Once the two women left, the men settled back into their chairs. Guo Li Xiang gestured for the servants to pour them new cups of tea. “This lowly one hopes the imperial prince forgives him for his inability to properly receive his Highness.”

“Please rest easy! It was I who rudely stopped by unannounced,” Li Wei Sheng replied, politely raising his cup to them before he took a sip. “You were gracious enough to receive me. Since I’m returning to the imperial city after a long time, I thought I’d stop by an old friend’s place.”

“This lowly one thanks the imperial prince for his kind words! It was I who had the pleasure of being a subordinate to the brave and skilled imperial prince.” Guo Li Wei spoke up, raising his cup to Li Wei Sheng respectfully. “If it was not for the commander’s graciousness, this lowly one would not have been able to return home to help his family through these hard times.”

Li Wei Sheng gave a light laugh. The bright expression lit up his young and handsome face, and the yatou who happened to see it all gave a swooning sigh. “This one can no longer be called commander! It’s been awhile since I’ve left the military for a court official position.” Although Li Wei Sheng was a great deal younger than either Guo Li Xiang or Guo Li Wei, his ranking as an imperial prince had caused him to have to be skilled in many things from a young age. Thus, he had entered the military at only fourteen and been in numerous battles before retiring in his nineteenth year. Now two years later, he was skillfully learning about the official courts and drama of court politics while being set to return to the imperial city this year. 

“This lowly one has heard about the imperial prince’s journey travelling around Chu country. Helping to deal with conflict in the eastern provinces, the Emperor must trust the imperial prince greatly! This lowly one guesses that the Emperor shall bestow a great position to the imperial prince upon his return to the imperial city.” Guo Li Xiang said observingly. Although Fuo Lan was a great ways away from the imperial city, Guo Li Xiang often heard many things in his line of work because merchants travelled quite a bit for their trade.

“This one thanks Guo Li Xiang for his kind words,” Li Wei Sheng said with a nod of appreciation. “It is unfortunate that while hoping to visit an old friend, I encountered the Guo family to be under such a precarious situation. Having heard about the kidnapping of one’s younger brother and sister-in-law, this imperial prince hopes to help in any way that he can.”

Guo Li Wei’s eyes shined with emotion. The older man dropped to his knees, giving Li Wei Sheng a bow of the utmost respect. “This lowly one thanks the imperial prince for his kindness!”

The three men spoke some more as Guo Li Xiang and Guo Li Wei recounted most of what they knew to Li Wei Sheng. They had showed him the ransom letters as well. After a long while of discussing, Li Wei Sheng decided it was time to excuse himself for the day. He was seen out of the Guo manor by both men as he stepped into his carriage and set off for a manor he had rented while staying in Fuo Lan. As Li Wei Sheng entered the residence, he shed his amicable appearance. His dark eyes sharpened, and the smile fell from his face as he strolled through the courtyard, stopping at a pavilion overlooking the residence. A black clothed guard quietly made his appearance, slinking out of a tree’s shadow. “Tell me what you’re thinking about, Shan Yu.” Li Wei Sheng’s low voice was quiet.

The hidden guard crossed an arm over his chest while kneeling, bowing his head in respect before his master. “This lowly one suggests master to be careful around Su Jing Fei.”

Li Wei Sheng raised an eyebrow, giving his hidden guard a curious glance. “Oh? This imperial prince should be afraid of a xiaojie who hasn’t even reached marriageable age yet?”

The hidden guard, Shan Yu, lowered his head. “There is something strange about Su Jing Fei. She has no martial arts skills, yet she possesses the ability to perceive my presence. Her eyes were pinned right to my location, both when she had saved the young Guo family master and just now when she had met master.”  

“You’re thinking too much of it, Shan Yu.” Li Wei Sheng replied, contemplating the young xiaojie for a moment. She hadn’t acted any different than any other xiaojie in his presence, but hearing Shan Yu’s observations and the Guo family’s praises for her, Li Wei Sheng was curious if she was as sharp and intelligent as they said. However, his mind soon became occupied with more important matters, such as the kidnapping of Guo Li Wei and his wife. Li Wei Sheng felt a bit guilty for lying to Guo Li Wei and Guo Li Xiang, but his true motive for entering Fuo Lan was not to visit an old friend; instead, it was for a secret mission entrusted to him by the Emperor. For the past year, he’d been visiting the outer cities in Chu country, digging up all the corruption of those lower ranked officials residing there. This time, his motive for entering Fuo Lan was the same. There had been rumors of a slave trading black market business hidden in Fuo Lan, and the same rumors named a few ranking officials as the head of it. Thus, he originally had a few of his hidden guard keep an eye on the comings and goings of suspicious individuals in Fuo Lan. Little did he know that he’d stumble upon a kidnapping! “Are you sure you saw where the kidnappers had taken Guo Li Wei and his wife?”

