The Eldest Daughter Returns: Imperial Uncle, I'm Pregnant!

Gu Qingwan and her team spent two days taking back all the shops below. Shishu then found all the servants or indentured servants in these shops, as Gu Qingwan had instructed.

“Miss, I found the indentures and checked them one by one. None of the shop owners are our people.”

"As expected, where have all our managers gone?"

"I have already sent Ningyi to look for them," Shishu replied. "However, there are still some people whose indentures are in our hands, yet they are doing things for the Prime Minister's mansion. There is also an account that is incorrect, with a large sum of money whose whereabouts are unclear."

"These traitors! The madam treated them well before, so why have they become opportunists now that she's gone?" Baoqin said indignantly from the side. Don't these servants know what loyalty is?

"It's okay, don't get angry at these people, it's actually better this way."

“Miss, how can this be considered good when they’ve already betrayed their own people?” Baoqin was somewhat surprised that Gu Qingwan would say such a thing.

Gu Qingwan glanced at the list compiled by Shishu and said, "It seems that more than half of the people have been replaced. This Wang Ruyan is quite cunning. Shishu, go and dismiss all those who are not ours. If they are dissatisfied, take the account book to the government."

"What will happen to our shop now that these people are gone?" Shi Shu asked.

"Close the shop for a while and try to find the former manager and bring them back to work."

“That’s easy to find. The managers of our shops are mostly servants from the Ning family. Even if they were kicked out, they returned to our household. We can just have Ning Yi lead a group to look for them. We won’t need to hire anyone else, which will save us some money.” Shi Shu shared her thoughts, but she was still a little undecided. “Should we gather them together to meet Miss?”

Gu Qingwan always thought that Shishu was a good businesswoman, with a clear mind and the ability to adapt to changing circumstances. However, she had one flaw: she was a bit stingy. In other words, she was obsessed with money. Usually, Shishu was quiet, but when it came to business, she became very talkative.

"No need, you can make those decisions yourself. Your mistress has given you that right."

"This servant thanks Miss for trusting me so much. Don't worry, Miss, this servant will definitely help you keep your purse bulging!" Shi Shu was very grateful to her mistress. It was her mistress who gave them a home and allowed them to do what they were good at.

Each of the four of them has her own unique characteristics.

Baoqin was a master of domestic affairs, managing the daily life and daily necessities of the young lady in the house and the servants with perfect clarity. She knew exactly what the young lady would wear and use today, and who should receive a gift tomorrow. Baoqin was as clear about these things as a mirror, and she never made a mistake.

Siqi has the best martial arts skills. Both the Duke and the General saw that Siqi was a promising talent and gave her special training. She doesn't need to ask about anything else except protecting the young lady. If she has to do any task, it's to give the young lady some practice. Currently, Siqi can't beat the young lady, so Siqi's goal is to defeat the young lady.

Ru Hua is lively and adorable, but she has no fighting skills. However, she is an excellent cook and has first-rate medical skills. She is responsible for taking care of the young lady's health. The dishes Ru Hua makes are almost never the same, and the taste is much better than that of the top hotels. The young lady used to praise Ru Hua, saying that her cooking skills were comparable to those of the kitchen staff.

As for Shishu herself, Shishu felt that she should be even more grateful to her mistress. She didn't have any special skills and had been feeling inferior and insecure. It was her mistress who took her under her wing and taught her how to read accounts and manage the shop. After getting used to it, she found it very easy and found her own value. Moreover, her mistress had absolute trust in her.

In recent years, in addition to the land and shops owned by her wife, Gu Qingwan has also acquired a number of properties of her own. Apart from a few key ones that Gu Qingwan needs to personally oversee, a large part of them are managed by Shishu on her behalf.

Gu Qingwan basically took them with her wherever she went, rarely hiding anything. The four of them never questioned why Gu Qingwan knew so much at such a young age; they simply admired their young mistress from the bottom of their hearts, feeling incredibly fortunate to be able to follow such a mistress.

