Chapter 34: Money in Place

The Duke of Nan'an County, Beiji Marquis' heir, and the young master of Dingguo Duke's Mansion looked at each other.

When it came to being robbed, such a significant matter required discussion.

"Just surrender without resistance. Does it seem too casual to be robbed like this?"

"What if we resist and Brother Chen faints from spitting blood? Who will take responsibility?"

"..."

"Well then, let's not resist."

The four of them unanimously decided not to resist.

They also decided that each person would be robbed of 12,500 taels of silver, totaling precisely 50,000 taels when combined.

Ziling "..."

Gu Yunfeng "..."

Ziling looked at Gu Yunfeng.

There was a hint of envy in her eyes.

She envied him for having a few good brothers.

Although they were usually a bit rough, they would step up in critical moments. Take Beiji Marquis' heir, for example. Of the 12,500 taels he was robbed, 2,000 taels were borrowed from the Duke of Nan'an County...

Being robbed after borrowing money—Ziling had nothing to say.

The matter of being robbed was settled.

With the money in place, the next step was to buy a shop.

Qianqian couldn't wait to go in and inquire about the price.

However, when passing by Xiao Che, she was stopped by him.

Qianqian looked at him.

"Your master has money, you know?" Xiao Che asked quietly.

"Master has no money," Qianqian replied.

Beiji Marquis' heir laughed. "You don't know about this. He really has money, much more than all of us combined."

"Master really has no money," Qianqian insisted.

"Are you so sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. My master's money was long ago stolen by my young lady. It was over 60,000 taels, even more than all of yours combined," Qianqian said in a crisp voice.

Xiao Che "..."

The Duke of Nan'an County "..."

Beiji Marquis' heir "..."

The young master of Dingguo Duke's Mansion "..."

They watched Qianqian run into the restaurant.

The four of them couldn't believe it.

Even the person sleeping next to you couldn't escape!

They had thought they were all in this together, sharing both blessings and hardships. It turned out that Brother Chen also thought the same—"I thought he was enjoying the ambiance of eating noodles on the street, but it turns out he's just broke and reduced to eating noodles on the street," Xiao Che lamented.

The Duke of Nan'an County patted his shoulder. "Let's consider it enjoying the ambiance. Even if we're broke, we should frequent noodle stalls."

Xiao Che "..."

Inside the restaurant, Qianqian asked the innkeeper how much he was willing to sell it for.

The innkeeper flatly refused.

"Not for sale!"

Qianqian furrowed her eyebrows.

She stared at the innkeeper for a while without saying a word.

She only knows how to rob, not to negotiate. What should she say next?

"Come on, don't delay me with your calculations," the shopkeeper said impatiently.

Qianqian's temper flared up.

With a raised hand, she slammed it directly on the counter, startling the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper called for a servant to throw Qianqian out.

A young servant approached but didn't dare touch Qianqian. Instead, he pulled the shopkeeper into the back room.

"What's the matter?" the shopkeeper asked, annoyed, shaking off the young servant's hand.

The young servant anxiously said, "That maid is a bandit from the Qingyun Mountain Flying Tiger Gang."

The shopkeeper's expression changed.

The young servant recounted the scene of the recent robbery near the restaurant to the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper's brows furrowed, his expression grave.

"Are they trying to kill a monkey to scare the chickens?" he asked, nodding repeatedly.

Even The Duke of Nan'an County was robbed by them, let alone them.

They were planning to buy a shop and sell charcoal. If they bought the neighboring shops as well, their restaurant's business would suffer. Running a charcoal business was dirty and messy, and the restaurant's business would only get worse.

If they were to be pelted with rotten eggs in the middle of the night again, their restaurant would have to close down for good.

At that time, they wouldn't be able to find anyone to take over the restaurant even if they wanted to sell it.

The shopkeeper began to consider his options.

As he left, he overheard Qianqian say to Ziling, "The shopkeeper doesn't want to sell the restaurant. How about we go next door and ask?"

The shopkeeper hurriedly smiled and approached, saying, "It's not that we won't sell, but this restaurant belongs to the owner. Selling such a big establishment is not a decision I, a mere servant, can make. I have already sent a servant to inquire, so please have a cup of tea upstairs. We will have a response shortly."

He displayed an extremely friendly attitude.

Ziling and Gu Yunfeng went upstairs.

They waited for nearly half an hour.

Then the servant returned.

The owner was willing to sell the restaurant.

After a brief and uneventful negotiation without haggling over the price, the shop was sold.

When the shopkeeper was about to name the price, Qianqian looked nervous and said, "Miss, would you like to reconsider? It's not profitable to spend sixty thousand taels on a shop to sell charcoal."

"Although the money was obtained through robbery, it still pains me to spend it."

The shopkeeper's expression froze.

He hadn't even named the price yet!

She struck him so mercilessly!

How could anyone negotiate the price like this?!

After intense internal struggle, the shopkeeper reluctantly accepted the price.

"Sixty thousand taels it is, and we'll take everything in the restaurant with us," the shopkeeper said, wincing.

Ziling "..."

Gu Yunfeng "..."

They made up their minds so quickly?

She had been drinking tea for so long, thinking about bargaining—and now it's a done deal.

With the deed to the abandoned restaurant in hand, Ziling couldn't stop smiling.

When she left the tavern, she was doused with a bucket of cold water.

She and Gu Yunfeng teamed up to rob The Duke of Nan'an County, and news of their deeds spread like wildfire.

Passersby saw them and quickly changed their path.

Ziling: "..."

Gu Yunfeng: "..."

Since leaving the private room, Qianqian felt that something was off.

As they stepped outside, it dawned on her.

She looked at Ziling.

A bewildered expression on her face.

"Miss, why do we have to rob money to buy a shop instead of robbing the shop directly?" Qianqian asked.

The innkeeper and his boss, who were descending the stairs behind them, stumbled and nearly fell down.

They didn't dare to use the main entrance; they ran out of the tavern through the back door, like thieves.

All the things they intended to take were left behind.

Originally, they thought selling for sixty thousand taels was a loss, but now it was clear that these were just ordinary bandits!

The innkeeper, who had always worried about being scolded, received unprecedented praise and was promoted by the boss.

As for the Beiji Marquis's son and his companions, who were robbed and left penniless, they each went back to their respective homes.

Upon returning home, the Beiji Marquis's son received a severe beating from his father.

"Dad, what are you doing? You didn't even give me a heads up before hitting me," the Beiji Marquis's son cried out.

The Beiji Marquis was infuriated.

Even the usually doting Beiji Marquis's wife didn't stop him.

Their own son didn't resist being robbed, and now he borrowed money only to be robbed again. It was enough to drive them crazy!

The Beiji Marquis's son protested, "Wasn't it you who told me to learn from Young Master Xie?"

With a single sentence, the Beiji Marquis was at a loss for words.

He threw the feather duster to the ground.

"Young Master Zhenguo Marquis has already gone astray, and you want to follow suit?!"

"Starting today, I'm deducting three months' allowance from you. Reflect on your actions at home!"

The Beiji Marquis's son: "...!!!"

He relied on his monthly allowance to make a living.

Fortunately, before returning home, they had discussed how to handle being robbed.

He looked at his own father and said, "Dad, Young Master Xie resorted to robbery because he was broke. If your son is broke, he might also be tempted."

Upon hearing this, the Beiji Marquis's wife quickly chimed in, "Our son makes a valid point."

The Beiji Marquis frowned.

In the end, the Beiji Marquis's son's allowance was doubled.

And it wasn't just him.

Xiao Che, The Duke of Nan'an County, and the young masters of Dingguo Duke's Mansion all had their allowances doubled.