Chapter 83: Fifty-Two Thousand Taels and Four Boxes of Deceit

After selling the bookstores, Wei Lan returned to the residence with the silver notes.

Lu Zijin hadn’t come back yet, so Wei Lan put the notes on the table and had someone prepare water for a bath.

By the time she had finished bathing and come out, Lu Zijin had also returned.

“Wife, how did things go on your end?”

Wei Lan asked as she dried her wet hair.

“All three sweet soup shops have been sold.

They brought in twenty-four thousand taels.”

The Lu family’s sweet soup shops were each about ninety square meters, so the selling price wasn’t as high as the bookstores.

“I sold the bookstores too.

Four bookstores for a total of fifty-two thousand taels.”

Wei Lan blinked at Lu Zijin and smiled.

“I heard you sold the bookstores to Chen Zhou?”

“Mm.

My bottom line was forty thousand taels, but since I was selling to Chen Zhou, I naturally wanted to make a little more.”

Wei Lan’s eyes shone brightly as she smiled, then she continued.

“Before we leave, I want to give Chen Zhou a big gift.

When we get to the northern border and the court comes looking for someone to catch, they’ll naturally go after Chen Zhou and his family.

After all, he is our cousin.”

 

Lu Zijin was amused.

She knew it.

Her own Qianjun hated Chen Zhou so much; how could she possibly be nice to him?

So she was waiting for him at this step.

“You and your clever ideas.

In a few more days, all the miscellaneous shops will be sold.

We also have quite a few farmsteads and fields on the outskirts.

The farmsteads are easy to deal with, but selling all the fields at once might arouse suspicion.”

Lu Zijin sat at the table, drank a cup of tea, and thought aloud.

“Indeed.

We can sell the fields after we leave.

For the farmsteads, we can focus on selling them in the next few days.

We’ll say we’ve taken on a large number of cloth orders and haven’t been able to gather the silver quickly, so we’re selling off the unused farmsteads on the outskirts.”

Wei Lan switched to another cloth and continued drying her hair.

“Mm.

That will have to do.”

Lu Zijin nodded.

 

Wei Lan dried her hair and wanted to snuggle up to Lu Zijin.

Lu Zijin saw what Wei Lan was up to and reached out to hug her little dog.

“Wife, I just bathed.

Smell me.

Do I smell good?”

Wei Lan nuzzled against Lu Zijin, her eyes shining as she looked at her.

 

Lu Zijin leaned in and bit Wei Lan’s lip, laughing softly.

“You do.

My little dog smells the best.”

 

Being praised by her wife made Wei Lan very happy.

She quickly handed over the silver notes from the bookstore sale.

“Wife, here are the silver notes from the bookstores.

Keep them safe.”

“Alright.”

Lu Zijin took the notes, leaned in, and kissed Wei Lan’s lips.

Wei Lan was overjoyed, like a little dog being praised by its owner.

 

Lu Zijin put the notes into a small lockable box.

Inside was a thick stack of silver notes.

 

Wei Lan stood behind Lu Zijin, wrapping her arms around her wife’s waist and looking at the small box, her expression one of shock.

Truly worthy of being her wife.

With so many silver notes, she was a real rich heiress.

 

The two had dinner, then Lu Zijin went to bathe.

Wei Lan rolled around on the bed, anxiously waiting for her wife.

 

When Lu Zijin came out, she saw Wei Lan looking at her with shining eyes.

 

Lu Zijin raised an eyebrow at Wei Lan and deliberately teased her.

“What mischief are you thinking of now?”

“None.

I missed you.”

Wei Lan hugged the blanket and took a deep breath.

They had been so busy these past few days, they hadn’t had a chance to deepen their emotional connection.

 

Lu Zijin knew her little Qiankun very well.

Wei Lan’s eyes were practically glued to her.

She knew exactly what kind of mischief the little dog wanted to do.

 

But Lu Zijin didn’t call her out on it.

She quickly dried her hair, got into bed, and was promptly pounced on by the little dog.

 

Lu Zijin was amused.

“Slow down.

It’s not like I won’t let you touch me.

What’s the hurry?”

 

Every time, her little Qiankun was like this.

When she wasn’t allowed to touch, she got anxious.

When she was allowed, she couldn’t handle it.

“I like you, wife.”

Wei Lan acted spoiled as she kissed her.

 

Lu Zijin let Wei Lan kiss her, even reaching out to pinch and play with Wei Lan’s gland opening.

