The gambling god's wife in the Duke's Mansion is getting divorced again

Chapter 175 Spending money

After meeting Aiham, Sang Wan quickly set up a trading company in the capital, named Baijiahui.

The shopkeeper Yu Qingshan chose an old man from the ghost town. He used to be the accountant of the royal palace of the previous dynasty. He was a reliable and quiet person. He was a stranger and did not attract attention.

All the shadow guards changed into their casual clothes and became errand boys for the business. They followed the disguised Sang Wan and set off for Liangzhou with three million taels of silver.

The excuse Xiao Ji gave to others was that she had smallpox, a contagious disease, so naturally no one dared to visit her. Even Baili Xi could only greet her through the door of her boudoir. The maid arranged by Sang Wan imitated her voice and dealt with it every day, so it didn't attract any attention.

It takes seven or eight days by fast horse to travel from Shangjing to Liangzhou. The caravan couldn't move fast with the silver in tow, so it took almost ten days to reach Liangzhou.

Sang Wan changed her clothes and met Xiao Shun, who had been waiting in advance, at a restaurant in the city.

"Does Yan Hong know that you came to see me?"

Sang Wan sipped her tea.

Xiaoshun shook his head:

"If the master doesn't allow me to, I will never dare to say anything."

"Well, my trip here is top secret. It's not to guard against her, but..."

Before Sang Wan could say anything, Xiao Shun immediately nodded.

"The master is afraid that the prince will know."

This was the first time Xiao Shun had mentioned Zheng Jinzhi in front of her. He still addressed him as "Prince," but Sang Wan felt as if she were in another world.

"That's good to know. Have you figured out the situation in Liangzhou City?"

Xiao Shun took out a piece of paper from his waist and handed it to Sang Wan:

"There's a vacant lot between Cuiyun Mountain and Yangyue Mountain. It's completely deserted, with peaks and valleys on either side. The terrain is dangerous. If we were to train troops here, we wouldn't attract attention. This land has been abandoned for a long time. It belongs to the private property of Dugu Luo, a squire in Liangzhou. He's a gambler and has sold almost all of his family's inheritance. If we seriously approached him about buying it, he'd definitely ask for an exorbitant price."

Sang Wan had a rough idea in his mind, "What do you think of the shop and the house?"

"Everything is ready, just waiting for the master to speak."

Xiao Shun handed over another roll of paper, which clearly recorded the store's location, scale, variety of products and annual revenue in great detail.

"Well done." Sang Wan pointed to a gambling house called Wanyin, "Go buy it right away. Set up a trap tomorrow to lure Dugu Luo here."

"Yes." Xiao Shun agreed happily.

"Yu Lai, I'll leave the remaining shops to you. Collect all the deeds before sunset."

Yu Lai is the leader of the Shadow Guards and is now Sang Wan's capable assistant.

Xiao Shun had stayed in the palace before, and although they had met in secret, this was the first time he saw Yu Lai's face.

Yu Lai took off his mask, revealing a middle-aged man with thick eyebrows and big eyes. He had grown a beard to make it easier to walk, and he wore Taoist robes, looking like a shopkeeper.

He bowed to Xiao Shun and said, "Brother Shun."

“…” Xiao Shun was shy and just bowed in return.

Sang Wan smiled faintly: "Let's do it. Spend the money as soon as possible. If there is a shop you like that is not in this book, buy it."

"The master has spoken, and spending money is as easy as pie."

Yu Lai and Xiao Shun left the private room.

Sang Wan raised his hand and called the servant over: "What's the fun?"

Seeing her lavish attire, the servant immediately smiled and said, "Are you from out of town? We are experts in the Liangzhou pipa. How about calling Miss Qiuqin to play a piece for you?"

Sang Wan threw a silver ingot at him:

"Good wine and good food, arrange."

"Okay! Please wait a moment, my lord."

The lady playing the pipa came soon. The pipa music was so sad and plaintive that Sang Wan was mesmerized by it.

She used to dislike music, but after hanging out in a brothel with Baili Xi and the others, she gradually fell in love with the decadent music. She would often close her eyes and listen, letting her imagination run wild, imagining all sorts of random things to relieve the depression in her heart.

She sat alone by the stained glass window on the second floor, watching the sun sink, its crimson glow gradually swallowed by darkness. Lanterns from the wine shops and taverns lit up like stars. Occasionally, a pedestrian led a horse by, the sound of bells tinkling softly, a scene of peaceful tranquility.

Compared to the hustle and bustle of Beijing, Liangzhou has an ancient tranquility that makes people feel inexplicably peaceful.

Two figures, one tall and one short, walked out of the dark night not far away. Both were wearing dark uniforms. The tall one was as tall and straight as a crane, while the other was burly with a curly beard.

"Master, I know what it smells like if you spank this brat. Look at how he's hesitating. It's obvious that he's hiding something from us." Li Jiu was furious.

It's so disheartening. Less than a year after we separated, the disciple I raised has turned away from me.

"He's interested in your sister." Zheng Jinzhi folded his hands behind his back and glanced at him indifferently. "You said in front of him that you wanted to introduce Yan Hong to a soldier. He must have been furious and ran away."

"Ah?" Li Jiu looked at Zheng Jinzhi in bewilderment. "Is this true? But Yanhong didn't tell me. And Xiaoshun didn't mention it either. Are they really...?"

Li Jiu bent his thumbs and said, "No way?"

Zheng Jinzhi raised his eyebrows, half tilted his head and looked aimlessly, "What do you think?"

The last ray of light flashed by, and the cloth sign on the second floor of Tianfeng Restaurant not far away swayed slightly in the wind, revealing a fair face.

The light and shadow were fleeting, and that face suddenly stabbed into Zheng Jinzhi's heart like a knife, causing his heart to stop.

Li Jiu saw him running forward out of control, like a wild horse.

"Master... Hey, Master, why are you running? What's wrong?"

Li Jiu hurriedly followed.

Zheng Jinzhi pushed through the crowd and rushed to the second floor like a madman. At this time, Sang Wan was standing with his back to the counter, taking a chicken and half a pound of wine.

Zheng Jinzhi made such a noise that the waiter on the second floor almost slipped and fell, and the wooden tray in his hand almost flew out. "Sir, what are you looking for?"

Sang Wan only glanced up, then hummed a little tune and walked out with her things. She was staying at the Yunmeng Inn, which she had planned to use as a reward for Xiaoshun and Yu Lai.

"Where is the person who just sat here?"

Zheng Jinzhi's cannibalistic look frightened the servant.

"Sir, sir...I don't know."

Zheng Jinzhi pushed him away, his eyes roaming among the few drinkers on the second floor, muttering "No, none of them".

He rushed to the first floor in two steps and bumped into Li Jiu head-on. "It's her, she's here."

"Grandma?" Li Jiu hesitated.

Didn’t she go to the capital?

Zheng Jinzhi looked for Sang Wan among the drinkers on the first floor again, but when he looked up, there was no trace of her.

He anxiously asked the shopkeeper, "Where did the guest on the second floor go?"

The shopkeeper saw the fierce and ferocious Li Jiu behind him and did not dare to offend him: "The guest took the chicken and wine and left."

"Where did you go?" Li Jiu pounded the table.

The shopkeeper shrank back in fear: "No, I don't know."