From the window on the second floor, Shangguan Lin narrowed his eyes. He had seen the young man's subtle movements just now. Who was this person?
"Mu Li, go and find out immediately who he is!"
"Yes, Your Highness," Mu Li left silently.
Shangguan Lin frowned, his expression extremely grim. Thinking of Ye Wuyun's words, his mood worsened. With the Four Protectors appearing in the capital, what was Murong Chong planning? What did they intend to do?
Who was that person just now? Could he be from the Divine Dragon Palace?
Downstairs, many women, fawning and flattering, slipped away. After what had just happened, there was no more talk of seduction.
Soon, the hall quieted down.
Yun Xiao and Wan Wan got into a carriage on the street and instructed the driver to proceed. As an afterthought, she added, "Head towards crowded places. There's no rush to go home. You can return when I tell you to."
"Yes, Young Master," the driver replied and drove towards the more populated areas.
Inside the carriage, Wan Wan looked puzzled and raised her eyebrows strangely, "What's wrong, Master?"
"Do you think that Young Master Shen will give up? Also, I'm afraid Shangguan Lin will send people to follow us. They want to control everything in the capital; they probably won't tolerate even the slightest hint of deviation."
"Oh," Wan Wan nodded. Thinking of that Young Master Shen, she couldn't help but feel a chill and rubbed her arm, goosebumps appearing. The thought of his lecherous gaze made Wan Wan want to curse.
"That damned scoundrel, I must kill him someday." Wan Wan knew this Shen Jin'an. He was a local bully in Yan Capital. Relying on his father's power and influence, he had always acted recklessly, snatching many women to be concubines in his mansion.
A fleeting sharp glint appeared in Yun Xiao's eyes. Even if the Shen family were high-ranking officials, in a place like Yan Capital, where princes and generals frequented.
Logically, Young Master Shen shouldn't dare to be so arrogant. What made him so bold? Had he hitched himself to a higher official, thus gaining such courage? Who was that person?
Shangguan Yao? Could it be the Emperor? Then the Minister of Personnel was Shangguan Yao's man. It seemed likely.
The Ministry of Personnel was in charge of official positions for civil servants throughout the empire. If Shangguan Yao wanted to bring about change, he would need manpower. If the Minister of Personnel was the Emperor's man, then changing the officials would be much easier.
This would also explain why Shen Jin'an, the son of the Minister of Personnel, dared to be so overbearing, no less than any prince or general.
"Alright, don't be angry. Shen Jin'an won't get away with it."
Thinking of Shen Jin'an, a smile spread across Yun Xiao's face. After all, it wouldn't be long before that guy suffered.
Seeing her master's expression, Wan Wan knew she must have done something, and she happily shook Yun Xiao's arm.
"Master, what did you do?"
Yun Xiao glanced at her and then leaned forward, whispering a few words. Wan Wan immediately laughed happily, "This is great! Let them offend us."
The carriage meandered through the city. Yun Xiao browsed while observing if they were being followed. She surveyed the streets, looking for a suitable place to open a medical clinic.
However, after wandering for the entire afternoon, she didn't find any good spots.
As dusk approached, the setting sun cast a rosy glow over the entire Yan Capital, as if covered by a veil of crimson, making it exceptionally beautiful.
Yun Xiao ordered the driver.
"Shake off anyone following us and return to the Su Mansion."
"Yes, Young Master!" After driving for half the day, even if the driver wasn't a martial arts expert, he knew they were being followed. So, at his master's command, he immediately whipped the horse and galloped, weaving through streets and alleys, quickly disappearing into the crowd.
Those who were following, once they recovered from their shock, rushed in pursuit, but the carriage was nowhere to be seen.
It seemed the person inside the carriage was a shrewd master, employing psychological warfare.
First, they were led around the city for half a day, moving slowly as if sightseeing or casually strolling, but then they suddenly accelerated unexpectedly. After being caught off guard, by the time they reacted, the others had already vanished.
The followers returned to their respective mansions to report.
At the Su Mansion, Liu Xing and Mo Chen had already returned. Both of them looked well, completely the opposite of Yun Xiao and Wan Wan.
Seeing Yun Xiao's unhappiness, Liu Xing asked with concern, "What's wrong? What happened?"
Wan Wan had already spoken first, "It's all because of Shen Jin'an. He actually harassed me in the Qin Yu Pavilion and then tried to capture Master. Can you believe it? Fortunately, Shangguan Lin appeared later, so we managed to get through it safely."
Liu Xing looked shocked, not expecting his master to have encountered such a situation. If he had known, he wouldn't have left her side. It seemed it would be best to be cautious in the future.
Yun Xiao saw his gloomy expression and said calmly, "It's fine now. How about you? Did you find a house?"
"Yes," when this was mentioned, Mo Chen snapped out of his anger, feeling a little happier, and quickly nodded, handing the drawings he had made to Yun Xiao.
"We looked at two places, and both are quite good."
Yun Xiao took the drawings. Mo Chen had drawn them very well, marking the locations, streets, and surrounding areas. Yun Xiao looked them over; these two places were indeed good, but the owners wanted to sell, not rent.
They had originally intended to rent, but if the owners insisted on selling, then they would buy. They had part of the silver notes from the pawned items from the Yun Prince's Mansion, as well as the hundred thousand taels of silver notes given by the Emperor, which was enough.
The group discussed it and instructed Mo Chen to negotiate the house deal.
One shop was on a street adjacent to Jiuhua Street. Jiuhua Street was the most prosperous street in Yan Capital, and its adjacent Fengxiang Street was also very bustling. The shop faced west and was behind Jiuhua Street.
The other shop was a distance away from Fengxiang Street, on a street that faced north and south.
Although this street was not as prosperous as Jiuhua Street and Fengxiang Street, Yun Xiao noticed something. This street had more mid- to lower-tier shops, and business was also very busy, but there wasn't a single restaurant.
A restaurant would be suitable for this location. Although Fengxiang Street was a prosperous area, it was too close to Jiuhua Street. Jiuhua Street already had several restaurants, with Qin Yu Pavilion being the best.
There were several other well-established restaurants behind it, so it wouldn't be easy to compete with them. It would be better to choose a suitable place to develop.
The negotiations for these two commercial properties went smoothly. Because the owners wanted to sell, the price was also easy to negotiate.
The shop on Fengxiang Street was three times the price of the one on the adjacent street. However, the Fengxiang Street shop was not a single storefront; it also had a large courtyard behind it with some residences.
At the back of the courtyard was a two-story building. The building was self-contained, directly adjacent to the street behind it, allowing for independent access from the rear.
Yun Xiao was most satisfied with this one. She already had a plan in mind.
She couldn't live in the Su Mansion forever. The shop on Fengxiang Street was intended for the medical clinic, and people would be constantly present there. Therefore, as soon as it was renovated, she would move there.