Sure enough, before long, Wei Lan went limp in Lu Zijin’s arms.

 

She nuzzled against Lu Zijin, acting spoiled.

“Wife, don’t use up all my pheromones.

I won’t have any strength left.”

 

Lu Zijin smiled and shook her head.

“Alright.

I won’t touch it.

You continue.”

“No, I’m tired.

Let me rest a moment, then I’ll continue.”

Wei Lan said, leaning against Lu Zijin’s chest to rest.

After a good while, she propped herself up slightly and kissed her again.

 

This time, Lu Zijin didn’t dare touch Wei Lan’s gland opening, afraid that her little Qiankun would later blame her for being unable to perform.

 

Wei Lan kissed her wife as she undid the sashes of her wife’s clothes, wanting to find the little phoenix.

 

Lu Zijin held back her laughter to save face for her little Qiankun.

 

An hour later, Wei Lan was finally satisfied and hugged Lu Zijin, preparing to sleep.

Then she felt her gland opening being bitten by Lu Zijin.

 

Soon, Wei Lan was teary-eyed from the biting, looking at Lu Zijin with grievance.

“Wife, you’re biting me again~”

“Be good.

There’s only a little pheromone left.

Let me get it all out for you.”

Lu Zijin coaxed as she bit down again.

 

Wei Lan hugged her wife and endured the biting, thinking to herself: How did her wife have so much energy?

She was tired.

Wasn’t Lu Zijin tired?

 

In the end, Wei Lan’s gland opening was played with until it was completely deflated, unable to squeeze out another drop of pheromone.

She was so exhausted she fell asleep.

 

Lu Zijin looked at her soft, whiny little Qiankun and smiled, shaking her head.

Her little Qiankun was all bark and no bite.

Every time, she liked to provoke her, and then she couldn’t handle it herself.

 

Lu Zijin hugged Wei Lan, kissed her, then closed her eyes and buried her face in Wei Lan’s chest, preparing to sleep.

 

Over the next few days, Lu Zijin was busy selling off shops and farmsteads.

Wei Lan, meanwhile, acted as if the Lu family was going to make its taverns bigger and stronger, spending every day at the tavern, chatting with the bosses who came to eat, creating the illusion that they were shifting the focus of their business.

 

On the other side, because the Lu family had withdrawn from the bookselling business, Chen Zhou’s shops gradually became profitable again, and there were signs that they were suppressing other small bookstores.

 

Chen Zhou looked at the account books submitted by the various shops, his face full of smiles.

That fool Wei Lan had given such a good money-making opportunity to him.

No wonder she was a waste, incapable of handling serious matters.

“What has Wei Lan been doing these days?”

Chen Zhou asked Su Er beside him.

“Reporting to the young master, Wei Lan has been at the tavern every day.

It seems the Lu family is focusing its energy on taverns, cloth shops, and grain shops.

I heard that to free up silver, they’ve even sold several farmsteads on the outskirts.”

Su Er quickly said.

“Heh, that waste is nothing to fear.

And Lu Zijin, after all, is just a Kunze, her vision too narrow.

She’s even selling off farmsteads.

I think they’re going to lose all their silver.”

Just thinking about it made Chen Zhou very happy.

“Of course, of course.

How could they compare to your well-considered plans?”

Su Er quickly flattered.

 

Another five or six days passed.

Wei Lan and Lu Zijin had all their valuables packed and had already sent a large shipment ahead with a team of guards.

They themselves were leaving tomorrow, ostensibly to go to the capital for business.

 

Before leaving, Wei Lan sent someone to deliver a letter to Xiao Nanyan.

In the letter, she told Xiao Nanyan that she would be away for a while and instructed her not to make a fuss about it, to just act as if they weren’t close.

 

She wasn’t in a position to see Xiao Nanyan now, for fear of implicating her.

Fortunately, she hadn’t gone to Yuyaxuan too frequently, and her ‘Qinglan’ identity hadn’t been exposed, so she shouldn’t bring trouble to Xiao Nanyan.

 

After doing this, Wei Lan had someone buy four boxes of cheap flatbreads, had the servant boys carry them, and went to the Chen residence in a grand manner.

 

When Chen Zhou heard the servant’s announcement, he thought he was hallucinating.

Wei Lan was coming to see him with gifts?

This was like the weasel paying respects to the hen – no good intentions.

“Why is she here?”

Chen Zhou frowned.

