The Marquis doesn't support his beloved wife's ambitions, so I'll take the imperial e

Inside the brokerage shop, the abacus beads clicked and clattered.

Manager Zhang praised the shops on Zhuque Street to the skies.

From the auspicious geomantic site of "Dragon Raising Its Head" to the prosperous fortune of "Treasure Basin," he spoke with great enthusiasm.

Jiang Zhenxue listened quietly, without any expression.

"Manager Zhang."

"Oh! Young lady, please speak!"

"I don't believe in feng shui, I only believe in location." Jiang Zhenxue raised her eyes, her gaze clear and sharp, carrying the shrewdness and keenness of a businessman. "Name your price. If it's right, I'll pay on the spot; if not, I'll turn around and leave, without delaying your conversation with other distinguished guests."

Manager Zhang's smile froze.

He had been in this business for half his life and had seen all kinds of buyers, but this was the first time he had ever met a woman who was so straightforward.

"You're so generous, young lady!" He chuckled twice, holding up five fingers. "This amount is five thousand taels of silver, not a penny less! This is only because of your sincerity!"

Jiang Zhenxue smiled upon hearing this. She stood up and straightened her sleeves.

"Show them out," she said calmly to the guards behind her.

"Hey, hey, hey! Miss, don't go!" Manager Zhang exclaimed anxiously, stepping forward to stop her. "The price is negotiable, negotiable! Look, three thousand taels! How about three thousand taels? This is truly the bottom line!"

Jiang Zhenxue didn't stop walking: "Five thousand five hundred taels. I don't want a single coin more."

"Fifteen hundred taels?!" Manager Zhang jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "Miss, this isn't buying a shop, this is robbery! That's Zhuque Street!"

Jiang Zhenxue finally stopped, turned around, and looked at him calmly: "Manager Zhang, that shop used to be a silk shop. We both know why it failed. The location is good, but it can't compete with the established shops owned by imperial merchants and nobles all around. How can outsiders compete? Are they out of their minds?"

"If I buy it, I'll face the same problem. Fifteen hundred taels buys a location, but also a huge problem. I bet I can revive it, and you bet I can settle the cash immediately, saving you all the trouble later. This deal is fair."

His words clearly analyzed all the advantages and disadvantages, leaving Steward Zhang speechless.

Looking at the young woman before him, who was as shrewd as an old fox, he had only one thought in his mind: This woman is not to be trifled with.

Finally, Manager Zhang gritted his teeth and stamped his foot: "Fine! Deal! Consider it making this girl a friend!"

An hour later, Jiang Zhenxue stood in front of the slightly dilapidated two-story building, holding the house and land deeds she had just received.

Zhuque Avenue is bustling with traffic and noise.

She stands here, like a pebble thrown into a chessboard; small, yet enough to stir up ripples across the board.

……

The Ningguo Marquis's Residence.

Xiao Qingyan was working on something on the sand table when he suddenly heard Night Hawk's report from outside the door.

"Come in."

Night Hawk pushed open the door and entered, presenting a rubbing of a house deed with a complicated expression.

"My lord, Miss Jiang... has taken over a shop on Zhuque Street."

Xiao Qingyan shifted his gaze from the sand table to the rubbing, a hint of expected mockery flashing in his eyes.

"She's certainly impatient." He sneered. "I thought she would at least come to my manor to cry and beg me to give her a place to stay."

The night hawk lowered its head, not daring to reply.

Xiao Qingyan tossed the rubbing aside, stood up, and walked to the window.

He knew she was in the capital, and he knew her every move. He deliberately avoided seeing her, wanting to keep her waiting, to temper her arrogance, and to let her know that the capital was not Yunyang County, and without his protection, she would be helpless.

But instead of begging him, she settled down on her own.

This made him feel inexplicably irritated.

"If she likes to cause trouble, then let her cause trouble." Xiao Qingyan's voice was as cold as ice. "I want to see how she can open this shop without my connections."

"Go and keep a close eye on her. Report back to me every single person she met and every word she said."

"Yes." Night Hawk accepted the order.

"Wait a minute," Xiao Qingyan called out to him again.

He remained silent for a long time, seemingly making a difficult decision.

Finally, he took out a heavy sandalwood box from a hidden compartment in his desk and tossed it to Nighthawk.

"Take this to her."

Night Hawk took the box, his heart pounding with surprise. He knew that inside were the Marquis's private assets, accumulated over the years, truly belonging to him.

"My lord, this..."

"Tell her," Xiao Qingyan said, his back to him, his voice unreadable, "that I know she's greedy for money. This is enough for her to live comfortably in the capital. Tell her to take the money and behave herself, and not cause me any trouble."

Nighthawk held the box, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

The Marquis said he wanted to suppress them and curb their arrogance, but what was the meaning behind his act of handing over his entire fortune?

This is not suppression; it is clearly a generous assistance and an unreserved entrustment.

……

Jiang Zhenxue was in her inn room, planning the blueprints for the new shop, when there was a knock on the door.

The newcomer was Nighthawk, dressed in black, expressionless, like a soul-reaping messenger from hell.

He didn't say a word, but simply placed the heavy sandalwood box on the table.

"Miss Jiang, the Marquis has sent me with some things for you." Night Hawk's voice, like his personality, was devoid of warmth.

Jiang Zhenxue's gaze shifted from the blueprints to the box, her brows furrowing slightly.

"What is it?"

She wasn't surprised at all by Xiao Qingyan's arrival.

Nighthawk opened the box.

The candlelight filling the room was instantly overshadowed by the dazzling golden light from the box.

A whole box, neatly stacked gold bars, and at the bottom a thick stack of large-denomination silver notes.

Jiang Zhenxue's breathing paused for a moment.

She loves money, but she has never seen so much money before.

"The Marquis said that you love money, and this should be enough for you to make a living in the capital," Night Hawk repeated expressionlessly.

The surprise on Jiang Zhenxue's face quickly faded, replaced by a cold sneer.

She smiled.

"Go back and tell your master," she raised her eyes and looked directly at Night Hawk, "that my life, Jiang Zhenxue's life, will stand on its own. I don't need his money to secure it. Let him take these things back; I find them disgusting."

It's the same old set again.

Slap me, then give me a sweet treat.

Trying to bribe her with money, humiliating her, what do you take her for?

Night Hawk seemed to have anticipated her reaction. He didn't move, but instead took out something else from his pocket.

It was a small private seal engraved with the two characters "Qingyan".

"My lord has one more thing to say." Night Hawk's voice was even lower, carrying a complex emotion that he himself was unaware of.

He said the box contained the Marquis's money. This seal, however, was his.

He also said, "If one day my entire Xiao family is executed, these will be left to you."