Moreover, what Mo Jiuye said also made sense. The enemy was hiding while they were exposed, so it was indeed difficult to prevent attacks. All they could do was stay vigilant at all times and adapt to changes.
To give Mo Jiuye more tools for self-defense, He Zhiran did not take back the mini sleeve arrows used to kill the wolf pack. Instead, she bought another set of arrows for him.
"This is for you. It may come in handy at critical moments."
Ever since getting the sleeve arrows, Mo Jiuye had grown deeply fond of this exquisite little weapon.
He looked deeply at He Zhiran. "Thank you."
This thing was simply a life-saver for Mo Jiuye now.
No one knew what troubles might lie ahead. Having a weapon in hand would at least allow him to cope for a while.
He Zhiran was worried Mo Jiuye would ask about the origins of her mini sleeve arrows. To avoid the topic, she simply rolled over with her back facing him.
"I'm tired. Let's rest early."
Mo Jiuye did have such questions in mind, but he did not have the urge to get to the bottom of it. After all, this was not the first time he had seen He Zhiran use such advanced weapons...
He Zhiran really was tired. She had originally planned to check the sales in the online store, but she could no longer resist the sudden drowsiness and had to listen to her body's desire to visit the god of dreams.
...
Sure enough, as expected, before nightfall the next day, with the hard work of the women, all the wolf jerky was roasted.
Peng Wang immediately decided to leave some for everyone to eat and take the rest into the nearby town to exchange for money tomorrow morning.
He Zhiran was thinking that later she would discuss with Peng Wang and ask for permission to go into town with him tomorrow as well, in order to purchase more supplies.
But before she could even open her mouth, Peng Wang took the initiative to come over.
"Sister, if you and Brother Mo are willing tomorrow when going into town, you can come along."
He knew He Zhiran's family had given her quite a bit of silver when sending her off.
With silver in hand, purchasing more supplies was understandable.
"Sure, I'll go with you tomorrow and buy some supplies to bring back," He Zhiran responded with a smile. She had been hoping for this, and now it just fell right into her lap without even needing to ask.
Mo Jiuye also wanted to go into town with He Zhiran, but he worried that assassins from Beijing might choose this moment to attack, and the defenseless women back home would be in danger.
"I still have injuries, so I won't go along."
Peng Wang didn't think too much of it and assumed Mo Jiuye was telling the truth
"Then it's decided. The town is quite far. We'll set off before dawn tomorrow."
After seeing Peng Wang off, lying in the tent, He Zhiran entered her space with her consciousness.
She wanted to check the sales figures of the store. It had been two days already. There should be some profit now, right?
With this thought, He Zhiran tapped open her phone screen. She saw that all the merchandise in the store had been sold out, and her account had been credited 4.25 million Yuan.
The pleasant surprise came so suddenly that she was somewhat overwhelmed.
To verify that this wasn't a dream, He Zhiran subconsciously pinched her own leg.
The pain reminded her that this was all real.
She had assumed that with such expensive antiques, selling a few items in a year would be good, but she did not expect that in just two days, all 19 items were sold out.
He Zhiran curiously clicked into the records, intending to check the sale times of the merchandise.
As it turned out, all the items in the store had been purchased by someone named "Little Collector", including that first silver hairpin sold on the opening day...
This explained one thing: on the first day Little Collector bought that lowest priced silver hairpin to first verify the authenticity of the merchandise.
After confirming that the silver hairpin was indeed an antique, Little Collector decided to invest heavily in purchasing the rest.
Not only that, Little Collector left reviews for all sold merchandise. The content was mostly that the prices were low and the items were definitely genuine, even asking the seller to add more new inventory.
This made He Zhiran very grateful. Her shop had just opened, and such reviews were helpful references for potential new customers.
Over 4 million was by no means a small amount for He Zhiran.
Although she did not yet know how to spend this money, who would complain about having too much money?
