"So what if I offend them? Am I afraid?" Xie Jiang snorted.
She had come to the capital precisely to offend people, and it would be perfectly justifiable to deal with them one by one later.
Seeing her puffed up, Xu Hengyan dismissed her words as mere bluster. "You can't alienate everyone. You need to establish yourself in the capital, and the Xie family needs to return to Dayu."
"I didn't come to Dayu to be bullied," Xie Jiang declared, her defiant spirit and uninhibited demeanor captivating.
Xu Hengyan thought she was being too simplistic. "Everyone knows your glass factory is operational and can produce glass. No matter how high you set the price, people will still weigh it in their minds."
Now that Dayu could produce glass domestically, who would be foolish enough to pay exorbitant prices?
"That must mean our advertising and promotion aren't sufficient yet." Who knew how much glass could be produced in the future? What was available now was just the current output.
Xie Jiang turned to Tian Kangtai and instructed, "Select ninety-nine pieces and send them to the capital. We don't need to sell them directly; send them to the 'Spring Scenery Full Garden' auction to build up the initial buzz."
Tian Kangtai knew what to do.
Xie Jiang looked at Xu Hengyan with confidence. "I plan to return to the capital then. Do you want to come with me and see how I sell them at a high price?"
Knowing her usual decisiveness, Xu Hengyan stopped trying to dissuade her. "The sweet potatoes are about to be planted. I'll likely be quite busy from now on."
Xie Jiang asked, "When do you plan to plant them? I'll go and take a look."
Xu Hengyan nodded; he had intended to invite her anyway.
Catching sight of a messy pile in the corner, Xu Hengyan squatted down to examine it. "Why are these all thrown here? Are there any problems?"
Tian Kangtai explained, "These are all defective items from the early stages of production."
Xu Hengyan picked one up and looked. Some had air bubbles, some had chipped corners, and some had uneven coloring...
Nie Tong ran in from outside. "Young Master, someone is looking for you. They say they are from the Xing Shun Earl's manor and are here to demand someone."
Xie Jiang's interest was piqued. "Yan Yan, someone's bringing me money. Shall we go watch?"
Xu Hengyan: "..."
He recalled that a few days ago, it was Young Master Zhu San who had approached Xie Jiang from the Xing Shun Earl's manor proposing a partnership.
And then...
Young Master Zhu San had been beaten up and was still hanging in the woods.
The group was stopped far outside the glass factory.
Xie Jiang sauntered over.
Impatiently waiting, Zhu Xuefeng heard that Xie Jiang had come out and turned his head abruptly, only to be stunned by the sight.
He had heard rumors that the "poison doctor" Young Master Xie possessed extraordinary beauty, but he had dismissed it as exaggeration. He never imagined it would be even more so than the rumors suggested.
Seeing Xu Hengyan by Xie Jiang's side, Zhu Xuefeng's gaze towards Xu Hengyan changed. No wonder there had been whispers recently...
Xie Jiang had always felt that the Zhu clan of the Xing Shun Earl's manor sounded somewhat familiar, as if she had heard of them somewhere.
It wasn't until Xu Hengyan was beside her at this moment that a flash of realization struck Xie Jiang. She looked at Xu Hengyan with amusement.
"It was in the small woods of Xihua Mountain... Was it the person burying their head in battle at that time, or this Zhu Lao San?"
Xu Hengyan, usually serene and elegant, instantly turned grim.
He had finally managed to forget the accidental scene he had witnessed, only for it to be brought back by the two Zhu brothers' reckless actions.
Xu Hengyan's gaze towards Zhu Xuefeng became particularly stern.
Zhu Xuefeng shivered under his stare, finally remembering where he was.
He politely bowed and greeted Xu Hengyan.
Then he turned to Xie Jiang, "Young Master Xie, is it? I heard my third brother acted rashly and inadvertently offended you, so you detained him? May I know where my third brother is now?"
Xie Jiang, without missing a beat, used her eyes to question Xu Hengyan, asking which one it was, which one? She didn't even bother to glance at Zhu Xuefeng. "He should be alive, right? Did you bring enough money?"
Zhu Xuefeng, hearing this, felt like lunging forward to attack. What did she mean, "should be alive"? Did they dare to torture his third brother!
Xu Hengyan, finding himself cornered and knowing that if he didn't tell her, she would directly ask Zhu Xuefeng, finally relented.
With a helpless nod, he confirmed it was the person in front of him.
Only then did Xie Jiang glance at Zhu Xuefeng, immediately recoiling from his ugliness and rubbing her eyes at Xu Hengyan, seeking compensation.
Xu Hengyan did not compensate.
He hadn't asked her to look.
His own eyes hurt; who was he supposed to seek compensation from?
Zhu Xuefeng was furious, as if he were invisible! The two of them were exchanging glances in front of him without any pretense. Had they no shame!
"Young Master Xie, please release my third brother quickly."
He had brought so many people today, not for a leisurely horseback ride.
"Release him?"
Earlier, she had only seen Zhu Xuefeng's ugliness. Hearing this, Xie Jiang turned her head, wanting to see how thick his face was.
"Who gave Young Master Zhu the confidence? Does Young Master Zhu perhaps have some beautiful illusions about your third brother's situation?"
Zhu Xuefeng frowned. "What do you mean?"
Seeing Xie Jiang's somewhat arrogant attitude, he began to have a bad premonition.
"What? Didn't the messenger explain clearly?" Xie Jiang asked.
The messenger had indeed explained clearly, telling them to bring money to Ninghe to redeem the person. But how could they take it seriously?
Some upstart from outside, not knowing his place, actually thought he could swagger through Dayu?
Pay money to redeem him! Humph! Wishful thinking!
Nie Tong, with his arms crossed, arrogantly quoted the price. "Young Master Zhu San is valued at ten thousand taels of silver, and the other lackeys are a hundred taels each. Payment is made upon redemption, no credit allowed."
They were actually demanding money from him! Zhu Xuefeng's composure finally shattered. "You're asking for the moon!"
"Are we lacking your paltry silver? It's you who shamelessly tried to force a partnership!" Nie Tong sneered dismissively. "Don't mention the word 'partnership' again, or I'll tie up Young Master Zhu as well! As for your wish to give us money, my young master, with his benevolent heart, will reluctantly fulfill it."
"I also advise Young Master Xie, some things are best not pushed too far." There will be a time when even Young Master Xu cannot protect you!
"How much is your advice worth? I find your words offensive, and I insist on pushing things to the extreme."
Xie Jiang completely disregarded him, speaking with extreme impoliteness, as if afraid of not enraging Zhu Xuefeng.
Zhu Xuefeng tightened his grip on his saber. Seeing Xu Hengyan beside Xie Jiang, he managed to suppress the urge to act immediately.
Xie Jiang looked disappointed, her gaze growing more disgusted.
Another useless, spineless coward.
Zhu Xuefeng suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice, "Where is my third brother? I want to see him first."
Xie Jiang said, "Alright."
She turned to Xu Hengyan. "Shall we go and see together?"
Xu Hengyan mounted his horse with her. With him present, Zhu Xuefeng would at least behave, preventing impulsive actions that could lead to irreparable consequences.
Not that Xie Jiang would be unable to salvage the situation.
It was more about preventing the Xing Shun Earl's manor from making the same foolish mistake as the Nanxiong Marquis's manor.