"Alright, Shishu, you'll still have to work hard these days to sort out the businesses in the capital. Make sure the accounts are clear, and if you can't figure them out, tear them up and start over." Gu Qingwan thought for a moment and then added, "There are also a few shops that I don't think are the right type to open, so keep an eye on them."

"Yes, I'll remember."

"Baoqin, prepare a set of men's clothing for me. I'm going to the brothel tonight."

"Miss, are you still wearing the same outfit as before?" Baoqin asked.

"Yes, just the same as before."

Gu Qingwan saw that the shop was almost finished. She had originally planned to go to the brothel to deal with things that night, but the shop matter had delayed her. She could only ask Ning Yi to go and get the patterns from Li Niangzi. Fortunately, they arrived before the Second Prince's Consort sent out the invitation.

Therefore, although she was reborn in this life and made many preparations that she did not make in her previous life, and returned earlier than in her previous life, she did not change the course of history. The major events that were going to happen will still happen. In this way, she is well aware of the situation.

However, Gu Qingwan was also worried. Since things were proceeding according to the course of history, would the things that happened to her before still happen? No, they definitely wouldn't happen. Since God had given her a second chance, she absolutely couldn't let this kindness go to waste.

"Miss, how about this one? I guarantee you'll look dashing and elegant in it." Baoqin happily brought over the clothes. Her young lady was beautiful, but the rest of them thought she looked even prettier in men's clothing. Her slightly dark skin made her look more masculine, unlike those pretty boys. If they didn't know it was their young lady, the four of them might have offered themselves to her.

"Sure, you can do whatever you want. What about Siqi?"

"Siqi, Miss is calling you." Baoqin stood by the door and called out to the courtyard, "Where have you been? Come here quickly."

Siqi hadn't slept well for the past two nights, so she took advantage of having nothing to do today and hid up in a tree to sleep. When Baoqin called out to her, she quickly climbed down from the tree.

"I'm here!"

"You little rascal, come here quickly, Miss wants to see you."

Once inside, Gu Qingwan couldn't help but laugh when she saw the tender leaves still on Siqi's head. She got up and removed the leaves from her head, saying, "It's already warm, and you still go to sleep in a tree. Aren't you afraid of those insects crawling on you and biting you?"

"Hehe, don't be afraid, don't be afraid." Siqi looked at everyone laughing at her with a silly expression.

"Siqi, how's it going with the Taoist priest from Maoshan that I asked you to go find a while ago?"

"Don't worry, Miss, everything is handled perfectly. This Maoshan Taoist priest has already gained some fame since he arrived in the capital, and he doesn't know how to keep a low profile at all. He'd love for more people to know him, so he's easy to find..." This story is quite interesting.

"We were originally thinking about how to arrest him without anyone finding out, but somehow it just so happened that he was going into seclusion to cultivate, so no one suspected anything when we put him under house arrest. At first, he was quite stubborn, and no matter how I threatened or bribed him, he wouldn't listen to us. But Ning Er had a trick up his sleeve. That day, we put on a show, and when that Maoshan Taoist heard that we couldn't win him over and were going to kill him, he immediately gave in..."

Watching Siqi's vivid explanation, everyone couldn't stop laughing. Siqi was the most lively and also the one with the most chivalrous spirit among them.

"But Miss, that Taoist priest insists on seeing our master."

"That's about it. I only asked you to go to scare him. I'll be seeing him tonight. This man is very cunning. You probably can't handle him. We can't get him to work for us with force alone. We need to seize his lifeline."

This time, Ning San was sent out to find the Taoist priest ahead of time, seemingly to prevent others from finding him before her. If this person were so easy to deal with, he wouldn't have become Xiao Yuheng's useful person back then.

“Miss is right, you have no idea how eloquent this person is.” Siqi nodded in agreement.

"Alright, Baoqin and Ruhua will stay home and guard the courtyard tonight. If Grandmother or Aunt comes looking for me, just say I'm asleep. Shishu, obediently finish reading the account books for me. Siqi, Ningyi, and Ninger, come with me. You all go and make your preparations."

"It's Miss."

After receiving their orders, the group went to prepare. While waiting, Gu Qingwan carefully reviewed the tasks for the evening, going over each step to avoid making any mistakes.