Moreover, her space contained many items taken from the imperial treasury. Although they looked valuable, to He Zhiran they were just taking up space.
Ordinary items were still okay - she could casually take them to a pawn shop to exchange for silver and have tangible cash in hand.
However, all these items came from the imperial treasury. Just showing them would surely reveal clues for people to investigate her and Mo Jiuye; that would end up being a pyrrhic victory.
Now things were perfect: she could leisurely list these antiques for sale on Taobao Mall without any risk. Not only would this free up some space in her medical room, she would also gain considerable income.
Although she didn't currently need this money, the road ahead was still long and who knew when she might have such needs.
If she really ended up not needing the money, she could also find a way to donate it to charity to help those in need.
In short, the successful merchandise sales were an enormously good thing for He Zhiran, no matter how she looked at it.
He Zhiran still understood the principle of striking while the iron was hot. She used her mind to select dozens more items from her space, took pictures, priced them, and uploaded them to the mall.
The fledgling female tycoon who now possessed over 4 million Yuan finally fell asleep contentedly after three days.
The next day, before dawn even broke, He Zhiran got up as promised and set off for the town with Peng Wang and another official.
After being made into jerky, the wolf meat did not take up much space. All that could be seen piled high like a small mountain on the wooden cart were wolf hides.
The wolf hides were piled so high that the official pushing the cart could not even see the road. Peng Wang had no choice but to walk in front to lead the way.
For ease of travel, Peng Wang and the official had found some ordinary peasant clothes from somewhere and put them on.
Seen from afar, the three of them looked just like ordinary country hunters going into town to sell their game.
Finally, a little after morning on the hour of Chen, they arrived at Pingyuan County.
Perhaps due to its large population, it looked slightly livelier than Yunlai County.
The important purpose of this trip was to sell the wolf hides and jerky. Peng Wang directly led them to the only fur shop here.
After examining the wolf hides, the shopkeeper did indeed offer one tael of silver per hide as Peng Wang had said.
Just as Peng Wang was about to readily agree, He Zhiran stepped forward.
"Shopkeeper, these hides have been processed and dried. How can you offer the same price as for whole wolves brought in?"
The shopkeeper saw that the speaker was a young woman and simply dismissed her words outright.
"Little lady doesn't understand the business. Hides are worth the least this season. I'm offering one tael of silver per hide because they've been processed."
Upon hearing this, He Zhiran calmly asked, "So by the shopkeeper's words, when are hides worth more money
He Zhiran looked at Peng Wang.
"Brother Peng, anyway these skins won't spoil until winter comes, so we might as well sell them when winter arrives."
Peng Wang was very cooperative in his reply: "Alright, whatever my younger sister says."
As he spoke, he gestured at the clerks to leave with him.
Seeing that the deal was about to slip away, the shopkeeper immediately put on a smiling face to block their way.
"Gentlemen, don't rush to leave. Let's discuss this further."
"There's nothing more to discuss. We worked hard to get so many wolf skins, of course we'll wait to sell them when prices are highest."
As Peng Wang saw the shopkeeper come to obstruct them, he was gleeful inside but still pretended that he wanted to leave.
The anxious shopkeeper directly shouted: "How about this - I'll pay an extra 100 wen per skin. That's very high already!"
He Zhiran turned her head and held out a palm to the shopkeeper.
"Pay an extra 500 wen and you have a deal."
"500 wen is too much. Even in winter, wolf fur isn't worth that much," the shopkeeper was nearly in tears. With an extra 500 wen, his profits would be halved.
"Then forget it. We're going to the capital in a few days anyway, and can definitely get a good price for them there," He Zhiran said, and prepared to leave.
Now the shopkeeper was truly anxious.
"Fine, one and a half taels of silver per skin. I'll buy all the wolf fur."
Although his profit margin had decreased, it was still better than making no profit.
Peng Wang was impressed that He Zhiran had negotiated an extra 25 taels worth of silver with just a few sentences.