“Young master, should we let her in?” the servant asked cautiously.

 

Chen Zhou thought for a moment and decided to let her in.

Wei Lan had finally stopped causing him trouble.

The bookstores were back on track.

Chen Zhou was afraid that if he didn’t let her in, Wei Lan would go crazy at the bookstores.

So he said, “Invite her to the front hall.”

“Yes, young master.”

The servant quickly went to invite her.

 

Soon, the servant ran to the gate, conferred with the guards, and the lead guard made a ‘please’ gesture.

“Boss Wei, please come in.

Our young master invites you.”

“Good.

Bring the things.”

Wei Lan agreed with a smile, not forgetting to have the servant boys carry the boxes.

These things weren’t actually valuable; the boxes included cost less than a tael of silver.

Wei Lan was doing this to solidify the perception that Chen Zhou and they were relatives.

That way, when the court came looking for them later and couldn’t find them, Chen Zhou would be the first to suffer.

 

Just thinking about it made Wei Lan’s smile impossible to hide.

Soon, Wei Lan took a few guards to the front hall.

Chen Zhou was waiting there, drinking tea.

Seeing Wei Lan arrive, even though he was reluctant, he stood up to greet her.

“Why do you have time to come today?”

“Cousin, I hope you are well.

These are a few small gifts I brought.

They’re not much, just a token of my regard.

My wife and I are leaving tomorrow for the capital.

We’ve landed a big cloth order and plan to open a few branches in the capital.

We might develop our business there in the future.

I came to see you before I leave, since we’re family, after all.”

Wei Lan said with a smile, looking very proud and pleased with herself.

 

Chen Zhou gritted his teeth and endured, but still said, “The capital?

The place is full of powerful nobles.

Can a merchant without a solid foundation like you gain a foothold there?”

“Don’t worry about that.

We’ve already greased the wheels.

My friend is the second son of a vice minister in the Ministry of Rites.

He has a lot of influence in the capital.

He’s already found a location for me and even paid the deposit.

With his help, I believe our Lu family cloth shop will definitely succeed in the capital.”

Wei Lan spoke as if she were about to get rich.

 

Chen Zhou glared at Wei Lan, grinding his teeth.

So Wei Lan had come just to show off.

He hated Wei Lan and just wished her massive losses on this trip.

 

Wei Lan sat down and bragged to Chen Zhou for a while longer before leaving with her people, thoroughly satisfied.

 

Chen Zhou was furious.

He grabbed the teacup by his hand and threw it to the ground.

With a loud crash, the porcelain shattered.

The few maidservants in the hall were so frightened they lowered their heads.

Su Er also quickly pretended not to exist.

 

Chen Zhou’s chest heaved as he took a few deep breaths.

Then he said, “Open those four boxes.

Let me see what’s inside.”

“Yes, young master.”

Su Er’s forehead was sweating.

He just hoped Wei Lan wouldn’t provoke their young master any further.

Otherwise, the porcelain in the front hall would probably be destroyed again.

 

Su Er’s palms were sweating as he opened one of the boxes.

He took one look, and Chen Zhou nearly died of rage.

 

Wei Lan had neatly arranged flatbreads in the boxes.

Did he look like he needed flatbreads?

These things were a few coins each.

Four boxes weren’t worth anything.

Wei Lan was trying to kill him with anger.

“Wei Lan, you waste!

I’ll kill you sooner or later!”

With that, Chen Zhou lost control and started smashing the porcelain in the front hall.

 

He didn’t stop until the last vase was smashed.

 

Su Er’s heart bled.

Because Chen Zhou liked to break things, the porcelain in his study and bedroom were relatively cheap.

But the front hall was different; it was a place for receiving guests.

Many of the vases there cost hundreds of taels each, some were antiques.

With this smashing, about ten thousand taels of silver had gone poof.

 

Chen Zhou seemed to realize this too as he calmed down.

His face turned purple with rage.

“Wei Lan, just you wait!

You’re going to pay for this silver!”

 

Su Er looked at Chen Zhou’s expression and asked cautiously, “Young master, what should we do with these four boxes of flatbreads?”

“Take them out and throw them away!

And never let me hear the word ‘flatbread’ again!”

Chen Zhou cursed angrily, then stormed out of the front hall.

 

Su Er thought the flatbreads weren’t bad and couldn’t bear to throw them away.

He had the servants take them down to serve as an extra meal for the household staff that afternoon.

