in failure, becoming an unlucky location, with many merchants unwilling to rent it, and spider webs at the door.
Compared to others bustling with activity, it genuinely seemed desolate.
The same endpoint shops though, with businesses across the street, would make this shop appear unsuccessful due to poor feng shui to others.
But what was less favorable to others was just right for Qu Fulan. She quickly found the shop owner, finalized the rent, and signed the contract.
The owner didn’t ask excessively, offering a reasonable price, not because he didn’t want to make more money, but seeing Qu Fulan clad in servant attire, looking dusty and unlike a wealthy person, could he ask high prices? He just feared this seemingly cursed shop—doomed for whoever rented it—would sit empty, delaying his earnings.
And so, Qu Fulan took the shop, paying a year’s rent upfront, as per custom.
Despite its bad location and poor luck, in the Capital City, a place where land is expensive, this shop still required two taels of silver a month.
Two taels of silver were equivalent to a first-class maidservant’s monthly salary in a wealthy household, indicating the price wasn’t cheap.
Other, better-located areas with more traffic charged five, ten, or even twenty taels a month.
Now, with her savings, Qu Fulan covered the two taels monthly rent, totaling twenty-four taels a year. Even factoring in labor costs, supplies, and various sundries, she could still manage.
Following that, there was the task of storefront renovation and hiring, but those were future matters.
Qu Fulan also visited taverns and bookshops, though she no longer needed to frequent them daily, just ensuring a visit once or twice a month was enough.
After all, the final accounts were delivered to her, with no one daring to falsify them, as anyone skilled in accounting could spot discrepancies instantly.
Previously, some estate stewards thought her easy to deceive and had produced false accounts to fool her, but when caught, they lost face for life. Once word spread, others dared not attempt it again.
Qu Fulan didn’t find her multitude of activities bothersome, instead, she thoroughly enjoyed such a life of earning.
Upon returning to Gaoyi Lane, Mrs. Chen, Sister-in-law Chen, and the two maidservants joyfully reported a matter to her.
"Heir Pei sent over two pigs and some chickens and ducks, saying they were for you to keep."
Although Qu Fulan had always wanted to keep such animals, she dared not act whimsically since the house wasn’t hers. Now, what did Heir Pei mean by this...?
Some matters were truly entangled beyond resolution.
She needed to have a good talk with Heir Pei.
Actually, by feigning ignorance, she could enjoy many benefits. However, exploiting others’ kindness for self-indulgence felt too immoral to her.
She expressed her desire to see Heir Pei, and naturally, the message was relayed, resulting in Heir Pei visiting in the evening.
Qu Fulan specifically sent others away for a private discussion with Heir Pei.
The conversation began with casual topics, gradually transitioning to the main point, where she finally expressed her core views.
Her simple intention was to convey that she was an ordinary woman who only loved money, not deserving of Heir Pei’s affection, having no plans for marriage, not wanting to delay him, believing he deserved better, and so on.
"Qu Fulan, I know you have your pursuits, but I also know clearly what I want. The future is long ahead of us; there is no rush to deny anything. Let’s just proceed slowly; what happens in the future is uncertain."
"Also, whether it’s worth it, that’s for me to decide, and you needn’t bear any burden. Everything I do is of my own accord."