He secretly gave her a thumbs up.
The wolf skins were quickly unloaded from the wooden cart, revealing dried wolf meat packed in several large iron pots.
Curious, the shopkeeper asked: "Brothers, what is this?"
Having earned extra money, Peng Wang was in a good mood and generously handed him a piece of dried meat.
"Boss, have a taste. This is dried wolf meat."
"Dried wolf meat?" The shopkeeper had been in business for many years, but this was the first time he had heard of such a thing.
He took the dried meat from Peng Wang and cautiously bit off a piece.
And he simply could not stop eating after that first bite.
"Delicious, chewy, and more fragrant the more you chew..."
On the way here, He Zhiran had suggested that with so much dried meat, it would be impossible for them to retail it bit by bit at the marketplace. It would be best to find a teahouse or restaurant and negotiate for them to purchase the whole batch.
Therefore, even as the shopkeeper of the fur shop continuously praised how tasty it was, they had no intention of selling him some. Seeing how much he liked it, Peng Wang generously gave him a few more pieces.
After receiving the silver, Peng Wang was about to leave with his men, but as soon as he turned around, the shopkeeper chased him out.
"Gentlemen, please wait!"
Peng Wang looked back: "Something else?"
The shopkeeper came up to them, grinning from ear to ear.
"Brothers, might this dried wolf meat be for sale?"
"Of course it's for sale, but we won't be selling it in small amounts," Peng Wang replied.
He had just finished speaking when a man looking about thirty years old, wearing silk brocade robes, walked out of the shop.
The man was waving a fan, believing himself to have elegant demeanor as he approached them.
"Cui is my unworthy name. In three days I will be hosting a poetry gathering, where scholarly gentlemen from the surrounding counties will be in attendance. I noticed this dried wolf meat and thought it would make for a fine snack. If possible, I would like to purchase some."
Peng Wang instinctively looked to He Zhiran upon this prospect of business.
He Zhiran already knew dried wolf meat would be in demand.
"Master Cui, we don't sell our meat in small amounts. If you would purchase the whole batch, then we can discuss pricing," she said.
Master Cui first glanced at the amount of dried meat on the cart before replying, "No problem."
Hearing this, He Zhiran did not hesitate either and directly named her price: "For all of this dried meat, 300 wen per jin."
"300 wen per jin? Young lady, you're practically robbing us!" The shopkeeper felt the price was unbelievable.
Not just the shopkeeper, even Peng Wang was somewhat shocked upon hearing this quote.
If not for the meat being so tasty, even if they had properly prepared this wolf meat and brought it to market, they probably couldn't have gotten much money for it.
This girl had directly opened with 300 wen.
He Zhiran's price did contain some room for negotiation - naturally this would not be a fixed price sale, and the other party would certainly bargain.
But she absolutely would not take the initiative to make concessions.
"It takes five jin of wolf meat to make one jin of dried meat. These wolves were hunted by my family risking their lives, and go through many processing steps. I feel this price is very reasonable," she said.
"Even if it's five jin of wolf meat for one jin of dried meat, it's still not worth 300 wen per jin!" the shopkeeper retorted.
Master Cui echoed in agreement: "Indeed, 300 wen per jin is too expensive."
If You Have Pain In Your Joints And Knees, Read ThisIf You Have Joint, Knee And Shoulder Pain. Read ThisSeeing both of them think the price was too high, Peng Wang guessed this deal was likely going south.
In a moment of anxiety, he secretly nudged He Zhiran, hinting with his eyes for her to lower the price.
But He Zhiran ignored Peng Wang and instead addressed the shopkeeper and Master Cui:
"I presume both of you tried the meat and found the flavor satisfactory, which is why you want to buy some."
Seeing as neither party rebutted, He Zhiran continued,
"The method of making dried meat is secret recipe passed down in our family. I believe you simply cannot buy meat this delicious anywhere else.