“Yes,” Shan Yu confidently replied. “This lowly one definitely saw the kidnappers take Guo Li Wei and his wife back to Fuo Lan. However, one was unable to follow them as one was unfamiliar with the layout of Fuo Lan. Thus, they had escaped. Please forgive this lowly one for his incompetence!”

“At ease,” Li Wei Sheng said with a wave of his hand. “We’ll find them and also lure out the corruption in Fuo Lan at the same time.” A devilish grin appeared on the handsome face, turning the usually kind-looking man into a roguish character.

Back in Mudan-yu, Su Jing Fei was seated in a small garden while the three yatou kept her company. The three older women had decided to stay and serve as Su Jing Fei’s yatou. Yize kept a close distance to Su Jing Fei, hoping to be a comforting presence as her master learned about the Da Furen’s last days at Mudan-yu. However, after telling everything, Su Jing Fei continued to ask about Mudan-yu after her mother’s death which surprised everyone. “Who took care of Mudan-yu after my mother passed?”

“We don’t really know,” confessed Dongfan with a small sigh. “After the Furen passed away, all the servants were either sold off or killed. Luckily, Mu Tan came back to save this lowly one along with Xiao Chen’s grandmother. But returning to Mudan-yu now, this lowly one does not recognize any of the new servants.”

“That’s alright,” Su Jing Fei replied with a comforting smile. “The important thing is to find my sister. Everything else can be dealt with later.” Su Jing Fei was pretty sure she knew who had a hand in cleaning up Mudan-yu. The only one who had the authority to do it was her father, Right Prime Minister Su Xuan Mo. Whether he knew or not about her mother’s situation, her father was certainly a guilty party.

The three yatou felt the imposing aura of their da xiaojie and saw the icy coldness in her faraway gaze. The young woman’s expression was eerily calm while her posture was refined with a tall straight back and carefully folded hands. They sat in silence while their xiaojie seemed in deep contemplation. However, suddenly, Su Jing Fei spoke in a clear voice. “Today, we’ll go out. Yize and Xiao Chen will accompany me to view the businesses my mother had purchased before her passing. Mu Tan and Dongfan, please stay in Mudan-yu and see if you can find some reliable help for the residence.”

“Yes, these lowly ones will do as da xiaojie commands!” The yatou bowed respectfully.

Su Jing Fei wasted no more time and left the manor with Yize and Xiao Chen in tow. Si Qiang came along as a countermeasure to trouble, for the streets of Fuo Lan were quite busy and hectic. Their first stop was one of three stores her mother had business contracts for. It was a small clothing shop situated in a busy downtown street. Si Qiang had to park the carriage a bit away, so Su Jing Fei did a bit of walking before reaching the shop. Once she reached the front doors, a woman hurriedly rushed over to greet them.

“Welcome to Lanhua! We have anything you’ll ever need in terms of clothing. Can I help the beautiful young xiaojie with finding something?” The shopkeeper lathered on the praise, her eyes shining with the ability to profit off of Su Jing Fei. From a moment’s glance, the woman had been able to tell the young woman was of noble status with the quality of the clothing and accessories she wore.

“Yes, I’m looking for very specific types of clothing.” Su Jing Fei said with a pleasant smile, walking further into the store as she glanced at its contents. The store was on the smaller end, and the materials looked to be cheap, lacking the luster of more high quality cloths. “I’m looking for a gift for my cousin. His birthday is coming soon, and I hope to get him something he likes.” Yize and Xiao Chen were surprised at their xiaojie’s words, but impressed at the way the lies left her lips without even a flicker of hesitation.

“Ah, yes, well…” The shopkeeper looked happy at the prospect of Su Jing Fei purchasing something, but kept glancing nervously at the back of the store. Suddenly, the shopkeeper moved closer to Su Jing Fei as though to whisper something secretly to her. “If xiaojie does not mind, this lowly one shall bring xiaojie to the back of the store where our most high quality products are kept.”

