Chapter 100

"Right, there's one more thing I almost forgot..."

Mrs. Chen clapped her hands, and the sound of shuffling footsteps approached from a distance.

"May the benefactor be well..."

A soft, tender voice greeted me.

Only then did I see the main act of the day. The older woman I had brought over had changed into a luxurious dress and adorned herself with some accessories, transforming her appearance so much that it was almost unrecognizable, leaving me momentarily stunned by her beauty.

Compared to Mrs. Chen's upright and cheerful demeanor, she was in the prime of her life, with a face like a peach blossom and a figure as graceful as a willow, her skin well-maintained, making one forget her age.

"May the young master be well..."

Then, a lighter, softer voice spoke timidly.

However, I didn't see the person who spoke. After searching for a while, I found that it was the daughter, shyly hiding behind her mother, only revealing the hem of her dress and the edge of her sleeve, her greeting as soft as a kitten's meow.

There was a softness that made one want to protect her, yet also a feeling of wanting to bully her mercilessly.

The stark contrast in my perception made me want to exclaim, "Women are truly unpredictable creatures," or "I almost didn't recognize you in different clothes," but I held back.

When they were pulled out of the pile of firewood, their bodies and faces were covered in mud and dust, but their natural beauty was still evident, giving off a sense that they should not be easily offended, evoking a desire to cherish and protect them.

However, after changing into their new outfits, their charming and graceful appearance made me feel a mix of regret and impulse, confirming that they were indeed of the level that could bring disaster.

Indeed, to be honest, when I first saw these two, bound and posed in an alluring manner, I did have fleeting thoughts of evil intentions, such as secretly keeping them and playing out scenarios of imprisonment and training, but the guards and attendants were not truly under my control.

However, Mrs. Chen's subsequent introduction soon made me feel somewhat relieved.

"This is Lady Jiaye and Princess Zhenzhu of the Chen clan..."

Mrs. Chen said with a smile.

"They just returned from another county... They didn't expect to encounter bandits in broad daylight in the city."

"Thank you for your assistance, young master..."

"I had my reasons at the time, which I couldn't reveal. Please understand..."

"I am unworthy of such praise..."

From their words, I gathered enough information to understand that they were from the imperial clan of the current dynasty, and the lady was a widow.

Although the imperial clan of the Southern Dynasty had no real power and was more like a mascot, they were still well-treated under the shogunate, allowed to engage in commerce or other professions, and had achieved success in the arts and literature.

Many members of the imperial clan were also arranged by the shogunate to marry into powerful families or foreign domains to strengthen ties between the court and the regions. For example, princesses and county ladies who divorced or became widows and returned to the imperial registry would receive titles like "Lady Jiaye."

These widowed imperial women often possessed substantial dowries or property from their former husbands, making them attractive candidates for remarriage.

Since they were daring enough to be kidnapped in the city and have their captors openly eliminate witnesses, the situation was certainly more complex than they described. However, I didn't want to pry further and risk making enemies. At least I had earned their gratitude and the potential for future favors, which was enough for me.

"Sister, you should thank me for this favor..."

Mrs. Chen, who personally saw me out, left me with a cryptic remark that left me puzzled.

Leaving the Plum Mountain Lodge, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse. Sitting in the clattering carriage, I thought about Mrs. Chen's request and took stock of my current resources.

I suddenly thought of a name.

"Where's Bo Fu?"

"Bo Fu went to the outskirts to gather information..."

Someone answered, and I couldn't help but smile.

Due to his long experience in the underworld, even after coming to Guangzhou, this "fierce bird" continued to mingle with the lower classes during his free time, often returning late at night with the smell of alcohol and cheap perfume, like a night owl.

So, I assigned him a budget to visit various brothels and taverns to "investigate public sentiment" and "expand business," which also served as an additional source of information.

In contrast, Han Liangchen, who came from a regular military background, was much more low-key. Besides daily training and teaching from the military books I collected, he either wrote about his past experiences or practiced martial arts.

I provided him with generous treatment and rewards, but he spent most of his time with the guards and attendants, sharing a common language with them.

In daily activities, it was clear that Feng Juanqi and his team played a more significant role for me. Besides serving as the backbone and soldiers of my private army, they also accompanied me to various events, gaining experience.

As a result, most of them have expressed their willingness to join my privately funded militia, even if it means giving up their original status.

As for Cui Tuzi, he has returned to his old profession, opening a large meat shop and a cooked food store with my support, employing about twenty workers and two unlicensed doctors, secretly dealing in black market medicine, serving as a new peripheral base for my household, and handling the sourcing and disposal of livestock.

Qian Shuining, the head of the porters, has become the leader of the logistics team, assisting the mysterious creature in selecting and managing the newly indentured laborers.

Yan Jiuer, with his experience in horse breeding and riding, has become the only stable manager and riding instructor in the training camp. He doesn't need to be able to charge into battle like a cavalryman; just being able to ride and perform short or medium-range maneuvers is sufficient.

This new team with a strong military flavor has been established, but the original management and reward system of the business is no longer applicable and needs to be restructured.

In contrast, there are the numerous former subordinates of my predecessor, who were brought or recruited from the Western Borneo domain. They make up a significant portion of my various enterprises and are divided into several levels and groups.

The core members are the young men personally selected from the Luo domain, forming the main body of my small private army and the seed of my future military force, though their numbers are currently limited.

The next level consists of the young men from the domain who joined me voluntarily, generally as vassals. Once they gain experience and skills, they are given priority in key positions within the business, making them, in a sense, "my people" from the same hometown, occupying a considerable proportion of the middle and lower ranks.

