Chapter 33: Turning to Banditry

Ziling looked around nervously.

Gu Yunfeng held her hand and asked, "How big of a shop do you want to buy?"

Ziling was a bit clueless.

She had no idea about the value of these shops.

She casually pointed to a shop.

"How much would that shop cost?" she asked.

"Approximately thirty thousand taels," he replied, pausing for a moment before adding, "They might not be willing to sell."

"So expensive?"

"How big of a shop do you want?"

"About twice the size of that one."

"..."

"What kind of business do you want to run?" Gu Yunfeng asked curiously.

"Selling charcoal."

"..."

Gu Yunfeng facepalmed.

When she left the palace earlier, she specifically mentioned wanting to go to a street favored by young ladies and noblewomen. Obviously, she intended to do business catering to their tastes. He had guessed that the shop might sell luxurious fabrics, rouge, and jewelry, things that young ladies liked. He never expected her to plan on selling charcoal.

"Can't you open a more conventional shop?" Gu Yunfeng said.

Ziling looked at Gu Yunfeng.

How was her shop not normal?

As a normal person, could she not open an unconventional shop?

Clearly, he was biased against her.

Blinking her eyes, Ziling said, "They gave me so much charcoal. You alone can't use it all. Are you reluctant to let me sell it?"

Gu Yunfeng "..."

"If you're reluctant, I'll leave it all to you."

That's how easygoing she was.

"I support you selling charcoal," Gu Yunfeng decisively said.

Ziling "..."

He changed his mind so quickly.

Big brother, can't you have some principles?

After walking a few steps forward, Ziling asked, "You should have a shop, right?"

Gu Yunfeng looked at her.

"You're not going to rob me of my money and then have your eyes on my shop, are you?"

Ziling chuckled and said, "It seems that you not only have a shop but also mentally prepared for me to rob it. I can't let you off if I don't rob it."

"Come on, let's go and see your shop first."

Gu Yunfeng "..."

Ziling pulled Gu Yunfeng forward, attracting the attention and whispers of many onlookers.

After about half a stick of incense worth of time, Gu Yunfeng stopped, and Ziling couldn't pull him any further.

She turned her head and said, "We're here," Gu Yunfeng said.

Ziling glanced and saw an elegant study.

Qianqian said, "This location is good, the shop is also spacious, just perfect for you to sell charcoal, miss."

Gu Yunfeng felt completely powerless.

Ziling patted her chest and asked, "How profitable is this shop of yours?"

"Ten thousand taels a year," Gu Yunfeng said.

Ziling pondered for a moment.

Qianqian said, "Miss, charcoal is not valuable. We wouldn't earn ten thousand taels even if we sold charcoal for two years. It's better to let Master earn money. We can rob him of five thousand taels every year, so we won't have to work hard, and we can still leave him with five thousand taels. It's a win-win situation."

Ziling remained silent.

Gu Yunfeng remained silent.

Qianqian's win-win situation was impressive!

The face of a lord who was constantly taken advantage of every year turned black.

"What about the charcoal?" Ziling asked.

Qianqian let out a cry.

Confusion appeared on her delicate face.

Her small face frowned like a bun. The girl bought the shop just to sell charcoal.

But no matter how she calculated it, the more she sold, the more she felt at a loss.

Seeing Ziling's silence.

Gu Yunfeng asked, "Have you given up on selling charcoal?"

In his opinion, such a thought should never have occurred.

"I'm not so easily giving up," Ziling said.

"Hmm?"

"I plan to buy the neighboring shop."

"..."

She's really stubborn.

But at least she was willing to listen to advice.

"If you insist on buying a shop, you might as well use the study," Gu Yunfeng said.

"I want your study too," Ziling said seriously.

Gu Yunfeng...

His brows knitted tightly.

"What exactly do you want to do?" he asked.

Ziling looked at him.

Sighing.

Originally, she planned to open a medicine shop.

Who would have thought that on her way to buying the shop, she casually said something on the street, and everyone humiliated her by sending so much charcoal.

Looking at those charcoal, she had decided at that moment how to regain her lost face.

