The shopkeeper dared not speak out, but was unhappy with his employer. He was also unhappy with her. He had heard that the shopkeeper opposite earned several times more silver than he did. They had known each other for more than ten years, and the other was not necessarily more capable than him, but just had the good luck to follow a good employer.
He was always envious when he thought of these things. He believed that in a few years, his old colleague would be able to buy a large courtyard in the capital. He wondered if that employer would open more shops. He had already spoken to the shopkeeper opposite, asking him to recommend himself first if his employer opened more shops.
"What do we do now?" After venting her anger, Gao Xuejuan felt relieved. Seeing the shopkeeper lowering his head and remaining silent, she endured for a long time before asking in a normal tone, "What do we do now?"
"Miss is well-informed and must have more ideas than I do. Please enlighten me." The shopkeeper kicked the ball back. To be honest, he was not optimistic about these two shops and was powerless. He did not dare to offer any suggestions, as he would definitely become a scapegoat if they did not make money in the future.
"What do you do? Why do I have to make decisions for everything? Then why do you pay me a monthly salary?" Gao Xuejuan was so angry that she felt dizzy. She did not want to admit her failure, nor did she want anyone to think she was inferior to that woman. But the reality was that the shops could no longer be operated, and there was truly no silver to add.
She had secretly approached her mother, but her mother’s heart had always been biased towards her useless son.
Despite Gao Xuejuan's reluctance, the shops were still closed. Thinking of the silver she had saved for so many years being depleted in just half a month, she even pretended not to understand when Liu Moran hinted that she wanted to bribe her superiors, and brushed it off, resenting it in her heart.
If she was unhappy, she naturally did not want Wu Caiwei to have a good time either. In the capital, there were many people who took money to solve problems. Of course, before taking action, they would investigate the target to avoid trouble.
When Gao Xuejuan found them again, they were particularly interested in Wu Caiwei. Last time, three of their brothers had been captured and were still in prison. They had visited them and inquired about the situation at the time. According to them, Meng'er was very strange.
The place where they were knocked unconscious was clearly in her bedroom, but she claimed it was in the courtyard. Of course, this was easy to understand. After all, she was not yet married. If several strange men were found unconscious in her room, it would look very suspicious, and the gossip outside would likely drown her. Saying this could reduce trouble for herself.
But what shocked them was that although they were too late to turn back, they would never forget the terrifyingly calm look in her eyes at that moment. Ordinary women would either panic or be frightened when three strange men broke in. But she completely disregarded them, indicating that this person had sufficient confidence.
After returning, they discussed and felt that they had made a fuss over nothing. Was she just a weak woman? It was rumored that she had been a prostitute who had been with countless men. If she had any remarkable skills, she would have left long ago.
Even so, they remained vigilant. This time, upon hearing that the target was her, they eagerly signed up, wanting to meet her.
After all, the capital was under the emperor’s jurisdiction. Without a suitable excuse, they dared not cause trouble in the shops. Thus, when Wu Caiwei inadvertently fell behind and walked to a secluded place, she was surrounded by people.
Wu Caiwei had actually noticed their presence long ago. She was too lazy to bother, and also wanted to teach them a lesson so that they would not provoke her again.
"Who sent you?" Wu Caiwei asked them calmly, taking the initiative.
The crowd looked at her in surprise, thinking that this woman was indeed a bit strange. Not to mention a woman being surrounded like this, even a grown man would be flustered, but she was as calm as if nothing had happened.
"Shouldn't you be more concerned about your own safety?" the leader asked curiously.
"The ones who need to worry now are you. You are with the same group as those three people last time, aren't you? Didn't they warn you not to provoke me?"
The leader saw her gaze fixed on their belts and understood how she had discovered them. Although their belts were different, they were arranged in a certain pattern, indicating that this woman was indeed not simple, and ordinary people could not see it.
"They did warn us, but we wanted to meet you. If we win, we will tell you who sent us." After speaking, the leader no longer hesitated and quickly drew his saber and charged forward.
Wu Caiwei quickly drew the soft whip at her waist. Her whip seemed to have eyes, striking quickly and accurately at each target. Soon, everyone except her was lying on the ground, writhing in pain.
It was only then that they realized they had truly kicked a steel plate. Having roamed the capital for so many years, this was the first time they had seen someone who was genuinely skilled in martial arts. It turned out that there were always people better than them, and they were ignorant.
"Now can you tell me who sent you?" Wu Caiwei clapped her hands and smiled at them.
"It was Miss Gao. Although she didn't show up in person, I sent people to track her servants." The leader clutched his stomach, enduring the pain, and quickly revealed the mastermind.
"I know. Some things cannot happen again and again. I hope you will stay away from me next time." With that, she left潇洒 (xiāo sǎ - elegantly/gracefully).
The crowd lying on the ground watched her departing back with reverence. Even if she hadn't said anything, after this incident, they would have taken a detour if they encountered her again.
Gao Xuejuan waited quietly at home for news. This time, she had spared no expense, using all the silver she had left, determined to break her legs so that she could never stand and walk again. To her surprise, the only news she received was that the ruffians had returned the silver.
How could this not surprise her? She wanted to trick them into telling her the reason, but when they heard her asking about it, they seemed terrified and refused to say anything, which made her even more curious, her heart itching like being scratched by a cat's paw.
As expected, after teaching those people a lesson, her surroundings became much quieter. Yes, it was not accidental that she discovered the connection between those people. After the three men were caught, she felt that someone was following her. Seeing their belts, she understood everything.
Periodically, surprising events would occur in the mansions of officials and nobles in the capital. The common people would secretly discuss them during their leisure time. This time, their topic was the Shangguan family. Master Shangguan was a first-rank general in the court. He had fought on battlefields in his youth, defending the country, and was a great hero in people's hearts.
Recently, his wife had passed away, and as a result, young Master Shangguan had gone mad and tried to kill him and his second wife in the mansion. The scene was said to be terrifying, and everyone sighed whenever it was mentioned.