Expelled from the Duke's mansion, the fake heiress is richer than a country.

He was overjoyed to be back by his former master's side. Although his former master was indifferent, he knew that by following Yu Wanran, he would be far away from the days of constant fear and anxiety he had experienced in the Duke's mansion.

The Duke's family were all cunning and ruthless; none of them were easy to deal with. Only their former master was the most approachable and sincere master they had ever served.

Even though his monthly salary is very low now, he believes that with their companionship and assistance, his wise master will surely be able to make a comeback!

Yan Bai glanced at his companion, whose clear eyes revealed a hint of foolishness, and smiled slightly, though the smile didn't reach his eyes.

"You go to sleep first, I'll go scout out the surroundings. The master lives in this remote place, I'm afraid there might be wolves, tigers, or leopards that sneak down from the mountain."

Upon hearing this, Yan Bai immediately became extremely alert.

"Brother Yanbai, I'll go with you!"

The safety of our master should be our top priority.

Yan Bai did not refuse. The two put down their luggage and ventured out into the night, one after the other.

The next day, Yan Bai and Yan Qing hunted a wild rabbit in the mountains and brought it to the Yu family. The Yu family had never had a delicious roasted rabbit in their lifetime, and their impression of the two men changed drastically.

That evening, Ji Chunhua, along with Zhu Xiaozhen and her daughter, cleaned out a corner of the warehouse. The next day, after the goods were shipped out, Yanqing and Yanbai could move in and watch the cattle.

Yu Wanran didn't say anything.

Time will tell. She will naturally treat those who are genuinely good to her well. If they have ulterior motives, she will let them suffer a little and back down, thus avoiding severing the bond between master and servant.

On the third day, Cai Tao and his group of bodyguards arrived with five mule carts to pick up the goods. Waiting outside the village were eight more mule carts, carrying goods belonging to another merchant.

The foreman, a dark-skinned and thin man, greeted Yu Wanran through the introduction of the bodyguard. Wu Jian was not present; as the chief bodyguard, this level of escort was not worthy of his personal involvement.

Besides, everyone knew perfectly well that with Yu Wanran around, it was better than the chief镖头 (chief镖头, a term for a镖师, a kind of镖师 who is very capable) personally taking charge. Wu Jian even reduced the number of men on this shipment by two to save money.

With Yanqing accompanying them, Yu Man felt at ease letting his eldest son go with the escort team. As for his younger son, he should just go to the private school in the next village and study diligently!

The caravan traveled day and night, strictly adhering to the established route. This time, without any mishaps, they safely escorted the goods to the capital.

Yu Wanran asked Yanqing to leave the luggage at the escort agency, while she and her elder brother led four mule carts loaded with red straw mats to Ruicaofang.

A group of people from the shops next door gathered around, peeking and curious.

"Old Wei, why did your shop suddenly get so much stock? Where did it come from?"

A lane lined with shops makes it convenient for customers to choose. But there's one downside: any activity in one shop is easily noticed by the others.

"Look! Isn't this red straw mat particularly unique?"

Wei Yucai, beaming with excitement, greeted Yu Wanran and her brother as they entered. He deliberately patted a roll of red mat sticking out of a burlap sack and exclaimed, "I suppose people in the capital crave novelty, so I've stocked up on this!"

The merchants carefully observed the red mat, some even secretly rubbing it with their hands. Instantly, they all curled their lips and looked at it with disdain.

No wonder Ruicaofang declined more and more by the time of Wei Yucai's generation, and it looked like it couldn't hold on any longer. Look at what kind of goods they were stocking!

These straw mats look brightly colored at first glance, but since they're woven from straw, I wonder if they'll fade. The capital is full of wealthy people; would they even look at this filthy stuff?

Ruicaifang is stocking up on so much goods, they're practically welding their cash flow to a wall! A group of people feigned admiration, offering forced smiles as they praised Wei Yucai for his discerning eye. Satisfied, they sauntered back to their own shops.

Wei Yucai secretly spat at the backs of these cunning old colleagues, and had his own workers help unload the goods, carrying all the red mats into the backyard courtyard.

These laborers were bought by his family, and he held their indentures, so he wasn't worried about leaks at all. Instead, he personally served tea and water to the Yu siblings.

"Miss Yu, I calculated that you should arrive in the next few days, and it seems you are almost there. Was your journey to the capital smooth?"

Yu Wanran first sent the four mule drivers back to the escort agency before sitting down with her elder brother Yu Wenbin to have a detailed talk with them.

"Everything went smoothly, Mr. Wei, don't worry!"

Wei Yucai's quick wit might allow their cooperation to last for another two years.

Yu Wenbin was restless, holding a cup of hot tea, his eyes fixed on the workers inspecting and weighing the goods.

Wei Yucai's eyes lit up when he saw the cartloads of red straw mats! The Yu family had delivered the goods without delay, and he thought he might be able to present the new red cloth to the princess in time.

The princess was so pleased that, not to mention the rewards, the reputation she earned was enough to bring Ruicaifang endless benefits. At this moment, the Yu siblings were nothing short of a godsend visiting his door.

After a long while, the laborer reported the results.

"Master, the total is 9,675 catties."

Yu Wanran generously said, "Let's round it down; we'll take the 75 jin as the loss."

Wei Yucai was somewhat shocked by the number and took out his abacus to start calculating.

"Nine thousand six hundred, five hundred coins per catty, that's four thousand eight hundred taels of silver in total?"

Yu Wanran nodded calmly.

Although he had expected this number, Yu Wenbin's facial muscles still trembled uncontrollably when he heard it from the other person's ear. He had to pinch his palm hard with his fingers to stop himself from laughing.

However, Wei Yucai showed a clear look of embarrassment.

The Yu family initially thought that red grass was difficult to obtain and needed to be cultivated. That's why he was willing to pay such a high price and boldly declared that he would take as much as they had.

As a result, the other party brought him nearly 10,000 catties of red velvet grass on one trip to Beijing!

This... I have a feeling of being tricked.

He couldn't help but tentatively ask, "Can you get a second batch of this red velvet grass in the near future?"

Yu Wanran shook her head.

"The people sent to the mountains to find red grass scraped it clean, down to the roots. If cultivation fails this year, it may be very difficult to find red grass in the world in the future."

"So cruel?"

Wei Yucai's lips twitched.

Yu Wanran said helplessly, "We managed to save some seeds, so let's try cultivating them this year. If it doesn't work, we won't have any red grass to provide to Boss Wei next year."

She wasn't lying.

According to the eldest brother and sister-in-law, the entire family of Datong Village mobilized to weave straw mats. They dug up every patch of red grass, roots and all, leaving the hillside behind Datong Village riddled with large pits.

To find red grass now, you'd probably have to search deep in the mountains. She hadn't expected the villagers of Datong Village to be so enthusiastic; they practically leveled the mountain to sell red mats for twenty coins a day!

If it's called a wild grass, why does it only grow in the mountains near Datong Village? Yu Wanran had a vague feeling that it might not be easy for her family to cultivate the red grass.

Wei Yu hesitated for a moment. He wasn't worried about running out of dye from the several thousand kilograms of red grass in the short term. It was just that the price was too high, making him feel like he was losing money. He hoped the dyed cloth would win the princess's favor.

He put down the abacus and looked at Yu Wanran.

"Miss Yu, whether you need more red velvet grass next year depends on the market price after you've accepted this batch. And it can't be 500 cash per catty again!"

Things are rare.

This nearly 10,000-pound red grass doesn't look "sparse" at all.