 

Wei Lan, meanwhile, returned to the residence in high spirits.

She was running away with her wife tomorrow.

 

To ensure a comfortable journey, Wei Lan went to inspect the carriages.

Her and Lu Zijin’s carriage was pulled by four horses, with a very large compartment, large enough for her and Lu Zijin to lie down inside.

For safety, Wei Lan had iron plates added to the sides and roof of the carriage, then covered them with old-looking fabric.

From the outside, the carriage looked completely ordinary.

But inside, it was a different world.

 

At the very back was a soft couch big enough for two.

In front of it was a small desk, with fixed benches on either side.

The benches were covered with soft cushions, looking very comfortable.

 

After confirming that the carriage and horses were in good order, Wei Lan returned to Jingchen Courtyard.

 

In the courtyard, Lu Zijin was explaining things to Huang Min, Qing Zhi, and a few other trusted people.

She and Wei Lan were leaving, but the remaining matters were very important and needed capable people to stay behind and handle them.

 

Lu Zijin thought for a long time and finally decided to leave Qianxue behind as well.

The remaining servant boys and maidservants would be dismissed as appropriate.

The rest would wait for Qianxue and the others to finish their tasks and then follow them to the northern border.

 

Of course, Wei Lan and Lu Zijin still had many shadow guards for protection.

Meng Bai and Xi Ye were still with them.

There were also the fifty guards Fan Chuan had sent from the northern border.

With these people escorting them, Wei Lan and Lu Zijin’s safety was very well assured.

 

Wei Lan walked over and asked, “How is it?

Everything arranged?”

 

Lu Zijin nodded.

“Mm, all arranged.

Did you come back from the Chen residence?”

“Mm.

I gave him a big gift.

Cost me nearly a tael of silver.”

Wei Lan’s face was full of smiles as she spoke.

 

Lu Zijin said a few more words to Huang Min, Qianxue, and the others, and they left.

 

After everyone was gone, Lu Zijin asked, “What did you give him?”

“Four boxes of freshly baked flatbreads.

Cheap and filling.

Perfect for him.”

Wei Lan couldn’t help but laugh at herself.

 

Lu Zijin also smiled and shook her head.

Her little dog was obedient in front of her, but outside, she was openly mischievous.

“Wife, I’m going to see Wei Qing.

It’s her first time leaving home at this age.

She must be uneasy.

I’ll go check on her.”

“Alright.”

Lu Zijin nodded.

 

Wei Lan was too tired these days to walk, so she used Lu Zijin’s sedan chair, carried by servant boys to Fuqu Pavilion.

 

When Wei Lan reached Wei Qing’s door, she saw it was open.

Wei Qing was still packing.

She had lived here for quite a while, and now that she was leaving, she felt a bit reluctant.

 

Hearing the noise at the door, Wei Qing quickly looked over.

“Sis?

Why are you here?”

“Just came to check on you.

Don’t be afraid.

Just think of it as our family going on a trip.

How are your things packed?”

Wei Lan asked with a smile.

“All packed.

I’m not worried about anything else, just about Mother.

If she tries to find us again, she might not be able to.”

Wei Qing’s tone was a bit low.

 

Wei Lan comforted her softly.

“If we’re fated to meet again, we will.

Don’t think too much.

Cheer up.”

“Mm.”

Wei Qing looked at her sister, her eyes slightly red.

If it weren’t for her sister, she might have been sold by her father.

Having today was all thanks to her sister, so she would naturally follow her.

 

That night, Wei Lan and Lu Zijin bathed early and lay down.

 

Wei Lan was too excited about the future to sleep.

If her cousin succeeded, she would get to see a female emperor ascend the throne.

 

Lu Zijin, leaning against Wei Lan’s chest, felt the little dog shifting restlessly.

She leaned in and bit Wei Lan’s lip, smiling.

“What are you doing?

Why aren’t you sleeping?”

 

Wei Lan hugged Lu Zijin tighter, nuzzling against her and acting spoiled.

“I was thinking about how spectacular it would be when my cousin becomes the female emperor.”

“You really have that much faith in your cousin.”

Truth be told, even now, Lu Zijin was still a bit scared inside.

There were no guarantees with rebellion.

How could her little dog still be smiling?

“Of course.

My cousin is that capable, with a hundred thousand troops.

She has a good chance of winning.

Besides, she has me.”

 

Wei Lan’s smug expression amused Lu Zijin.

Her little dog was quite confident in herself.

