After deceiving the villain, I was forced to love him.

The fact that merchants were withdrawing money from Zhouji Money Shop quickly alarmed the government.

There are even rumors that Zhou Ji has been keeping his large transactions with the He family secret for several years.

However, Lu Jian, who had just paid a large sum of disaster relief funds and was worried about the military pay for the coming year, unusually pressed the message button.

This made He Shoufeng even more convinced that Lu Jian was truly finished.

Gradually, some impatient officials began to openly oppose Lu Jian's new policies.

Some elderly imperial relatives even referred to themselves as senior officials in their memorials, directly pointing out Lu Jian's faults.

"These days, there are really a lot of people who aren't afraid of death." In the Baili residence, which was once again under close surveillance, Baili Ming was painting.

The butler waited while occasionally offering a reminder, "Miss, the color here should be a bit darker."

"I think so too, but should we use bright red or dark red?"

Feng Deng added a little black paint to the red paint palette, stirred it gently, and said, "Try it again."

Baili Ming picked up her brush and added color, and the lotus flower instantly came to life. "Hmm, not bad~"

"Young Miss" Feng Lan came from the other end of the corridor. "Patriarch Zhou personally went to the He residence last night."

"Next, shall we draw the leaves?"

"and then?"

"What was discussed is still unknown, but several merchants have already deposited their money back into Zhouji."

Fengdeng rolled up his sleeves and deftly mixed several different shades of green. "First, use this darkest green to outline a flower stem... like this."

"Hmm... like this?"

"Yes, the lines here should be a bit softer, not so neat, but more varied and staggered."

As Fengdeng gave instructions, Baili Ming wrote down her thoughts, saying, "Then that's none of our business."

"Since they want to be greedy, let them be greedy to their heart's content."

In this way, the killings within the palace can be carried out without leaving any room for maneuver.

"However, the fifth branch of the family has been making a fuss outside for several days, saying that you treat your brothers harshly and are ungrateful."

"Normal... Uncle Feng, please mix some more grayish-yellow for me."

"Hey," Fengdeng then mixed the white, purple, and yellow pigments in the correct proportions.

"After all, he is the only son of our Baili family, so we should... what was it again?" Baili Ming couldn't remember for a moment.

Fengdeng smiled broadly, "Make a sound."

"Yes, we have to speak up!"

"Oh dear, Miss, it's too heavy!" Before Fengdeng knew it, Baili Ming had drawn the flower stem into a pillar that soared straight into the sky.

"Huh? Is it heavy?"

Fengdeng quickly picked up another pen and gently drew a few strokes on the paper next to her, demonstrating how it should be done. "Look, this is how it is."

"Yes, I understand," Baili Ming instantly realized.

"But continuing like this is probably not a solution."

"If you're really worried, then notify the third branch of the family to handle it."

"What do you mean?" Feng Lan guessed, but dared not say.

Bai Liming breathed a sigh of relief, stretched, and felt that painting was more tiring than hoeing the ground. His back ached. "Since I'm no longer useful, I should give my position to someone more useful."

"..." Feng Lan remained silent.

Baili Ming glanced at him. "Speak your mind."

"There is something I don't understand."

"What is it?" Baili Ming began to draw lotus leaves.

"Oh, right, the colors need to have a transition between light and dark shades."

After much hesitation, Feng Lan slowly asked, "Did the old master really intend to adopt Bicui as his goddaughter?"

Bai Liming gave a nonchalant smile.

Having understood Baili Ming's meaning, Fengdeng, who cherished talent, called Fenglan aside.

"This is indeed true, but it has nothing to do with Beatrice."

"Moreover, the young lady didn't block her way."

After thinking it over carefully... Feng Lan still looked doubtful. "Please enlighten me, Butler."

"The Baili clan has always selected children of appropriate age and taught them skills according to their strengths."

"You should already know that."

As they walked and talked, Fenglan brushed away the drooping willow branches from the old man beside her. "Yes."

He and many others, including Seventeen, were elected in this way.

"The old master was thirty-one years old when he had his eldest daughter. At that time, none of the other masters had any children. For the prosperity of the Baili clan, the old master selected some of the more suitable children from among these children to raise as his adopted sons and daughters."

"Thinking that they are all orphans and have been raised by the Baili family since they were young, they will not easily betray us in the future."

"But only the masters of the various branches of the family know about these things."

“The young lady has never liked these things in the clan. After she got married six years ago, she had even more reason not to care because of the clan rules.”

"The old master couldn't refuse her, and he wanted to see the results of his years of training, so he gave the other younger members a chance."

"This emerald green is indeed quite clever."

"She is far from qualified to be the head of the Baili family."

If this is a joke, it's an outrageous one.

"I don't know where she got the idea that she was qualified to be the adopted daughter of the matriarch. In any case, she was always chosen to serve the young masters and ladies."

Attendants are the face of the family and serve the young masters and ladies. It's perfectly normal for them to learn etiquette and skills. But they insist on having such dreams. Who can they blame but themselves?

"..." Feng Lan felt relieved, and the weight in her heart lifted, leaving her without any further unease.

"As for the young lady... you should have heard about the fight she got into when she was eleven, right?"

"I heard that the young lady fought five against one at that time?"

"That is, one against seven."

"..." Fu Lan's eyes showed surprise.

"The youngest of the seven children was about the same age as her."

"The two oldest are a big fat guy and a guy who has been practicing martial arts for a year."

"No one came to her aid at the time, yet she managed to subdue all seven men until they were kneeling and begging for mercy. Do you think that's something that can be done with just fists?"

Feng Lan's eyes were filled with denial.

"That's what the old matriarch thought at the time, but unfortunately the other branches of the family felt that she went too far."

However, in his opinion, the punishment should be heavier; what kind of skill is it to bully a girl who has no parents?

"But I heard that the young lady fell seriously ill because of this matter?"

"Sigh, it's all because of..."

Fengdeng paused for a moment, without mentioning that Baili Ce had fallen ill because he had been punished too severely.

“From then on, the young lady began to learn how to manage the household. At the age of fourteen, she earned thirty coins a day without taking a single penny of capital or using the Baili family name.”

"In six months, I opened my own store."

"In one year, the business expanded to three locations, and seven hundred taels were saved."

"After that, he took over the unprofitable shops under the fifth branch and turned them around in just half a month."

"Then, when dealing with those cunning and scheming noble families, he never lost out, nor did he embarrass them."

"Before and after arriving in the capital, she openly or secretly sponsored students from all walks of life. It can be said that the Baili family has gained such a reputation in the capital in recent years, thanks in no small part to the young lady."

Feng Lan understood the logic, but he still felt some sympathy for Baili Chengjun. "What about the Sixth Young Master?"

"He's just using the title of son."

"At best, it's just a useless vase."

"so......"

Fengdeng patted Fenglan on the shoulder, smiling kindly and gently, "So, there won't be a next time."

......