Master Cui, since you are hosting a poetry gathering, I'm certain the attendees will be prominent and influential people.
When you serve them this unique dried meat at the event, I assure you it will have an unanticipated effect."
He Zhiran's words had indeed struck Master Cui's heart.
After hesitating a number of times, he finally said, "200 wen per jin. I'll take the whole batch."
In He Zhiran's estimation, the lowest acceptable price for the meat was 150 wen per jin. Hearing the offer of 200 wen, she was already elated internally.
However, so as not to betray her delight, He Zhiran hesitated briefly, seemingly conflicted.
Seeing her uncertainty, Master Cui spoke again,
"I'll add another 20 wen per jin, but I can't go higher."
He Zhiran put on a look of indecision, turning to face Peng Wang as if unable to make up her mind.
"Big brother Peng, can we agree to this price?"
Peng Wang played along very cooperatively, making a pained expression as he said, "220 wen per jin it is then! If this sells our dried meat, we can return home that much sooner.
Only then did He Zhiran reluctantly look to Master Cui.
"Since my elder brother has agreed, I've got no say. It's a deal for 220 wen per jin."
The shopkeeper called over helpers to weigh the meat.
There was a total of 168 jin of dried wolf meat, priced at 36 taels and 980 wen.
Master Cui directly gave He Zhiran 40 taels of silver.
To Peng Wang, being able to sell these unwanted wolf parts for 40 taels was like finding free money on the ground
After leaving the fur shop, Peng Wang gave He Zhiran another thumbs up.
"Sister, I'm really convinced today. If it weren't for you, I could only have sold these fifty wolves for 50 taels. But now, thanks to you, I got more than double the price."
In fact, He Zhiran was not very knowledgeable about doing business. She was merely benefiting from Duo Huo Yi Shi's expertise and understanding some basics about haggling.
Being praised like an idol by Peng Wang, she felt a little embarrassed.
"Big Brother Peng, please don't flatter me too much. I was just lucky."
"Sister, don't be modest. I don't give compliments lightly."
As he spoke, Peng Wang looked at the sky.
"We've been on the road for so long and must be hungry by now. Let's find a place to fill our stomachs first, then I'll accompany you to purchase supplies."
The three strolled along, looking for a place to eat.
Suddenly, a man came flying out of a book store ahead of them, his body slamming heavily onto the ground.
Then, several young men dressed as scholars walked out of the bookstore.
"Fei Nanyu, you poor devil, how dare you call yourself a scholar?"
"If I see you come to the bookstore again, I'll beat you every time."
Fei Nanyu?
Hearing this name, He Zhiran immediately thought of someone.
Historical records stated that after Nan Qi died, Fei Nanyu held court for six years before plotting to usurp the throne.
The Fei surname was rare, and for someone to dare use the royal surname in their name, even if the characters were different, ordinary people wouldn't normally dare to do so.
Therefore, she could determine that the man before her was the famous founding emperor of the Daxing dynasty: Fei Nanyu.
He Zhiran did not know much about Fei Nanyu's past, so she was unclear about what happened before he became emperor.
Seeing the future founding emperor in such a miserable state, He Zhiran's first reaction was that for Fei Nanyu, even if they could not be friends, they must not become enemies.
If the historical records were correct, Mo Jiuye died on the third day after being exiled. The exact cause of death had always been a mystery.
Now that she had come here, on the very first day, she had already changed Mo Jiuye's fate of being severely caned 100 times by Emperor Shunwu. And now, more than three days had passed since Mo Jiuye was exiled from the capital, yet he remained alive and kicking.
This showed that she had already changed Mo Jiuye's fate twice.
The Mo family's enemies were the imperial family. To take revenge, they would inevitably stand in opposition to the imperial family.
In the future, Fei Nanyu would become Da Shun dynasty's greatest enemy.
