After crossing, I surrounded the capital from the countryside

He sighed and said, "Master Xu, to be honest, I originally planned to return to the court to seek justice. But now the situation is complicated, and there are intrigues in the court. I am afraid it will be difficult for me to gain a foothold."

"What's more, these personal soldiers are my brothers who have been with me through thick and thin. I can't let them take risks with me again!"

Xu Qingqing heard the helplessness and unwillingness in Lu Zhenting's words. She was silent for a moment, then said, "General Lu, I have a suggestion. What do you think?"

Lu Zhenting was slightly stunned, then looked at Xu Qingqing's tender face and said, "Master Xu, please speak."

Xu Qingqing slowly told her thoughts: "As you know, Xiaoyao Sect is in its infancy, and I also need to recruit some martial artists to form a protection team."

"I am well aware of your military talent and character, General Lu. We in Xiaoyao Sect also admire you very much."

"If you are willing to stay with your soldiers, perhaps we can start a business together. What do you think, General Lu?"

When Lu Zhenting heard this, a hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes.

He groaned for a moment and said, "I am truly honored by Sect Leader Xu's proposal, but this matter is of great importance and I also need to discuss it with my personal soldiers. I wonder if Sect Leader Xu can give us some time?"

Xu Qingqing nodded in understanding: "Of course, General Lu, you guys discuss it first. I'll give you five days to think about it slowly. I'll be waiting for you at any time."

"Of course, if you decide to leave Xiaoyao Sect in the end, I will not stop you. If one day you want to come back, the door of Xiaoyao Sect will always be open to you."

After saying that, Xu Qingqing left the yard.

She knew that for a general like Lu Zhenting, returning to the court or staying with her was a matter of great importance to his future and destiny, and required careful consideration. She must give him enough respect and understanding.

Of course, Lu Zhenting cannot waste these few days of thinking.

After all, her time was precious. The red, bold and large "Ten Days Countdown" reminded Xu Qingqing: If you don't work hard to complete the task, you will be in danger! !

So she hurriedly asked Xiao Yuheng for a carrier pigeon as a means of sending messages, and sent someone to deliver it to Lu Zhenting.

Lu Zhenting looked at the fat, obviously well-fed carrier pigeon and the letter that were handed to him, and he was still a little confused.

After the messenger left, Lu Zhenting opened the envelope and saw the words written on it: General Lu, time is running out, I will go down the mountain to do my business first

Well, once you have made your decision, just send me a pigeon message.

For a moment, Lu Zhenting didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and he sighed in his heart: Sect Master Xu is still a child who has not grown up. He is so talkative and energetic!

The spring breeze blows gently, and the willow trees sway gently.

Xu Qingqing was riding Zhuifeng. Of course, Zhuifeng was forced upon her by Xiao Yuheng, she didn't snatch it away!

Following behind them were Mei Niang, Xu Xi and the other two. They sat in a carriage driven by Xu Li. They went down the mountain again and headed straight towards Chunxiang Tower.

The main purpose of this trip down the mountain is to acquire the shops around Chunxianglou!

According to Xu Qingqing's blueprint, if only Chunxianglou is to be renovated, it might be crowded if it wants to have so many functional areas.

The internal flow of people is difficult to plan, and it looks visually noisy, which is definitely not conducive to the development of the store.

Of course, you can also not develop so many functional areas in the early stage, and do it slowly later.

However, this may result in surrounding shops opening up too much or subsequent renovations may involve areas that have already been completed in the early stages.

Generally speaking, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. It would be more convenient to get it done all at once before construction starts.

The mountain road is rugged and the sound of horse hooves echoes in the valley.

Xu Qingqing rode a horse and walked beside the carriage, thinking about the next plan in her mind.

The reason why Mei Niang was brought down the mountain this time was because she had been in Chunxianglou for many years and was familiar with the surrounding shops.

So at this moment, the two of them whispered to each other from time to time through the carriage window, discussing what would be an appropriate purchase price for the surrounding shops.

This time, because of the means of transportation, half the time was saved.

Early the next morning, Xu Qingqing and her group arrived at the street where Chunxianglou was located.

After parking Zhuifeng and the carriage in the backyard of Chunxiang Tower, the group walked around and stopped, occasionally entering shops to inquire about prices and check on business conditions.

Soon, Xu Qingqing had a preliminary understanding of the revenue of the surrounding stores.

Several restaurants around here are no longer as prosperous as they used to be due to the recent closure of Chun Heung House. I think it should be easier to buy them now.

However, there are two jewelry stores and a teahouse, which may be a bit difficult to deal with. After all, jewelry stores basically have women from wealthy families who make regular purchases, so there is no need to worry about revenue issues. Teahouses are also frequented by some literati and scholars...

Xu Qingqing thought about it and decided that if the acquisition was not possible, perhaps she could consider mutually beneficial cooperation.

If the shopkeeper is willing, the store can be included in the mall during the renovation and be regarded as a shop. The shop can then pay 20% of the excess turnover to the Xiaoyao Sect based on the increased revenue after joining the mall.

Xu Qingqing thought it was feasible, so she discussed with a few people about the number of stores that needed to be acquired and the highest price that could be offered, and then prepared to set off.

Just as Xu Qingqing expected, the first few restaurants she contacted went quite smoothly.

When these shop owners heard that someone was willing to buy their restaurant at a high price, they all showed happy smiles on their faces.

Some of them were old and wanted to retire, while others were looking for a way out as their business was unsustainable. Naturally, they gladly accepted Chun Heung Lau's acquisition proposal.

The two sides quickly agreed on the price and the specific time for signing the contract. The atmosphere was quite harmonious throughout the whole process, and it can be said that both the host and the guests enjoyed themselves.

Xu Li and the other two felt that the acquisition plan was going quite smoothly. Xu Xi even said that if things went as smoothly in the future, they could return to Xiaoyao Sect early.

However, Xu Qingqing and Mei Niang were not optimistic about the upcoming acquisitions. After all, it was impossible for one person to get all the good things. Fate would always be like this.

Sure enough, the good times didn’t last long.

As the acquisition work progressed, they encountered more and more obstacles.

Some shop owners were hesitant to sell their shops and wanted a higher price; some were concerned about the subsequent development of Chunxianglou and worried about their own livelihood in the future and were unwilling to cooperate.

Among them, the one that gave Xu Qingqing the most headache was a jewelry store called "Fumanyuan".

The owner of this jewelry store is a middle-aged man named Zhao Dahai. He is short and fat, with a greasy face and a pair of small eyes rolling around in his eye sockets. He is obviously a shrewd and cunning person.