Chapter 281: Refused His Investment

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Qiao Mai did this intentionally. With nothing else to do, she took the opportunity to clean up such scum along the way, considering it as eliminating harm to the people.

Don’t underestimate these pests; commoners are even more vulnerable. They can’t afford to provoke even such dandies and be bullied.

Emperors wouldn’t send the Golden Dragon Guards to deal with pests like this. So, with idle hands, she decided to take matters into her own hands.

She planned to travel whenever she had free time – to enjoy the scenery and also experience the various aspects of life. The crucial part was eliminating harm for the commoners, creating a win-win situation.

On her journey, she dealt with one group of hooligans after another and found it pretty satisfying.

As she neared home, she put Dong Zhao away, hired a carriage, and sent herself home.

Having been away since June and returning in October, several months had passed. Shopkeeper Niu was distressed because the warehouse was nearly empty. If Qiao Mai didn’t return soon, there would be nothing left to sell.

He is currently collecting some ingredients and having the assistants create dishes. The excellent items are all provided by Qiao Mai.

As soon as she returned, Shopkeeper Niu couldn’t hold back his tears. “Boss, why did you take so long to come back? Everything has been sold out.”

Qiao Mai chuckled. “I planned it that way. Don’t worry; there won’t be a shortage. Later, I’ll bring some people to collect goods from my courtyard.”

“Yes.”

After returning to the backyard, Qiao Mai freshened up and filled the storage room with items.

As soon as she finished, Shopkeeper Niu eagerly arrived with ten assistants.

“Take them. I’ll check the accounts.”

Shopkeeper Niu wiped away tears and happily directed the assistants to move the goods.

Qiao Mai then received a report from the steward about the situation during her absence.

“Mistress, things have been going well at home while you were away. The owner of the clinic came looking for you once. After hearing that you went to the capital, he didn’t return.”

“Anything else?”

“The Jiang family also came once. They heard the young masters went to the capital and didn’t come afterward. On the other hand, the Yuan family from Apricot Blossom Village and the Qiao family from Pear Blossom Village visited a few times. Since you and Mr. Yuan weren’t home, I didn’t let them in.”

“Good. You did the right thing. If we’re not at home, avoid them as much as possible. If you can ignore it, ignore it.”

“Yes, Mistress.”

After resting, Ling’er and Nanny Jin happily came to see her.

“Mother, why were you gone for so long?”

Qiao Mai hugged her. “We needed to establish a home there. Also, I had to arrange things for your grandparents. By the way, settle things here before the New Year. I’ll bring you and Nanny Jin over.”

“We are going to the capital?”

“Yes, in the capital, you can open your store as well. I’ll find you a good location.”

“What about my store here?”

“Lease it out, rent it out, or use it as a warehouse; anything works.”

“Nanny Jin, would you like to go with me?”

Nanny Jin smiled. “Of course. I am your teacher. I’m responsible for teaching you. Wherever you are, I am.”

Qiao Mai looked at their harmonious teacher-student relationship with satisfaction.

“Alright, get ready. We’ll leave in mid-December.”

“Yes!”

After managing the warehouse, Qiao Mai rested for only two days before going to County She.

With a new county governor, whom she didn’t know, she naturally wouldn’t go to the court. Instead, she went directly to the workshop.

The person in charge of the workshop was promoted by Yuan Jiaqi and therefore loyal to them.

However, when he saw Qiao Mai, it seemed like he had some difficult words to say.

“With my husband’s current position, what can’t you say openly?”

The manager pursed his lips. “Boss, the county governor came to me once. He wants to invest in our workshop.”

“Ask him to go wherever he feels comfortable. I have a good business of my own. Why does he want to join in?”

“This year’s income is even better than in previous years. Perhaps he’s envious.”

“Don’t bother with him.”

“I’m worried he’ll make trouble from behind. I heard the new county governor is a bit greedy.”

“No worries. Do what you need to do. I’ll be staying at Tianshui Town until year-end. Send someone to find me if there’s anything.”

“Yes, Boss.”

Accompanied by the manager, Qiao Mai inspected the workshop, took a tour, and then checked the accounts. After that, she rode Dong Zhao around the nearby pine forest.

Next year, the pine nuts could be harvested, adding another source of income.

Qiao Mai summoned Greeny and, while still not frozen, used water from the spiritual river to irrigate all the pine forests again.

This way, the pine trees would grow steadily even in winter. She hoped the remaining five workshops would also start operating next year.

Currently, only five workshops are operating: one producing pine oil, one producing safflower oil, one varnish, and two producing shampoo.

She planned to use two for pine nut processing for the remaining five workshops and think of something else for the other three.

Although quality mattered more than quantity, this place was relatively backward. Mass production of the same thing could lead to overstocking. Everything had to be taken step by step without rushing.

She returned home only after dark. Just as she was about to leave, Greeny reminded her.

“Master, the pine forest in the northwest seems to be on fire?”

Qiao Mai quickly rode Dong Zhao towards the northwest. Upon arrival, she saw billowing smoke. Forest guards were throwing water on the burning pine trees.

She frowned, waved her hand, and instantly made all the smoke and fire disappear.

“Master, the arsonists are trying to sneak in and want to set another fire.”

Qiao Mai’s face turned cold as she rushed in that direction. From a distance, she saw two arsonists holding torches, running and sprinkling flammable liquid as they went.

Qiao Mai sent out two wind blades, knocking them unconscious. Then, she had Greeny splash water from above, thoroughly wetting the area.

The two arsonists were also brought into her space. However, she didn’t rush back; instead, she had Greeny reinspect all the pine forests.

After confirming there were no hidden dangers, she directly entered the space.

Using a ruthless method, she extracted information from the two assailants. The county governor’s advisor sent them.

The reason? Because the manager didn’t agree to let him invest in their workshop.

A seventh-ranked minor official trying to get involved with the workshop of a first-ranked official’s family was audacious.

If not for someone backing him up, he might be eyeing the Qiao family’s industries.

Everyone was scheming against her. Qiao Mai sneered, ordered Greeny to deal with the two bodies, and then flashed out of the space.

This time, she used her wings and flew to the county government office. After a brief inspection inside, she couldn’t find the county governor. She then went to his residence but found no trace of him.

Qiao Mai found him in the largest restaurant, dining with wealthy and influential figures in the county. His advisor sat beside him.

Surprisingly, among the people at the table, she recognized Miss Qu’s father, whom she had met once at her home. Having an excellent memory, she identified him.

“Sir, Mr. Yuan has been promoted and is now a first-rank minister in the capital. We can’t afford to provoke him.”

“No worries. At most, he has the backing of the Duke, his in-law. Behind me, there’s the Second Prince. If we work together, we can take over his workshop.”

“I heard the workshop made ten thousand taels of silver in the past half-year.

If it continues, it’ll be a considerable income.’

“Yes, as the pine forest continues to grow, their workshop will expand further. Right now, it’s just ten thousand taels, but in the future, it could be a hundred thousand or two hundred thousand taels annually.”

“Yes, we must seize the workshop. Even her pine forest cannot be spared.”

“The pine forest is tricky. I heard that all the procedures were completed when Mr. Yuan was in charge. He reported everything to higher authorities, handed over the silver bills, and even submitted it to the imperial court. The magistrate also passed all these documents to the court. It’s not easy to alter now.”

“Rest assured. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. We have the Second Prince supporting us..”

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