The Return of the Seventh Young Lady-Chapter 55 - 54

Chapter 54

What the Su family did was to hope her brother’s mistakes would result in severe punishment—at worst, execution, and at best, demotion from his official position. Regardless of the outcome, if her brother truly stumbled, there would be nothing but loss!

Since the Su family harbored such malicious intentions toward her brother, she could not afford to hold back. Even though the Su family would eventually meet a pitiful end due to their own failed rebellion, that was the matter in the next four years. If she allowed them to live peacefully until then, who knew what they might do to her brother during those four years?

Therefore, Mu Yingying didn’t hesitate for a moment to act against the Su family now. Although the power she wielded might not be enough to bring down this fierce tiger, she was confident she could retaliate and inflict such pain on her enemies that they wouldn’t have the time to target her brother.

Moreover, she didn’t want to overshadow her brother too much. After all, the victim this time was Mu Gongzhen, and he likely had his own ways of dealing with their enemies. She had her methods, and her brother had his. She would create chaos and distract the enemy, while her brother would undoubtedly use his political power to exact his revenge!

Since the Su family was so free, she would play along!

Mu Yingying let out a light laugh, her big, round eyes sparkling with amusement. "Lu Jiu, could you send someone to investigate where the Su family has their shops and sources of income? Although my influence may not yet reach the bureaucratic world, I am confident that my reach in the commercial world is quite extensive."

"Understood. I will send someone to investigate."

Lu Jiu nodded. Seeing the cunning expression on the small figure, he smiled unknowingly, his gaze filled with affection.

Mu Yingying’s intelligence network worked diligently, and within just five days, they gathered comprehensive information about all of the Su family’s known and hidden businesses, as well as their financial routes. They promptly delivered this information to their mistress in Qingyun City.

Inside the innermost room of the eastern wing, Mu Yingying was reading all the gathered information while lying on a daybed by the window. A faint smile adorned her small face the entire time. It was unexpected that the Su family was this wealthy; it was fitting for a powerful faction that had lasted for more than three reigns.

The Su family had over a thousand general businesses, not to mention their hidden ventures like brothels and illegal activities such as the illegal salt trade. Additionally, there were many other clandestine operations that her people couldn’t completely uncover.

Mu Yingying wasn’t surprised that the Su family had been bold enough to rebel against the Son of Heaven in her previous life. It’s because the Left Side Chancellor currently wielded immense power, second only to the Emperor, and possessing vast wealth to fund various plans.

The rebellion plan couldn’t be initiated in just a few years; the Su family must have already started their preparations. They likely stockpiled weapons, gathered private troops, and made strategic moves. All they were waiting for was the Emperor’s full-fledged confrontation with them.

“From now on, have our people keep a close watch on the power factions in the capital, especially the Su family. Do not miss any of their movements, whether in the capital or outside. Everything related to the Su family must be monitored without fail,”

Mu Yingying ordered Lu Jiu, who stood nearby, while she continued to read through the information in her hands.

“Yes, Miss,”

Lu Jiu replied, turning to leave the room. He left her to read in peace while he went to prepare tea for her.

As Mu Yingying read the documents, she analyzed the situation. The Su family was currently in a state of peace and prosperity, with abundant wealth and power, lacking nothing. If nothing changed, their rebellion plan would likely proceed smoothly.

In the previous life, her brother hadn’t been tasked with escorting supplies like this time, nor had he become a focal point or openly close to the Emperor. This was why the Su family hadn’t targeted him then. However, many events had changed in this life, and her eldest brother’s actions had also shifted.

Mu Yingying realized she could no longer control everything. Previously, she thought knowing the future would give her an advantage, but as events changed due to her actions, only the past remained constant while some of the future events evolved.

She needed to adapt her plans to handle any situation and carefully consider before taking any actions...

The Su family’s current attempt to undermine her brother was likely due to political conflicts. What she could do now was to distract the enemy and ensure they had no time to target her eldest brother!

She would start by reclaiming the cost of the twenty supply wagons she had sent to Jingyuan City!

With a plan forming in her mind, Mu Yingying let out a wicked smile. Since the Su family decided to act like bandits, robbing and destroying other people’s goods, she would turn the tables and rob the robbers!

“Miss, here is your tea,” Lu Jiu, having returned, poured tea into a cup and placed it in front of her.

“Thank you,”

Mu Yingying replied with a cheerful smile, taking the tea and sipping it contentedly. Her eyes sparkled with amusement as she gazed out the window.

“I really enjoy playing the role of a bandit...”

Lu Jiu glanced up at the girl, his long brows furrowing slightly before he let out a light laugh. What kind of mischief was his little miss planning now?...

"Lu Jiu, give the order to our people. From now on, we will all play the role of bandits," Mu Yingying turned to give him a mysterious smile, setting her teacup on the table and unrolling the scroll in her hand.

"How much was the cost of the twenty supply wagons?"

"Approximately five hundred thousand taels," Lu Jiu replied, leaning forward to look at the paper she had spread out.

"Including the labor costs for our people to gather the supplies and transport them to Jingyuan City without rest, I estimate it at double that. So, one million taels!"

Mu Yingying raised her eyebrows, stepping down from the daybed to her writing desk, with Lu Jiu following closely behind.

Mu Yingying spread the paper on the desk and picked up a brush, writing on the paper. "The Su family has numerous businesses, but there are fifty shops that make the most profitable, spreading across thirty major cities, all in the southern region. Each business alone generates hundreds of thousands of taels annually. Thirty businesses would amount to several million taels."

