Chapter 216: Rumors ( 13 )

Chapter 216: Rumors ( 13 )

The horse had fine, thin skin with a silky, iridescent coat. It had a pure black color from head to toe. It had a refined, wedge-shaped head with a prominent concave profile.

Its body was compact, with a short back, deep chest, and strong, dense bones. Its naturally high-set tail arched elegantly when moving. Just by looking at the horse, they knew that it was a fine horse.

When Yao Zhi reached the carriage stall, she said, "Sir, this is my horse."

The owner looked at the horse with amazement clear in his eyes. He reached out to touch the horse for a moment before he said, "What a fine horse."

After he admired the horse for a moment, he started to work. He put on the harness and connected the horse to the carriage. When he was done, he said, "The harness costs 50 taels of silver."

Yao Zhi knew that the harness was of good quality and didn’t bargain. She paid the owner and pulled the reins. She led the horse carriage until it left the town gate before she climbed onto it and patted the horse gently with the whip.

The moment it felt its owner’s nudging, the horse picked up its speed and started galloping. With its high intelligence, the horse didn’t need to be controlled. Yao Zhi only needed to pull the reins to the left or right, and the horse would turn as she wished.

It only took her twenty minutes to reach the warehouse. When she arrived, she saw the escort agency members.

Seeing her coming, Da Zhu quickly walked over and took the reins. "Brother Lei, you bought a carriage."

Yao Zhi nodded and said, "It’s inconvenient for me to do business without a carriage. Where is Master Luo?"

"My cousin is inside."

Hearing this, Yao Zhi walked into the warehouse. When they saw her, everyone greeted her with a smile. On the way, she had already prepared money to pay the bodyguards.

She handed the wooden box to Luo Bo and said, "Master Luo, there is a total of five hundred taels of silver inside. It’s for everyone’s wages and also a deposit to hire people."

Holding the heavy box, Luo Bo nodded and said, "I already sent word back to my home. My family will handle the hiring."

Since she had decided to use him, Yao Zhi didn’t question his decision and said, "I will go visit the General’s mansion. Master Luo, please help me arrange two people to go with me."

"Then Da Zhu and I will go with you," Luo Bo said.

In terms of martial arts, Da Zhu was second only to him. But in terms of management skills, he was not good at them, and Luo Bo was his right-hand man. So, he left matters in the warehouse to him and went to the General’s mansion with his cousin as Yao Zhi’s bodyguard.

After they filled the carriage with some goods taken from the warehouse, they finally departed.

Since she had informed Xue Ya’er about her visit today, they already seen Chun Hua waiting for them when they arrived.

Soon after she alighted from the carriage, Chun Hua curtsied to her and said, "Young Master Lei, Madam has been waiting for you in the main hall."

Yao Zhi returned her greeting and said, "Miss Chun Hua, please lead the way."

Seeing how polite she was, Chun Hua was satisfied. Although this man was not as good-looking as the General, his eyes were gentle and clear. He was also a caring gentleman who knew how to respect a woman.

Even toward a slave, he treated them politely and showed respect. There was no hint of him looking down on them due to their lowly background. Just this point alone already made him a good man in Chun Hua’s eyes.

When they arrived at the main hall, Xue Ya’er was drinking tea. Noticing that the person she had been waiting for had arrived, she stood up and smiled.

Yao Zhi cupped her fists, bowed slightly, and said, "Greetings, Madam. I’m sorry to have kept Madam waiting."

Xue Ya’er gestured for her to rise and said, "Young Master Lei is too polite. I was just unable to sleep and woke up early. Please, have a seat."

After she took her seat, Yao Zhi looked at her and noticed the dark circles under her eyes. Even after being covered with thick powder, it was still possible to see how haggard she was.

"Madam, is something bothering you? You can talk to me. Maybe I can offer some suggestions."

Even with her polite and distant words, everyone could hear a hint of worry and distress in her tone. In the servants’ eyes, she became someone with unrequited love toward their Madam.

While everyone thought so, Xue Ya’er understood that this person was genuinely worried about her as a friend. She smiled and shook her head. "It’s nothing. Just some small matter."

Since she was unwilling to tell her, Yao Zhi didn’t insist. "Madam, today I brought the goods as I promised."

After she said this, she turned to look outside. With Chun Hua’s gesture, several servants carried two wooden boxes, six gunny sacks, and two earthen jars into the hall.

Seeing this, Xue Ya’er asked, "Young Master Lei, what is this?"

Yao Zhi smiled and replied, "Madam, you can open them and take a look."

Hearing this, Dong Mei walked over and gestured for the servants to open the goods. After opening the boxes, sacks, and jars, the servants took out the items inside and placed them on trays.

The moment they saw the items, everyone was surprised. Xue Ya’er’s eyes flickered for a moment before returning to normal. She no longer sat on the main seat and walked over to check the goods personally.

She ran her fingers across the pelts for a while, then checked the dried mushrooms, before finally looking at the eggs. She couldn’t see anything different about the eggs.

"Young Master Lei, this..."