Let's Go Into Business Together

Anyway, whatever Xiao Ke owes her, even without an IOU, if he's willing to pay, she'll get it. If he's unwilling to pay and deliberately wants to renege on his debt, an IOU won't help. She won't argue with him about it; she'll just pretend she's never met him.

So IOUs and the like are completely meaningless to her.

An IOU is just paper; it burns away in an instant. But a silk purse is a different story.

Seeing that the purse was about to burn her hand, Zhao Ruxi quickly threw it on the ground, took out a gold hairpin from her jewelry box, and used it to burn until it was no longer visible. Only then did she ask Qingfeng to take it out and bury it.

After Qingfeng entered the room, she said, "From now on, if he has anything to give you, just accept it. But you must not let anyone see you, and you must not tell anyone else, including the Earl and Madam, understand?"

"Yes," Qingfeng replied hastily.

Zhao Ruxi trusted Qingfeng. What she wasn't so sure about was Ma Sheng.

Ma Sheng was, after all, a bodyguard in the mansion who had served Zhao Yuanxun for many years. His loyalty to Zhao Yuanxun was certainly greater than his loyalty to her. Moreover, he bore the heavy responsibility of her safety, and if he felt he couldn't bear the consequences, he would probably tell Zhao Yuanxun about it.

However, Zhao Ruxi didn't care. She wanted to see if Ma Sheng could keep his mouth shut.

Zhao Yuanxun is a good father and knows his limits. If he finds out she's in contact with Xiao Lingyan, he'll definitely question her. She can just make up an excuse; it's not a big deal. It's also good to test Ma Sheng's loyalty.

After all, she has many secrets, and she will inevitably have to contact Xiao Lingyan in the future. If the people around her are not loyal, she will be in danger. Danger often comes from those around us.

The next day, Zhao Ruxi went to school as usual. After school at noon, just as she left the academy and boarded her carriage, Qingfeng approached Zhao Ruxi and said, "Miss, that Fifth Master wants you to go to a house in East Spring Lane."

Zhao Ruxi raised her eyebrows slightly, not surprised at all.

She instructed, "Have Uncle Lu go directly there." She was quite pleased that Xiao Ke knew to change the location.

Uncle Lu had become quite familiar with the roads of Beining during this time, and soon drove the carriage to East Spring Lane, finally stopping in front of a large black gate.

Since it was already autumn and the mornings and evenings were a bit chilly, Qingfeng had prepared a cloak for Zhao Ruxi in the car. She put it on before getting out of the car, and also put on a hat and covered her face with a handkerchief. This outfit was exactly the same as Xiao Lingyan's outfit yesterday.

Ma Sheng stepped forward and knocked on the door, which opened quickly. It was the Imperial Guards named Wang Tong who opened the door.

"Miss Zhao, please." He stepped aside.

Zhao Ruxi nodded slightly to him, stepped over the threshold, and went inside.

This house is just an ordinary residence with only one small courtyard, where some trees and flowers are planted. The main house has about five rooms, and there are corridors built in front of the side rooms on both sides.

Zhao Ruxi didn't walk through the corridor, but went straight in through the central passageway.

Xiao Lingyan was already waiting for her inside the main room.

When Xiao Liuzi saw Zhao Ruxi enter, he bowed and then withdrew to the main gate with Wang Tong. Seeing this, Qingfeng and Ma Sheng quickly followed them outside, consciously staying away from the main room.

Zhao Ruxi went inside and sat down, glancing sideways at Xiao Lingyan: "Didn't I say that since yesterday, once we step out of this door, we're practically strangers? Why did you call me over here again?"

Xiao Lingyan said seriously, "I'd like to partner with you in business, what do you say?"

"No, I refuse," Zhao Ruxi said.

There are plenty of profitable businesses in the world; she could easily find another one. He'd make just as much money. Why insist on getting involved with Xiao Lingyan and only increasing the danger?

"Don't rush, listen to me," Xiao Lingyan said. "You started designing jewelry as soon as you arrived. I know you do everything with a purpose, and following your approach and thinking, I did some research and found that people don't really value Feicui these days."

He looked at Zhao Ruxi earnestly and said, "Are you trying to get the Feicui out but lack manpower? We can partner up. I won't be involved, nor is it convenient for me to be. If we partner up, you'll be in the open, and I'll stay in the shadows. I'll lend a hand whenever you need anything, how about that?"

Zhao Ruxi looked at him without saying a word, weighing the pros and cons in her mind.

"Xu Xi, I know you can take your family and flee to another place, but that's only a temporary solution. If your Third Brother insists on making things difficult for you, you won't have a peaceful life no matter where you run off to. Besides, can you really bear to see your grandmother and your master, who are so old, running around all the time? Putting aside Wu Huaisi and Gong Cheng, have Old Master Kang and Wu Zong been good to you? Can you really bear to see only one of them survive, with their family destroyed?"

Zhao Ruxi sighed.

The person who understands you best in this world is your enemy.

She and Xiao Ke had been rivals for several years, and Xiao Ke really understood her. He knew that she never wanted to let down those who were good to her, and he could always find a loophole in her defenses to make her give in.

She knew she couldn't completely distance herself from Xiao Ke, and Xiao Ke knew that too.

This guy is a responsible person. After she said those things, if he didn't have a certain level of approval for her character, he wouldn't have come to see her today.

Seeing her reaction, Xiao Lingyan knew she was tempted and continued, "You know my character. Although we're constantly fighting and being rivals, it's really just to amuse the two old men. Given my character, I think I'm trustworthy. Once the Second Brother ascends the throne, with me around, you won't be able to do whatever you want here, but you can certainly walk around the capital with impunity. Besides, I'll be very careful and won't put you in danger. That wouldn't benefit me, would it?"

Fearing that others might overhear, he avoided using sensitive terms like "Second Prince" or "Xiao Lingpu," instead referring to Second Brother Xiao Lingpu and Xiao Lingheng as "Second Prince" and "Third Brother," respectively.

"How do you want to cooperate?" Zhao Ruxi asked.

"I'll send some people south to buy mines, hire locals to extract the raw stones, and then transport them to the capital after they've been cut open. You can then receive them, polish some, and design them into jewelry," he said.

At this point, both Xiao Lingyan and Zhao Ruxi frowned.

In fact, to avoid being discovered that this was Xiao Lingyan's business, Xiao Lingyan should have bought the mine, cooperated with the locals to mine it, and then let the locals sell it. Zhao Ruxi's people would have gone south, pretending to be buyers, to buy the rough stones with windows cut open, and then transport them back to the capital. This would have been the more reasonable approach.

But Zhao Ruxi had no one she could use.

Although Kang Shilin and Wu Zong may have people on their side, they have families. It's fine to let them invest, but once they control even the raw materials, their families will realize the huge profits involved and will inevitably jump in to seize the business for themselves, kicking Zhao Ruxi out.