Su Jing Fei quirked an eyebrow, as though genuinely interested at the shopkeeper’s words. “Oh? Then wait no further, this xiaojie will go see them then.”

“Yes, however unfortunately, there is a small fee to view such products…”

“A fee? Of how much?”

“It’s only a small fee of twenty silver taels! However, this lowly one definitely promises that xiaojie will not regret it as the items are high quality materials from Xinyi!” The shopkeeper spoke quickly and eagerly.

Su Jing Fei almost laughed. Twenty silver taels to merely see something! This shopkeeper was almost as bad as the swindlers of gambling houses. However, Su Jing Fei didn’t hesitate, gesturing for Yize to pay the shopkeeper. The young yatou reluctantly paid the shopkeeper, unsure of why her xiaojie was falling for such schemes. Xiao Chen almost spoke up, but she caught her xiaojie’s look and saw the calm in her eyes; thus, she knew her xiaojie was well aware of what was happening, so she remained quiet and played along.

“This lowly one thanks xiaojie for her patronage!” The shopkeeper remarked happily, tucking the taels into her purse as she led them towards the back of the store.

Once at the back of the store, there was a small private viewing room where materials were hung to showcase their beautiful patterns and lustrous look. Su Jing Fei had expected a lot more; however, there seemed to be only a few high quality materials in the back. She furrowed her brows. “This is it?”

The shopkeeper huffed her chest, looking offended by Su Jing Fei’s question. “This is high quality material from Xinyi! You can’t get it anywhere else in Fuo Lan! Our owner has great ties with traders from Xinyi and are a very big and powerful family in Fuo Lan, so xiaojie should be careful about what she says!”

Su Jing Fei raised an eyebrow at the shopkeeper’s sudden haughtiness. “Oh, and who, may I ask, might be the owners of this establishment?”

“Why, the Feng family of course! The city lord himself supports this establishment!” The shopkeeper spoke proudly, but was caught off guard at the look from Su Jing Fei at the mention of the Feng family. The young lady’s soft features sharpened into a dark gaze, her eyes staring coldly in the shopkeeper’s direction. However, the imposing expression was only for a brief moment before Su Jing Fei turned away. The shopkeeper breathed a sigh of relief at the reprieve.

“Funny you should say so,” Su Jing Fei’s calm voice spoke. There was no humor in her tone however. “It seems that the shopkeeper is mistaken, for it is not the Feng family who owns this business, but the Su family.”

Upon hearing the surname ‘Su,’ the shopkeeper froze in fear. She hadn’t heard that name in years! Not since the original shop owners had been replaced by her who had originally worked for one of the Feng family’s shops. It couldn’t possibly be…!

Su Jing Fei calmly presented the business contract in her hands. “Under this contract, it clearly states that this business belongs to my mother, the Da Furen of the Su family. However, upon her passing, ownership rights fall to me, Su Jing Fei, the da xiaojie of the Right Prime Minister Su Xuan Mo’s family.” With a smile, Su Jing Fei held up another piece of paper. “I believe these are also the land rights for this property.”

The property deed! The shopkeeper knew that Su Jing Fei was telling the truth, but how could she accept it? After the store had been granted to her by the Feng family, they couldn’t find the business contract or the property deed and had resorted to forging the papers. The Feng family were the city lord’s family, so there hadn’t been much trouble. However, if the original papers were to appear and a challenge was made about the authenticity of the contract and property deed, Su Jing Fei had the winning hand! No matter what, the shopkeeper knew she could not allow for Su Jing Fei to go to the city justice’s office or else she’d be in trouble! The Feng family would definitely not save her, and she’d most definitely be hanged for her crimes if the Feng family placed all the blame on her! Suddenly, the shopkeeper rushed forward, attempting to steal the documents from Su Jing Fei’s hands. But it was a foolish action, and Su Jing Fei grabbed the woman’s wrist with one of her hands and twisted under their arms to put the shopkeeper in a incapacitating hold. Su Jing Fei did not know martial arts, but she had learned a bit of self-defense back in the modern world. For a young and relatively weak body, this move would help subdue a stronger opponent by utilizing the enemy’s movement against themselves. With the barest pressure of Su Jing Fei’s weight against the shopkeeper’s twisted arm behind her back, the older woman cried out in pain and fell to her knees. In the brief moment of attack, Yize and Xiao Chen had been to slow to react, but they moved quickly to their xiaojie’s side to help her subdue the woman after getting over the initial shock.