The money was only enough to open one shop.

Between opening a medicine shop and regaining her dignity, she chose to save face.

Now, knowing that Gu Yunfeng had a study and wasn't making much money, she decided to open the medicine shop as well.

The two shops were next to each other, so they could complement each other.

Gu Yunfeng understood Ziling's process and thoughts.

He had a frustrated expression.

"You're changing too quickly," he said.

"I didn't want to. It's just that my plans couldn't keep up with the changes. When you lose face, you have to pick it up, right?" Ziling sighed.

Qianqian looked confused and didn't fully understand Ziling's words.

But she knew the key point.

The money wasn't enough.

For such a large shop, they would need at least sixty thousand taels.

Even if they counted the gold, it wouldn't be enough, not to mention the expenses of running the shop.

"Shouldn't we go ask Lord Hou?" Qianqian suggested.

Ziling firmly disagreed.

"How about borrowing from the Emperor?" Qianqian suggested again.

Ziling...

Gu Yunfeng: "..."

This maid is not ordinary. She treats the emperor as an acquaintance and even dares to ask for money.

Ziling holds her forehead and says, "Let's think of something reliable."

If we can't ask Marquis Jingguo for money and we can't borrow from the emperor, and my brother-in-law doesn't have any money left...

Then the only option is—"Miss, let's rob the son of Marquis Jingguo and his companions. They must have money," Qianqian's eyes gleam.

Ziling: "..."

Gu Yunfeng: "..."

"That's not a bad idea," Ziling says.

There's another person who agrees with her.

Ziling looks at Gu Yunfeng in surprise.

He couldn't have been influenced by Qianqian, this bandit maid, could he?

With their approval, Qianqian smiles brightly and says, "I'll go invite them over."

Before the words even finish, she's already running off.

This maid has a knack for robbery.

Just as Xiao Che and the others step out of the bookstore, Qianqian blocks their way.

"My lady and my brother-in-law have something to discuss with you," she says, panting.

Xiao Che fans himself with a jade fan and asks, "What's so urgent that my lady and my brother-in-law need to find us?"

"To rob you," she replies.

The son of Beiji Marquis chuckles.

"This maid has quite a sense of humor."

The Prince of Nan'an can't help but smile and teases Qianqian, "Do you inform others before robbing them in Qingyun Mountain's Feihu Village? Do you give them time to run?"

Qianqian doesn't know they're teasing her.

She earnestly says, "In Feihu Village, we inform acquaintances before robbing them. It's called showing courtesy before using force. For strangers, we just rob them directly. It's called a quick and decisive battle. As long as it's someone we want to rob from Feihu Village, not a single person has escaped. Even if we tell you, we're not afraid."

"Feihu Village is indeed impressive," praises the Prince of Nan'an.

The young master of the Duke of Dingguo's residence laughs and says, "It's better to have acquaintances. They receive better treatment."

"Let's go and see."

"We must go and see. We've grown up without being robbed."

"Haha! Should we say we willingly walked into the tiger's den?"

The group walks forward confidently.

Ziling furrows her eyebrows when she sees them approaching with smiles.

When Qianqian arrives, she asks, "Didn't you tell them that I wanted to rob them?"

"I did tell them, but they're still so happy about it. It's different from the people we've robbed before," Qianqian says.

Xiao Che: "..."

The Prince of Nan'an: "..."

The son of Beiji Marquis: "..."

The young master of the Duke of Dingguo's residence: "..."

Is that so?

They really came here knowing we were going to rob them?!

Xiao Che looks at Gu Yunfeng strangely and says, "Are you really resorting to robbery like this?"

"My wife wants to buy a charcoal shop, and she asked each of you for ten thousand taels. It can't be less, only more," Gu Yunfeng says.

Xiao Che stares at Gu Yunfeng for a while, speechless.

Then... He looked at the Prince of Nan'an County and said, "It's my older brother's first robbery. How about us, being brothers, support him instead of resisting?"

Gu Yunfeng: "..."

Prince of Nan'an County: "..."

Heir of Beiji Marquis: "..."

Young Master of Duke Dingguo's Mansion: "..."