The crowd lamented for a while before turning to a topic that had been discussed fervently lately.
“By the way, I heard that the four great dukes are all entering Chao Ge this time?”
“Yes, apparently it’s a royal decree personally issued by the King.”
“And my cousin, who works at the relay station, said that Western Duke Ji Chang’s carriage is almost here.”
“Now things will get lively. With the four great dukes gathered, I’m afraid something big is about to happen!”
Su Fu paused at these words and thought, ‘The four great dukes entering Chao Ge? Doesn’t that mean… Queen Jiang has already been murdered?’
According to the plot of the Fengshen Yanyi, Daji framed Queen Jiang, and King Zhou listened to the slander and executed his wife.
Eastern Duke Jiang Huanchu was killed for his angry questioning, which led to the four great dukes being summoned to Chao Ge.
And what followed was Western Duke Ji Chang being imprisoned in Youli for his blunt advice, only being released 7 years later.
‘The opportunity is here,’ Su Fu thought.
With Ji Chang imprisoned, if she could send “charcoal in the snow” at this time, she would undoubtedly earn his gratitude.
One had to know that the final winner in the Investiture of the Gods was Xiqi.
This was a known outcome and represented the Mandate of Heaven.
Most of those who helped Zhou would end up on the Investiture of the Gods, and by picking the winning side early, one wouldn’t be liquidated during the war.
Now was the perfect opportunity.
The rise of Western Zhou and the fall of Shang was the cycle of the Heavenly Dao; those who went against it would surely perish.
If she could lend a hand during Ji Chang’s hardship, she could sit back and enjoy the rewards when Xiqi gained power in the future, perhaps even hoping for a title.
Moreover, Daji would sooner or later be executed as a demon.
Following her would be no different than plotting with a tiger for its skin.
Although Ji Chang’s life would not be in danger during his imprisonment, the conditions were extremely harsh.
Youli was essentially a prison; he would even have to wear heavy shackles, and his food and drink would barely sustain basic survival.
A former duke turned prisoner—the fall from grace would surely be immense.
She could use this opportunity to bribe Fei Zhong and You Hun to let them secretly improve Ji Chang’s diet and living conditions.
She could send some books, clean clothes, and perhaps even some health-nourishing pills to bolster his body.
One had to remember that Ji Chang was a truly benevolent and virtuous ruler.
By providing such timely help, he would surely treat his benefactor with great kindness once he returned to Xiqi.
This gamble of using a small investment for a large gain was definitely not a loss.
As for the reason she would give, it was simple: she admired the virtue of the Western Duke.
Such a small matter would surely not be noticed by a Saint, especially since it was perfectly logical.
In that case, she needed a new identity that could quickly amass wealth while also coming into contact with the core of power.
After finishing her flatbread, Su Fu began to wander the streets.
Under the Control of her will, sparrows scattered and flew, circling and perching in various parts of the city to observe in secret.
Through these “eyes,” she could see the constant stream of people bringing gifts to Fei Zhong’s mansion.
She could see You Hun’s steward receiving bribes at the back door of a luxury residence.
She could even see the slave market in the north of the city auctioning off commoners whose homes had been seized for tax arrears…
Opening a restaurant?
Su Fu quickly dismissed the idea.
It seemed like a good source of information, but it was like a piece of fat that everyone wanted a bite of, requiring too many connections and payoffs.
A silk shop?
They specialized in providing fine clothes for the palace and nobles, and had connections with the harem.
This was a decent choice to get news from the inner palace.
However, if Daji became even slightly displeased, she could be punished.
One mistake could lead to eternal ruin.
An antique shop?
Even worse.
Nine out of ten were Fei Zhong’s “fat sheep,” and it was easy to be framed.
The Shang Dynasty valued sacrifices and the inheritance of ritual vessels, but most of those so-called “ritual vessels” were fakes.
If she exposed them, she would offend the powerful people behind them.
If she pretended not to know, she would be the one losing out.
Just then, Su Fu suddenly stopped in front of a pharmacy.
“Hundred Grasses Hall.”
This pharmacy had an ordinary storefront, no different from the other pharmacies on the street.
The herbs displayed on the shelves were all common mortal ingredients: angelica, ginseng, astragalus, goji berries…
But in the sparrow’s vision, several plants drying on bamboo sieves in the backyard were all Lingzhi—Purple Lingzhi and Nine-Segment Sweetflag…
These were not ordinary herbs; they were the most basic spiritual plants of the cultivation world.
‘Oh? I see. A “Yin-Yang” pharmacy?’
At that moment, from the sparrow’s perspective, the shopkeeper walked out of a room in the backyard while whispering to a servant from a wealthy family.
“This pill is unique to my shop, there is no other source. It is guaranteed to work. Many lords in the court buy from me, so rest assured.”
The man nodded with satisfaction, took a brocade box, and left through a back alley.
Su Fu understood.
On the surface, it was an ordinary herb shop, but in reality, it sold high-end goods.
Alchemy pills?
Just then, the shopkeeper sighed happily to himself, “The cost of a health pill is only 1 tael, but it sells for 50 taels. A net profit of 49 taels! The money of these lords is truly easy to earn.”
Su Fu: “……”
‘…So unscrupulous.’