“You dare to attack the da xiaojie of the Su family? Do you have a death wish?” Su Jing Fei asked coldly.

“This lowly one is dead either way! I only followed the Feng family’s orders so that my family could be provided for!” The shopkeeper cried fearfully. “Please spare this lowly one with xiaojie’s mercy!” The older woman was surprised as Su Jing Fei let go of her grip, allowing for her to scramble away and press her back against the wall, watching the xiaojie with fearful eyes. What a frightening young lady! The shopkeeper had never encountered someone so young yet so imposing!

“I have no need for your life,” spoke Su Jing Fei, no longer faking the naivety from earlier. The shopkeeper could see how sharp those dark eyes really were, and she shivered fearfully. “Where are the forged deeds from the Feng family?”

“In their residence! They don’t keep it here!” The shopkeeper answered quickly, afraid that Su Jing Fei would think she was lying. “They have never given a copy to keep at the store, but there is a copy at the city justice’s office!”

Su Jing Fei nodded; she figured as much. If the Feng family had the means to easily enter and do as they pleased at Mudan-yu, they must’ve been keeping watch over her mother for awhile. Thus, they would have seen her mother purchase these properties and would hope to seize them for their own. She didn't know how far the extent of the Feng family's influence reached, but it seemed like not all the nobles of Fuo Lan were in the Feng family's hands; judging by how fearful the shopkeeper was at Su Jing Fei going to the city justice's office, she would certainly have to pay a visit to the city justice official one of these days.

After observing the shop clearly, it seemed the Feng family really didn’t care for the maintenance of the shops they had seized from her mother because the shopkeeper very clearly lined her own pockets with extra money. What was one small business to them when they were the wealthy city lord’s family? But these businesses were important to Su Jing Fei. Firstly, it was because her mother had left them to her for safekeeping in means of providing for her younger siblings. Secondly, Su Jing Fei knew she could not count on the small allowance provided by the Su family to be able to help her live comfortably in the countryside; thus, owning businesses would help her make some extra income to supplement the allowance.

“Take the twenty silver taels I gave you as severance pay,” Su Jing Fei said as she turned to place the deeds back into the box in Xiao Chen’s hands. “This one also recommends that you leave Fuo Lan unless you wish to be implicated with the Feng family when their time to repay their debts is due.”

The shopkeeper was shocked at this xiaojie’s great words. How was this young unranked xiaojie going to cause the fall of a great family such as the Feng family? However, she remembered that this was the da xiaojie of the Right Prime Minister Su Xuan Mo’s family, and even though the city lord had extensive power in Fuo Lan, the Right Prime Minister was a presence that held vastly more power and rank. With such a backing, Su Jing Fei surely couldn’t lose! Thus, the shopkeeper heeded Su Jing Fei’s words and was already planning on getting out of Fuo Lan sooner rather than later! However, Su Jing Fei was not done with her and asked her a few more questions about the previous owners of the business.

“They were threatened with death, and being unable to go against the city lord’s power, the previous owners could only submit to losing their businesses as opposed to having their entire families killed off.” The shopkeeper responded truthfully. “All have left Fuo Lan since.”

Su Jing Fei sighed. She knew it would not be an easy path to take back the businesses, but now she also had to find new managers for all of them. Luckily there were only three; this clothing shop, a jewelry store, and a small medicine shop. Su Jing Fei had her work cut out for her. By the end of the day, she’d fired the current managers of all three businesses, keeping the regular working staff who had no real connections with the Feng family. She spent a full day observing each store's workers, choosing the most experienced and hardworking ones to be the new interim managers. By the time she’d finished what she’d set out to do, the sun was already setting below the horizon, and it was time to return to Mudan-yu.

Su Jing Fei knew that going against a city lord would be troublesome, especially since she was a mere unranked di daughter. However, she was still the da xiaojie of a high-ranking noble, and so she knew she could wave around some of her power without worrying about backlash from the Feng family. These businesses in particular were one of the things she could take back immediately, but there were other things she would have to plan for. Her days were looking busier and busier, and Su Jing Fei just hoped that in this big city of Fuo Lan, she’d be able to find her younger sister soon. Only then would she be able to continue her plan to destroy the entire Feng family, including the hateful Feng Ruo Qiang!