“You really are confident.”

“Naturally.”

Wei Lan hummed and tightened her arms around Lu Zijin.

Apart from being afraid of her wife, she wasn’t afraid of anyone else.

 

Wei Lan held Lu Zijin and slept comfortably.

Unfortunately, the maidservants woke them early.

Just as the sky was beginning to lighten, the servant boys in the residence began loading things.

Wagon after wagon, they loaded many wagons.

 

Lu Zijin hid the iron box containing the silver notes in a hidden compartment under the carriage floor.

A special spot had been left by the craftsman.

After putting the box in, they covered it with a wooden board, then a furry blanket.

It was completely invisible.

 

After this, Wei Lan watched the servant boys load the wagons from the carriage.

By the time the sun was bright, Wei Lan’s Lu family merchant caravan set off from the Lu residence.

The spectacle certainly drew attention, but there was no help for it.

If they left the useful things behind, they would likely be confiscated by the court later.

It was better to just take them.

 

When Wei Lan and the others left the city, the citizens of Panyang were also discussing the matter.

“What’s going on?

Is the Lu residence moving?”

“That can’t be, right?

Their taverns and cloth shops are still open.

Maybe they’re just going on a business trip.”

“Do you need that many servants and maidservants for a business trip?”

“Ah, you don’t understand.

They’re rich.

It’s normal to bring a lot of people.”

“That’s true.”

 

Lu Feng also received this intelligence.

He frowned and asked, “What are Lu Zijin and Wei Lan up to?

Why are they all leaving the city?”

“I heard they’re going to the capital to do business.

But judging by the scale, they might not come back once they’ve established themselves there.”

 

Lu Feng’s expression grew even worse.

Their political achievements were tied to the taxes paid by merchants.

The Lu residence was a major taxpayer.

If they really left, it would affect his career.

But if he sent people to stop them, he wouldn’t have a legitimate reason.

 

Seeing Lu Feng’s expression, the attendant realized he had said something wrong and quickly tried to reassure him.

“This subordinate spoke carelessly.

The Lu family has been in Panyang for so many years.

They’re probably just going on a business trip, not moving away.”

 

Hearing this, Lu Feng finally breathed a small sigh of relief.

 

At the Chen residence, Chen Zhou had sent people to watch the Lu residence early that morning.

Those servant boys had now returned.

“Young master, the Lu residence people have left.

The caravan was really long.

It looked like they cleaned out the entire Lu residence.

Anyway, the line was very long.”

One of the servant boys reported.

 

Chen Zhou knew Wei Lan was leaving; he had been given four boxes of flatbreads just yesterday.

But he hadn’t expected such a long caravan.

“What about the Lu residence itself?

Is anyone still there?”

Chen Zhou asked again.

“Yes, yes.

And their grain shops and taverns are still open.

It doesn’t look like they’re moving.”

 

Chen Zhou nodded.

“You few, keep asking around about the Lu residence these days.

If anything happens, come back and tell me.”

“Yes, young master.”

 

At that moment, many people in Panyang City were thinking the same as Chen Zhou.

Quite a few began keeping an eye on the Lu family, afraid of missing any news they didn’t know.

 

***

 

Five days passed in succession.

Wei Lan and the others had been heading north and were already some distance from Panyang City.

At that moment, Wei Lan was lying with her head on Lu Zijin’s lap, comfortably waiting for her wife to feed her fruit.

 

They had camped in the wilderness last night, but there was a village nearby, so Wei Lan sent someone to buy meat and vegetables to supplement their meal, as well as quite a few apples.

 

Lu Zijin used a knife to peel the apples, cut them into small pieces on a plate, and fed them to Wei Lan with a small skewer.

 

Wei Lan lay on her wife’s lap resting, extremely comfortable.

Having her wife feed her like this, even the gods probably didn’t live as well as she did.

“Open up.”

Lu Zijin skewered another piece and brought it to her lips.

 

Wei Lan opened her mouth and ate the fruit, her eyes shining as she looked at Lu Zijin.

“Wife, you’re so good to me.”

 

Seeing her little Qiankun acting spoiled again, Lu Zijin’s eyes curved.

She reached out and gently pinched Wei Lan’s cheek.

“Who else is going to be good to you, if not me?

You’re my little dog, after all.”

 

Wei Lan nuzzled against Lu Zijin’s lap, extremely happy.

Her wife was so good to her.

She was completely spoiled by her wife.

 

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