But she thought about it; this shop was not bad.
All the customers were high-ranking officials and nobles, providing a perfect channel for information.
Medicinal pills were rare and hard to find, so an umbrella of protection would naturally come knocking.
The shop’s security was high, meaning she wouldn’t have to worry about being mysteriously killed.
Not to mention, the profits were handsome—a monopoly that could be called sheer extortion.
She could even reasonably help Ji Chang by sending some “calming medicinal meals,” which would actually be pills for nourishing and strengthening the body.
This was the place!
At that moment, the shopkeeper returned to the shop in a very good mood.
He looked Su Fu up and down, noting she had no coin purse or jade pendant.
His expression changed instantly, and two words seemed to pop up automatically in his mind: poor ghost.
Before he could say anything, the young girl in front of him smiled and spoke softly.
“Chesia, you’re up.”
The shopkeeper was about to snap at her, but he suddenly met a pair of eerie green vertical pupils.
In an instant, his pupils dilated into two black holes, and his entire body stiffened in place like a puppet.
Chesia hissed, ‘His greed reaches the heavens.’
“Your master was Qingxuzi, a cultivator from Zhongnanshan…”
“Three months ago, he died while out gathering herbs, leaving you, his worthless apprentice, to watch over Hundred Grasses Hall.”
The shopkeeper’s eyes were vacant, and his mouth hung slightly open as he unconsciously repeated, “Master is dead…”
“Now, your master’s daughter has returned from Zhongnanshan to inherit the family business…”
“She is extremely talented in the Dao of Alchemy. You thought Hundred Grasses Hall was going to close, but it’s finally been saved…”
“You want her to refine more pills so you can make more money…”
“Now, what should you call her?”
The shopkeeper’s lips trembled violently before he suddenly came to a realization.
“Se—Senior Sister? No, Boss! From now on, Hundred Grasses Hall will follow your every command!”
“Please refine more pills and let Hundred Grasses Hall earn more money!”
Chesia shook her head proudly, “Done!”
Su Fu nodded with satisfaction and asked him, “So, what kind of pills does the shop sell right now?”
The shopkeeper lowered his head in shame and said, “I… I only learned Master’s health-preserving pills… and then the old gentleman passed away…”
Su Fu raised an eyebrow and asked, “Who are you trying to fool? What else?”
“There… there are also some… aphrodisiacs and the like…” The shopkeeper trembled in fear, his voice as faint as a mosquito.
Su Fu was speechless.
She knew a shop in this location had to have something going for it, but it turned out to be this?
No wonder those servants were so secretive when they came to buy things.
Case closed.
Su Fu thought for a moment then said, “That alone isn’t enough. Many powerful officials and generals won’t care about that. Continue to expand the business. We can introduce healing medicines, beauty pills, and so on.”
Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper’s eyes lit up immediately, as if he were seeing mountains of gold and silver.
“Boss, you know how to make those too?”
Su Fu smiled slightly.
She possessed Taishang Laojun’s Eight Trigrams Alchemy Furnace.
Refined medicines of this level were so simple she could produce eight furnaces a day without effort.
But of course, when selling goods, rarity was what made them valuable.
If she flooded the market, it would actually devalue the pills.
“Naturally, I do. But for now…” Su Fu looked at the shopkeeper and said, “Go buy me some food and drink, along with a few decent sets of clothes.”
“I’ll be staying in the back courtyard. Don’t disturb me unless it’s important.”
“Yes, yes! Please wait a moment, Boss!” He nodded repeatedly and hurried away, afraid of delaying Su Fu’s orders.
Su Fu sat inside the apothecary.
‘Step one: get a new identity. Done.’
As for her previous identity as a farm girl, truthfully, farmers fled the outskirts of the city every day.
Who would care about an orphaned girl whose parents were both dead?
Zhaoge was currently facing an impending storm.
With natural disasters and man-made calamities, there would only be more and more displaced people.
No one would remember a minor character like “Su Er’ya.”
Chesia asked curiously, ‘Are you going to settle down here?’
“Just temporarily.” Su Fu walked toward the back courtyard.
She wanted to get the business of Hundred Grasses Hall running first, contact more dignitaries, and open up the market.
Then, she would establish an intelligence network and befriend Ji Chang, the King Wen of Zhou, for her future plans.
The back courtyard was quite spacious, with several side rooms surrounding a small yard.
Bamboo racks for drying herbs took up most of the space.
Su Fu picked the cleanest side room.
After a while, the shopkeeper returned carrying many bags.
Besides clothes and food, there was a set of brand-new bedding and women’s items like a copper mirror and a wooden comb.
“Leave them,” Su Fu said, “This room is mine from now on. Now, go prepare a portion of all the best medicinal herbs. I want to start the furnace and test some medicines.”
The shopkeeper became excited at the mention of refining medicine, “Yes, yes, yes! I’ll go prepare them right away!”
One had to understand that the Hundred Grasses Hall he ran only sold calming pills and aphrodisiacs, with the majority of the income coming from the latter.
He had long wanted to expand the variety of pills, but he didn’t have the skill.
Fortunately, the “Boss” had returned.
He assumed Hundred Grasses Hall would surely grow bigger and stronger from now on.
***
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