Chapter 604: Chapter 386 Check the Store
Ye Shiqi would never have expected to encounter the Meng Family’s Miss in the Capital City.
After all, the Capital City was vast, and ladies of her stature did not often go outside their boudoirs.
Moreover, they had just arrived a day or two ago; meeting someone familiar so soon was unexpected, and if he had known, he would have been more cautious.
At this moment, Ye Shiqi’s heart was filled with joy, completely unaware that danger was quickly approaching.
She was also ignorant of the fact that the Ye Mansion she purchased had, because of General Ye’s affairs, attracted significant attention—attention from a very high-ranking person in the country!
The Emperor had already forgotten about General Ye after all, having stationed his family in a border city for over twenty years; back then, he was a newly ascended monarch, zealous to make his mark.
Fearing that some old ministers loyal to the previous Emperor might band together and threaten the stability of his throne, he had not initiated a massacre but dispatched those he disliked, the neutral, or members of other factions to the border to serve as guards.
Upon hearing a secret report that the Ye Mansion was sold to someone surnamed Ye from a remote county,
The Ye Mansion was up for sale, and the method of selling was very peculiar; people in the Capital City dared not even come to look, and even though the selling price wasn’t specified, they felt it was better not to offend those above.
“Go and investigate what kind of people this Ye family really is.”
“Yes,” the spy vanished from the palace upon the Emperor’s command.
The Emperor paid close attention to the family and relatives of General Ye, as well as our own concerns.
He intentionally prevented his Madam from conceiving and caused his other concubines to miscarry. Later, a strange Maid appeared and secretly became pregnant with his child.
He incited the Madam to force the Maid’s abortion, but the Maid escaped and was sent away, then brought back by the housekeeper. Discovering the child was a girl, and fearing the Maid might conceive again, he had her drugged.
All these deeds, unknown to anyone, were his doing; he wished the Ye family to have no heir, eliminating the position of Duke and General in the future.
Housekeeper Ye was highly alert; the new owners had just appeared on the Capital City’s main streets, drawing many onlookers.
Especially since the new owner had bought a shop, many were now aware and continuously watched and probed them!
The old housekeeper was somewhat relieved that the new owners did not acknowledge any familial ties; the mystery of the young Master’s birth had not yet been revealed.
Their family was currently safe, and as for taking them to other shops and estates, since so many already knew about the new owner, hiding was no longer effective.
He hoped that the person above would not oppress the owner and the new owner anymore.
The old housekeeper worried but did not express his concerns to the family of the new owner.
Sometimes, saying nothing was better than speaking; with so many eyes on them, he feared startling the new owner.
Ye Shiqi was oblivious to the dangers of buying a neglected property, shop, and estate in the Capital City and was solely focused on earning money, overlooking the fact that such windfalls were not to be expected in this world.
How could they be so lucky? They were already in danger and yet were unaware.
Had Ye Shiqi known, would she still have considered joining her family in moving to the Capital City and buying houses, shops, and other properties?
It was all because of her elder sister’s pending marriage to the Capital City that had brought them all here.
Her parents and relatives had never even dreamed of buying a house in the Capital City.
If the young Master of the Tang Family hadn’t given her a jade pendant, with their several thousand taels of money, they could only have bought a mansion and would never have been able to afford a shop or an estate.
They wouldn’t have been able to buy the Ye family’s house either; perhaps it was all predestined, a connection from a thousand miles away that led to meeting, and without fate, they wouldn’t recognize each other even if they saw each other.
Housekeeper Ye led them to the shop, which was not far from the Zhao Family’s shop. The goods sold here were different; it was just an ordinary grocery store with many things, yet all quite ordinary.
Rice, daily necessities, and even legumes, oil, rice, sauces, and vinegar.
Customers shopping in the store were also dressed more ordinarily. On the same street, two shops had a different pattern.
Ye Shiqi sighed in her heart, wondering if Housekeeper Ye’s lack of care was because their owner was absent, or if it was because without the owner, he couldn’t manage the shop better.
When their family got off the carriage and entered the shop, the shopkeeper and staff welcomed them.
Elderly patrons in simple clothing, present in the shop, curiously watched as they entered.
How could such wealthy-looking Lords, Madams, and Ladies enter such an ordinary shop for shopping?
Most of this street was frequented by people from wealthy families, who had the strongest purchasing power, yet nearby there were also some more ordinary households, perhaps those working for others or running businesses nearby.
Each shop also had ordinary workers; they, too, needed to purchase food and drink every day.
Most of this street was lined with shops selling jewelry, fabrics, rouge, antiques, and also restaurants. This grocery store stood out in comparison, as many years-long residents of the Capital City knew that this shop had always sold miscellaneous goods.
There were questions as to why such a good location sold such cheap items.
There were also inquiries from people to the Ye family, asking if they could sell them the shop.
Whether it was bad luck for those people or someone deliberately causing trouble, those interested in the Ye family’s properties seemed to face troubles of some sort, perhaps being warned by others or their family members being threatened.
For various reasons, until now, when word got out that the Ye family was planning to sell their houses, shops, and estates, nobody dared to entertain the idea.
The past of the Ye family people was unknown to some ordinary wealthy households.
They were even less aware of the intricacies of the official circles, just like Zhong Xingwang’s family who had lived in the Capital City for many years without knowledge of these matters.
His family thought the Ye family had stumbled upon a bargain, unaware that those in the know didn’t dare to buy.
Zhong Xingwang had his subordinates inquire; they caught wind of the situation and found a broker, still unclear about the underlying issues.
Ye Shiqi’s family, still in the dark at this time, entered the shop courtyard and observed that the yard, just like the previous one, was spacious with a large courtyard.
And it had two stories, with the ground floor serving as a warehouse, and there was a cellar for storing wine.
After assessing the shop, Ye Shiqi already had the idea to sell grain here.
However, she did not act on converting the grain here, planning to inspect the warehouses and leave the matter to her uncle to tackle decisively.
They didn’t stay long at this shop, proceeding to their next destination to look at another shop.
They got back on the carriage, and after about ten minutes or so, they arrived at a shop selling tea leaves.
The shop wasn’t very large, and this street was not as bustling as the previous one, with no customers coming to buy tea.