"Deploy our people to these thirty businesses. Send a lot of them, because raiding them won’t be easy. The more we send, the better the chances of success. Have them set out and disperse to each of the thirty branches by the tenth of this month. Once they infiltrate the cities, they should monitor all movements."

"Wait until the tenth of next month, then launch simultaneous raids, taking all valuable assets and destroying the businesses. They must be swift and precise, but no innocent people should be harmed!"

Mu Yingying set down the brush and emphasized again, "I don’t care what methods they use, but no innocents must be involved. We steal and destroy, but we do not shed blood!"

"I always know my limits. After completing the raids, sell the stolen goods in the black market, convert all the valuables into cash, and store the money securely with them. Then, return to our base as quickly as possible and pool the central funds. Do not deposit them at Fengkong Repository to prevent tracking the financial routes..."

"This...is quite a significant raid,"

Lu Jiu paused briefly, surprised by the intensity of her plan. The enemy had only destroyed ten supply wagons, but she intended to raid thirty of their businesses. The Su family would undoubtedly vomit blood.

"Exactly. If we don’t make a big impact, will the Su family pay attention?"

Mu Yingying said with a laugh, her eyes sparkling like precious pearls.

She intended to draw the Su family’s attention and reclaim the debt with interest. The principal was one million taels, and the extra would be considered interest!

If their financial routes were disrupted, the Su family would lose millions of taels simultaneously. Mu Yingying believed this would infuriate the enemy, leaving them no choice but to pay attention to this matter...

The reason she ordered her people to travel to their destinations and prepare to strike simultaneously on the tenth of the next month was that she wanted to execute all the raids at the same time, catching the enemy completely off guard. By the time the news reached the Su family, everything would have been wiped out, and there would be no way for them to track her people. They would come and go as swiftly as ghosts.

Moreover, this loss would undoubtedly cause significant turmoil and leave a severe wound on the Su family.

“By my calculations, this raid should yield much more than the debt and interest you had in mind,”

Lu Jiu remarked, teasing her. This raid would indeed bring in a substantial amount of wealth, achieving both revenge and financial gain. It seemed to be only beneficial.

Mu Yingying raised her eyebrows slightly and placed her hand on her chest, feigning sorrow like someone in distress. “Consider the rest compensation for me. When I heard that my brother had been ambushed to rob of supplies and injured, I was so frightened and shocked. Shouldn’t the Su family take responsibility for that? ...”

As she finished, they both burst into laughter. Lu Jiu couldn’t help but admire the girl’s pettiness. Such a painful revenge for the enemy could only make him silently mourn for them.

“It will take about three months for the situation in Jingyuan City to calm down and for my brother to return to the capital. Those three months will be enough to keep the Su family in turmoil,” Mu Yingying said with a cold smile, her small face openly displaying her cunning.

She was both excited and impatient to see this plan unfold...

...

..

.

One month later, a major raid and destruction of property suddenly took place. Initially, it might not have been a big deal, but because on that same day, more than thirty shops in the southern region were simultaneously raided, looted, and razed to the ground, it was clear that it was the work of the same group.

More importantly, all these damaged businesses were under the Su family’s name!

Ordinary people might not know this, but the nobles were well aware. Many smiled mockingly at the Su family’s misfortune, but many were equally worried. Whoever orchestrated these raids, it was no different from pulling the tiger’s whiskers[1], which was as if declaring war on the Su family.

The capital was once again in turmoil. The people of the Left Side Chancellor’s faction were searching for the culprits, keeping an eye on other power factions, and scrutinizing each other like a storm ready to break.

Just one clue to emerge, and the political war could erupt at any moment...

Left Side Chancellor Su’s Manor, Capital.

In the past few days, since the news of the loss of the businesses reached the manor, the atmosphere within the Su household had become tense. The family members kept to themselves, avoiding any trouble, and even the servants worked more diligently than usual, fearing they might make a mistake and incur the wrath of their masters.

In the study of the household patriarch, Su Anming and Su Hunkai were discussing the situation with grim expressions. Su Anming, who had always appeared at ease, now showed a stern face, his eyes cold. He couldn’t believe that after so many years, someone would dare to challenge him so openly!

“Our people have calculated the losses, amounting to over three million taels. Additionally, to repair and reopen those businesses, we would need to spend another million taels to complete the restoration,” Su Hunkai reported the important information to his father with a worried face.

The damage was immense. Not only had they lost over three million taels, but they also needed to spend another million taels on repairs to reopen businesses. It was a double loss. Whoever was behind this was indeed formidable.

The planning and execution were done so swiftly that they had no time to react, and the perpetrators disappeared without a trace, like ghosts. When their people tried to investigate, they found nothing. This was the first time in five years that someone had dared to challenge the Su family and managed to escape!

“Humph! Quite capable, aren’t they? But I don’t believe they can hide forever. There must have been at least a hundred people involved. If it wasn’t the work of one of the power factions in the capital, then who else could it be!? Send people to investigate the financial routes of the power factions in the capital! Such a large sum of money can’t be hidden that easily.”

Su Anming ordered his son with a harsh tone. Having been an official for so many years, he had never been humiliated like this. It was also the first time he had been attacked in such an embarrassing manner, suffering a deep wound.

To think they even dared to rob him of millions of taels, acting as shameless thieves!...

[1] An idiom means to irritate a powerful person.

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