Then there are the skilled workers, craftsmen, and artisans recruited from various regions, who are considered part of my personal household. They are the main members of the research and manufacturing teams in the workshops, with the smallest numbers but the best treatment.

There are also a significant number of people who have come to me under the banner of being from the same hometown, such as people from other regions of Western Borneo, including descendants of assimilated people and bankrupt domain citizens. They have signed service contracts for twenty to thirty years in exchange for opportunities for their families and descendants to develop in Guangzhou.

They can be considered ordinary employees and peripheral personnel of the same hometown, needing to rely on me to some extent to survive in the unfamiliar city, ensuring they are not bullied or excluded, thus having a certain degree of cohesion.

In addition, there are some local Guangzhou residents employed to maintain appearances, forming the basic human resources of my current enterprises.

Finally, there are people like Wu Ping, who have higher education and broader perspectives, and using them for daily affairs would be a waste.

I plan to divide them into two groups: one to be trained as a staff team, and the other as an independent group, similar to a severely downsized lecture society, specializing in planning, advising, and daily information analysis.

After much consideration, the only one suitable for this task is probably Bo Fu. With his extensive network and experience as a long-time leader of a gang, he has the necessary skills.

Suddenly, the sound of running footsteps interrupted my thoughts. I realized that we were passing a group of people heading to the mountain lodge. My heart stirred; someone had finally reacted.

Returning to the old street residence, the Yuwen family's carriage was already parked at my gate.

"Why do I have to run around and work so hard..."

The mysterious creature drank a large mouthful of fresh juice and complained loudly.

"While you just stay at home and give orders, occasionally going out to socialize..."

"I can't stand it... It's so unfair..."

"Because the current division of labor is like this..."

I smiled and poured her another glass from the tall bottle.

"If you had stayed at home to plan after coming to Guangzhou, while I ran around..."

"Would your subordinates think? What would my subordinates think? What would our allies think?"

"Whatever, you have to compensate me..."

The mysterious creature waved her small fists in frustration.

"Physical compensation, okay?"

"Then you can go to hell..."

As we bickered, I received a few light punches and kicks before we returned to the main topic.

"Sister has agreed to our proposal..."

"Then I can start making arrangements..."

The mysterious creature perked up, then slumped on the rosewood table, sighing.

"It's a shame that the biggest share has to be given away, I'm really not happy about it..."

"There's no choice. Our own strength is not enough, and we need to rely on others."

I consoled her.

"Such a large profit is not something we can monopolize. It's better to think long-term and be realistic."

My proposal was to take advantage of the situation caused by the Qingyuan military mutiny to profit from the local debt market in Guangzhou.

However, even with our combined efforts, we are still too weak compared to the market capital accumulated over the years in the north.

So, we need to share part of the expected profit to gain the necessary backing, ensuring we can secure our share. Otherwise, with such a large profit at stake, anything could happen.

After all, this is a feudal dynasty, and the commercial capital based on urban commerce is just beginning to emerge and link with power.

I don't have the ability to invent a patent and make powerful capitalists and governments with dirty hands and blood on their hands suddenly become as innocent as rabbits or honest and trustworthy merchants, willing to invest large sums to help me accumulate my first fortune.

Instead, they would send people to seize it by force, use government power to crush me, or use racial discrimination to make me disappear, under the guise of a noble contract.

Can a big shark really talk about equal contract spirit with a small shrimp that eats mud?

Not to mention the unrealistic dream of making a fortune by selling stockings and then using it to buy off warlords and develop industries to save the country.

In any case, our goal this time is just to buy low and sell high in the debt market in Guangzhou.

The various money shops, draft houses, and other official and private financial institutions on Baoquan Street naturally form a kind of primary credit trading market. Initially, it was just the trading of large amounts of precious metals, but it has evolved into speculative trading of various official and private bonds and similar products issued by the Southern Dynasty over the years.

Since Liang Gong established the north-south financial exchange system and official bonds, after several hundred years of development, a relatively mature credit trading system has formed in Guangzhou, but it is still generally referred to as the debt market.

As a financial market, it is naturally susceptible to various external influences, causing fluctuations.

To be honest, I am a complete layman in finance, but I do know some historical cases and their operating principles, and with the mysterious creature's family background and operational qualifications, we have a good chance of success.

However, even with the combined capital of the Yuwen family and me, we are only small players in the market, making short-term profits. But with the addition of Mrs. Chen and her backers, we have the qualifications to enter the market and reap some benefits.

I continued to recount the other things I saw and heard at the private banquet, including their reactions and performances, which made for an interesting topic, and the mysterious creature listened with great interest.

"It seems that someone is using the Qingyuan mutiny and the riots in the city as a pretext to eliminate their enemies and settle personal scores."

Hearing about Lady Jiaye and Princess Zhenzhu's ordeal, the mysterious creature's expression turned serious.

"Perhaps we are already on some potential enemy's blacklist..."

"But I'm more curious about your ability to attract trouble wherever you go..."

"Is this what they call the protagonist's aura?"

At this, she covered her mouth with a sandalwood fan and let out a queen-like chuckle, but it lacked the authority and persuasiveness given her appearance.

"Protagonist my foot. After leaving Luoyang, I was chased for thousands of miles before I could escape."

I glared at her.

"But you're right, we need to strengthen our security..."

"By the way, haven't you ever thought about taking them in?"

"Isn't that what you harem-loving men like to fantasize about?"

"Hey, what about your female principles? Did the dogs eat them?"

I was somewhat exasperated.