There was a saying, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Therefore, He Zhiran greatly valued this opportunity to befriend Fei Nanyu.
At this moment, Fei Nanyu looked very miserable. Blood kept flowing from his broken nose. The shabby clothes he wore were also stained with traces of blood.
He raised his arm and casually wiped his face, struggling to sit up.
Just then, the two scholars had already walked over disdainfully, about to continue beating him.
At the same time, He Zhiran felt a gaze staring at them from above behind her.
She instinctively turned her head back. Behind her was a two-story tea house.
If she was not mistaken, that gaze had come from the second floor.
So He Zhiran looked towards the second floor. She saw the window there was open, but no one was inside her line of sight.
With no time to think further, seeing that Fei Nanyu was about to suffer another beating, He Zhiran dashed forward and stood in front of him.
"I advise you two gentlemen, stop while you still can."
After saying just one sentence, with He Zhiran's keen senses, she felt that gaze again.
But now was not the time for her to investigate. He Zhiran stared evenly at the scholars.
The two scholars looked at the woman blocking their way. Her clothes were covered in patches and her face was full of dirt.
The taller scholar said contemptuously, "What beggar is this, mind your own business and scram!"
He Zhiran still stood motionless in place, arms crossed over her chest.
"What if I insist on interfering?"
"You're asking for death." The shorter scholar said, raising his hand to slap He Zhiran.
Since He Zhiran had already chosen to intervene, she was prepared to fight back.
Just as she was about to retaliate, Peng Wang charged forward and kicked the short scholar in the stomach.
At the same time, the guard also punched the tall scholar.
Peng Wang didn't know why He Zhiran wanted to intervene. However, from his understanding of her, she was no rash person and must have her own reasons for doing this.
Therefore, Peng Wang chose to support her unconditionally.
Seeing his boss take action, the guard naturally could not hold back either
The two scholars were beaten. Clutching their painful spots, they glared furiously at their opponents.
The other scholars also surrounded them, glaring at the group. But no one dared make another move.
"You beggars have guts beating people openly on the street?"
He Zhiran was not angry, but laughed instead. She pointed to Fei Nanyu behind her and said,
"Weren't you guys also openly beating someone on the street? This is called getting a taste of your own medicine. Understand?"
From the scholars' attire, they were probably sons of wealthy families who were used to being arrogant.
Even if He Zhiran was speaking the truth, they would not admit it.
"Who saw us beating anyone? It was you who openly beat scholars before the public, yet you're slamming accusations instead!"
Peng Wang had a fiery temper. Worried that He Zhiran would be taken advantage of by so many scholars, he strode forward and said,
"The three of us personally witnessed you scholars beating someone on the street. If you don't believe us, let's go to the authorities right now for the county magistrate to decide!"
He had already thought this through. After all, he himself held an eighth-rank official post. At worst, he could reveal his identity at the county office, how could he still be afraid of some unlearned scholars?
Hearing about seeing the authorities, the scholars instantly cowered.
What if the county magistrate really upheld justice for Fei Nanyu? Their hard-earned positions as tongsheng might be revoked
"We didn't beat anyone, why should we go to the authorities with you?"
"Then don't go to the authorities, but you still have to compensate his medical fees, that's a fact." This was He Zhiran's main goal at the moment.
From Fei Nanyu's attire, it could be inferred that he was currently destitute. What he needed most now should be money.
She could give the money herself, but it had to be done aboveboard, otherwise with Fei Nanyu's astute mind he would surely think she had ulterior motives.
Hearing that the matter could be resolved with money, and to avoid escalating the situation, the scholars could only reluctantly compromise.
"How much compensation do you want?"
"There are five of you total. I think twenty taels per person should be just right." He Zhiran said calmly.
"What? Twenty taels each? Fei Nanyu is not even worth it." The short scholar retorted first.
"In that case, let's go to the authorities and ask the county magistrate to decide if he's worth it or not!"