Crowned by the Treacherous Big Shot
Chapter 62 The Old Lady Fell Ill

Chapter 62: Chapter 62 The Old Lady Fell Ill

Half an hour later, the carriage entered Zhuque Avenue from the eastern end and turned into a small alley to the north.

The accumulated snow inside had not been cleared away, and the wheels of the carriage got stuck, so the group had no choice but to disembark and walk.

"It’s just ahead."

The procuress said.

Tan’er looked around curiously and asked, "Why isn’t there anyone here?"

Even Meng Qianqian felt this place was too quiet, hard to believe such a desolate spot could exist near the bustling Zhuque Avenue.

The procuress sighed, "Once upon a time, this used to be the liveliest alley on Zhuque Avenue. Many venerated craftsmen and wandering swordsmen stayed here. I’ve forgotten the exact year, but one day a mysterious figure appeared on Zhuque Avenue, and this alley was bathed in blood. Who knows how many people died? The government investigated for years, inside and out, but never came up with any answers. The case became a cold one."

"After that, people gradually moved away. Only a few households stayed, and no one dared to move in. Otherwise, for such a prime location, ten thousand taels wouldn’t be considered expensive!"

"Ah, here we are!"

The procuress stopped in her tracks.

Meng Qianqian looked at the slightly ajar courtyard gate on the right-hand side.

Tan’er stepped forward and pushed it open.

Meng Qianqian did not rush in but first carefully observed for a moment and said, "Facing south, with a road on the west side of the house and sand adjacent to it. Though there’s no water to the east, the courtyard has a feng shui pond. The feng shui here is decent—an auspicious place for wealth."

The procuress came over and said to Meng Qianqian, "I was talking about this one."

The copper lock was so old that the key no longer worked. Tan’er twisted it with one hand, snapping it off before pushing open the dilapidated courtyard gate and saying, "There we go. It’s open now."

Meng Qianqian took a look up and down and calmly remarked, "White walls and blue tiles, the dwelling of a mourning family, a dead tree at the entrance—now practically a tomb... it truly is a cursed house."

The procuress gave an awkward laugh. "Oh my, noble lady, you know feng shui too?"

Meng Qianqian stepped across the threshold. "I read about it in storybooks."

The procuress’ mouth twitched as she smiled and followed. "Since it’s a cursed house—"

Meng Qianqian observed the furnishings in the courtyard. "No matter, feng shui can be altered."

The procuress asked, "Can you make the changes yourself?"

Meng Qianqian furrowed her brows solemnly. "The storybook didn’t get to that part yet."

The procuress: "..."

"Phew!"

Tan’er darted through the main hall in an instant.

Meng Qianqian inspected each room one by one.

With a cheerful smile, the procuress stayed close behind her. "My dear noble lady, someone with your bearing truly doesn’t need to stoop to saving a bit of silver by buying a cursed house. How about I take you somewhere else instead? A little farther from Zhuque Avenue, and, well... just a smidgen higher in price?"

Meng Qianqian replied, "No need. This one will do."

The procuress was stunned. "Ah?"

"Sister! Look at the tall tree!"

Tan’er had already climbed a giant tree in the backyard.

Meng Qianqian nodded toward her. "Hmm."

Then, turning back to the procuress, she said, "Twenty-five thousand taels. Not a bit more."

The procuress gritted her teeth. "Thirty thousand! Thirty thousand taels! That’s truly the lowest price! I swear to you—I wouldn’t make a single copper coin from this deal. Noble lady, noble lady?"

Meng Qianqian was reaching out to touch a damaged Eight-sided Exquisite Lantern hanging under the veranda, lost in thought.

The procuress waved a hand in front of her eyes. "Noble lady?"

Meng Qianqian’s clear and cold gaze snapped back into focus. "You said how much?"

The procuress laughed nervously, "T-Twenty-eight thousand taels."

Meng Qianqian: "Deal."

When they returned to the brokerage, a limping young man had already been waiting in the hall for quite some time.

He wore a thin gray jacket with a patched elbow, standing with a lean frame and delicate features. Though his gaze was lowered, there was not the slightest trace of obsequiousness.

He carried the scholarly aura of a literate man and the grounded air of someone accustomed to the marketplace. His eyes were resolved, not the eyes of a weakling.

Meng Qianqian pointed to the ledger on the table. "How long did it take you to calculate this?"

"Half an hour."

"Not bad. What’s your name?"

"Liu Changsheng."

Meng Qianqian continued, "I have two storefronts under my care. Think you can handle them?"

Liu Changsheng nodded. "I calculate quickly."

Meng Qianqian looked at him. "I want you to become my shopkeeper. Naturally, the accounts for both shops would also be yours to handle personally."

Liu Changsheng looked surprised.

Meng Qianqian rose and walked out with Tan’er. "If you decide, come find me at Longning Street, Lu Family. My name is Meng Qianqian."

"Longning Street, Lu Family..." The procuress cried out, "The noble lady is the wife of the General of the Northern Frontiers—Lu Family’s Eldest Young Madam?"

In the carriage, Meng Qianqian said, "Not anymore."

On the way back, Meng Qianqian bought Tan’er a skewer of candied hawthorns.

Tan’er clung to the skewer and snuggled closer to Meng Qianqian. "Sister, why did you stay in the Capital City? Don’t you miss home? Don’t you miss your parents?"

Then, realizing her mistake, she quickly covered her mouth and regretted aloud, "I forgot—your parents passed away when you were three."

"Revenge."

Meng Qianqian replied.

Tan’er was momentarily stunned, realizing the answer applied to her first question.

"That answer... is so thrilling! Against the Lu Family?"

Tan’er seemed ready for action.

"We’re here. Wake Nanny Li and Nanny Wan."

Meng Qianqian said, lifting the curtain to step down from the carriage.

"Alright." Tan’er pouted, took a deep breath, and shouted with hands on her hips, "Nanny Li—Nanny Wan—wake—up—now!"

The event of Meng Qianqian severing ties with Lu Lingxiao had already spread during the Liu Family’s funeral, and this morning, with guests coming and going, the rumor had gone even further.

Alongside it, news about the sixty-year-old matriarch’s pregnancy was also whispered about in vivid detail.

The old matron returned home only to fall seriously ill.

This time it wasn’t an act—she truly felt chest tightness, dizziness, and headache, so severe it seemed someone had struck her with an axe.

It was said that originally Lu Xingzhou had intended to summon an Imperial Physician for treatment, but for some reason, all the physicians claimed urgent family matters or were preoccupied elsewhere.

Clearly, the Imperial Physicians disdained the old matron’s behavior and refused to treat her at all.

Left with no choice, Lu Xingzhou went to the clinic for an ordinary doctor.

Though the doctor’s skills were not lacking, the old matron’s illness was half from anger and half a consequence of overuse of stimulating medicines, leaving it beyond the reach of medical intervention.

The old matron suffered horribly, cursing Meng Qianqian eight hundred times over.

"This harbinger of doom! Get her out of my house!"

The maid replied, "Old Madam, the one-month deadline hasn’t passed yet; we can’t drive her out."

The old matron grew even angrier.

Meng Qianqian paid no heed to the old matron’s rage. Her priority now was to gather the two thousand eight hundred taels of silver to finalize her property purchase.