Chapter 799: Chapter 335: Return to the Capital (Part 2)
Xiang Wei nodded with a smile: "Good." She used to fear that the young woman wouldn’t be willing to learn, but now that she is, Xiang Wei will certainly give her unwavering support.
Yueyao continued reading and looked up to see Xiang Wei still standing beside her. She waved her hand and said: "Go tend to your own duties. The teacher has given me a box full of poetry collections, and I’m only halfway through." Xiang Wei’s work was also within the courtyard, and with quite a few guards inside and outside the residence, Yueyao wasn’t worried.
Two days later, Xiang Wei received news and walked over to Yueyao with a grave expression: "Young lady, those who abducted you have all been killed." All those Yueyao had interacted with had been silenced, rendering the drawings she made futile.
Yueyao wasn’t surprised by this. Whether she escaped or not, even if she had been delivered to Haikou, these people would still have ended up dead: "What did the Marquis say?"
Xiang Wei sneered: "Even though those people have been silenced, the Marquis has already confirmed that Zhou Shu is the mastermind behind it." The lack of evidence isn’t important; what’s important is that the Marquis has confirmed it. Fortunately, Yueyao previously mentioned that Zhou Shu would abduct her, so their investigation focused on Zhou Shu and his subordinates. Otherwise, in such a large Capital City, finding the mastermind would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Yueyao thought for a moment and asked: "Xiang Wei, does the Marquis have an interest in maritime trade?"
Xiang Wei shook her head and said: "No, the young lady. Marquis Jingning’s Residence holds military power, and with the maritime trade being so profitable, it’s not appropriate for the Marquis’ household to get involved." The household does business in the Capital City, earning tens or even hundreds of thousands annually, which wouldn’t catch the Emperor’s attention since their yearly expenses are already around ten thousand taels of silver. Such income and expenses almost balance each other out. But if they ventured into maritime trade, the profits could skyrocket into millions, which might arouse the Emperor’s suspicion. The foundation of the Marquis’ household is the Emperor’s trust, and compromising that for Haikou’s interests would be too risky for them.
Yueyao was a bit surprised: "I remember Madam invested in maritime trade."
Xiang Wei chuckled: "Madam investing is considered her personal action, and she invested very little." Madam Ping’s stake is her personal business, and her share is minimal; even if everything goes smoothly, she’d earn only tens of thousands yearly. As the household’s managing lady earns some pocket money, who would care?
Yueyao said with some admiration: "The Marquis is very wise." This reasoning holds, but many can’t resist such temptation.
Xiang Wei chuckled: "Young lady, the Marquis is of noble descent; money isn’t something he values greatly."
Yueyao shook her head with a smile: "It’s not that the Marquis disregards wealth; he simply knows what is doable and what isn’t. Moreover, although the Marquis refrains from maritime trade, there are certainly many in the Capital City eager to get involved in it." Maritime trade is hugely profitable. Zhou Shu occupies a significant share, and surely many envy and wish to push him out.
Xiang Wei glanced at Yueyao: "Young lady, many envy him, but carving out a share isn’t easy. Leaving aside how the Zhou Family isn’t easy to deal with, Zhou Shu is no ordinary man." Zhou Shu is not only ruthless in his methods but also intelligent and skilled, a man capable of accomplishing great feats. Of course, without such abilities, Zhou Shu wouldn’t have amassed wealth worth tens of millions.
Yueyao said: "Zhou Shu is just a merchant." In the Great Yuan Dynasty, merchants had a low status, which was Zhou Shu’s inherent flaw, hence he sought ties with the Zhou Family. However, relationships based on interest aren’t genuinely stable.
Xiang Wei said: "Yes, but it will take time."
Yueyao now somewhat regretted not having delved deeper into Zhou Shu’s business before; otherwise, she might have found opportunities. In her past life, she was too aloof: "Where there’s a will, there’s a way. As long as one has intentions, opportunities can always be found."
While they were conversing, someone came in to deliver a letter.
The letter was sent by Mingzhu, and after reading it, Yueyao said to the person who delivered the message: "I will return to the Capital City tomorrow, and once there, I’ll visit your master."
After the person left, Yueyao handed Mingzhu’s letter to Xiang Wei. After reading it, Xiang Wei said with a smile: "This is nothing but a blatant show-off!" One could feel Mingzhu’s immense happiness between the lines of her letter.
Yueyao was also in high spirits: "Would you really wish for her not to be doing well?" Despite Xiang Wei’s frequent cold demeanor towards Mingzhu, and despite often bickering with her, Yueyao knew that Xiang Wei actually cared about Mingzhu.
Xiang Wei smiled and didn’t respond to this: "Young lady, Xi Yu and the others are already packing. We’ll take everything you use back."