He started by killing his abusive father, and from then on, he embarked on the road to wealth.

Chapter 56 The town is besieged

Meng Ranran couldn't help but shiver, and asked hesitantly, "Mother, can't we hide in the mountains?"

"How could that be?" Shan Qiyu shook his head without thinking. "There are many wild animals and poisonous insects in the mountains, as well as many poisonous plants. One wrong move and someone could die. Your older sister has never had any accidents when she went to the mountains to collect herbs because she is very capable. But look at your master, he went to the back mountain every day and he still broke his leg."

Meng Ranran scratched her head. It was indeed because of her older sister that she felt the mountain wasn't as dangerous as the adults had described.

Meng Fuqing, who was listening nearby, added, "We are close to the border, and hiding in the mountains is not a long-term solution. What if we come out of the mountains and this place becomes the territory of the Hu people? Can we hide in the mountains forever?"

Winter is a time of scarcity on the grasslands, making it the peak season for raids by nomadic tribes. Like vultures on the grasslands, they seize any opportunity to tear a piece of flesh from their enemies.

If the Hu people were to occupy the territory of the Great Yan, the people living on that land would certainly not fare well. The history of her world had already proven this point; the Five Barbarian Invasions were the best example.

Dan Qiyu and Meng Ranran both nodded in agreement.

"Let's not worry about that for now," Meng Fuqing said. "We'll talk about it when Xie Jin's men arrive."

After lunch, seeing that things weren't busy at home, Meng Ranran went to her master's house.

Before leaving, Meng Fuqing called out to her, "Ranran, I remember I can see Meng Linlang's house from Doctor Zheng's house, right?"

Meng Ranran nodded. "What's wrong, sister?"

"Keep an eye on Meng Linlang's house and see if there's anything unusual about them."

Something was wrong? Meng Ranran was a little confused. Ever since the incident of falling into the water, she often saw Meng Linlang sitting in her own yard in a daze. Could it be... that she was plotting to frame her older sister again?

Thinking of this, she solemnly agreed, "Sister, don't worry, I will keep a close eye on her!"

We will never let my sister suffer again!

For three consecutive days, while helping her master, Meng Ranran would always run out to check on Meng Linlang's house. Zheng Yi found it strange and asked her what she was doing running out, but Meng Ranran stammered and couldn't answer.

She ran out again and was caught red-handed by Xie Jin, who was standing at the door.

Meng Ranran was startled. Ever since her injured brother had almost recovered, the three of them, master and servant, had been leaving early and returning late, rarely seen.

At first, she was afraid of the three men, but gradually she became less afraid and was even able to exchange a few words with them.

"Did your sister ask you to keep an eye on Meng Linlang's family?" Xie Jin asked her.

Meng Ranran nodded without saying anything more.

Tell her I'll let you know if anything happens, there's no need for this trouble.

After saying that, Xie Jin turned and went into the courtyard.

Meng Ranran blinked, and after a long while, she gave a dry "Oh".

For some reason, she felt that this older brother seemed to be quite close to her older sister.

That evening, Meng Ranran relayed Xie Jin's words to Meng Fuqing.

Meng Fuqing thought to himself, "Just as I thought."

She said Xie Jin couldn't possibly be indifferent to Meng Linlang's unusual behavior, but she didn't expect that he had already sent people to keep an eye on her.

It's good to have subordinates with high martial arts skills, unlike her, who can only order her sister around.

She raised her hand and patted the two little tufts on Meng Ranran's head. "Then you should study medicine with your master. Just tell me what he told you when you come back."

"Understood, sister."

Meng Fuqing wanted to go to town one more time before the news spread completely, both to bring back some things openly and legitimately, and to find out about the current situation of the Lin and Li families.

There's no way around it; she's petty, and if you mess with her, you'll have to pay the price.

At the same time, at the Zheng family residence, Mu Feng was telling Xie Jin about what Meng Linlang had done that day.

“She wrote on a piece of paper for a long time. When she went to eat, I sneaked into her room and took a look. At the top, I saw your name, Young Master, and the character ‘Qing’. She crossed out the character ‘Qing’ and wrote ‘Di’, ‘Feng’, and ‘Wang’ below your name. She also smeared a large ink blot after that, making it impossible to read.”

Those three words alone could evoke a lot of thoughts. Mu Feng originally didn't understand why the young master wanted him to monitor a country girl, but he didn't expect that this village was truly full of hidden talents. He had been blind to the truth.

Xie Jin seemed to be deep in thought, "Does the one on the dragon throne have any hidden ailments?"

How could Mu Feng know?

Geng Zhi said, "Perhaps so. The emperor has been on the throne for three years, and none of his three thousand concubines have given birth to a child."

Xie Jin lifted his eyelids to look at him, "You've been monitoring her these past few days, have you noticed anything unusual?"

“Young master, it’s very strange that their family is so secretive about her dreams. This young girl also knows a lot about court affairs that she shouldn’t know. I suspect she has a destiny and knows the future. Why don’t we bring her under our command?”

“This person must either be killed or used for our own purposes…” At this point, Xie Jin inexplicably thought of Meng Fuqing. He frowned slightly and changed the subject, saying, “Never mind, let’s keep an eye on him for now and make plans later.”

Mu Feng: "..."

He put on a stern face, thinking to himself that his young master must have taken the wrong medicine; he would never have been so indecisive before.

The next day, Meng Fuqing drove a mule cart to the town.

As soon as she could make out the three big characters "Shili Town", several men who were squatting by the roadside and dressed in tattered clothes got up and walked towards her.

As they pulled out their tools from behind their backs, they chuckled and said, "Her father is quite good at drawing young women; it's a shame he doesn't go into erotic art."

Seven men blocked the mule cart, forcing Meng Fuqing to stop.

The leader had a lewd grin on his face, and his yellowish-white eyes were staring lewdly at the person sitting on the mule cart. He said, "Meng Fuqing, is that right? Get down, come on, your brothers will play with you."

Meng Fuqing glanced at these people and understood. She wondered why the Lin family had been quiet these past few days; they were waiting for her here.

She asked, "Play? Where do we go to play? Please lead the way."

Pang Gen'er, who was in the lead, and the others were stunned for a moment. They did not expect Meng Fuqing to react in this way. After they realized what was happening, they laughed even more unrestrainedly, attracting the attention of many passers-by.

"Please, young lady, we'll definitely treat you well!" Pang Gen'er made a rather awkward 'please' gesture.

Seeing that Meng Fuqing was driving a mule cart to follow them, they had no objections. The mule looked good, and they could take it and sell it after they finished their business to reward the brothers.

Meng Fuqing followed the group to a secluded grove of trees. When they stopped, she jumped off the mule cart without hesitation.

Pang Gen'er and the others were surprised to see this. "Hey! This young lady is quite self-aware!"

They commented on Meng Fuqing as if he were an object, "He's a bit thin, but he's quite pretty. This job was really good. In the future, you'll have to think of your brothers more often, brother."

The seven people slowly approached Meng Fuqing while talking, only to find that Meng Fuqing had a rattan cane in her hand. She slowly wrapped the rattan cane around her palm, raised her eyebrows slightly, and said, "Continue."

Pang Gen'er smiled contemptuously upon seeing this, "You don't actually think you can take on all seven of us by yourself, do you?"

"Why don't you try and see?" Meng Fuqing's eyes seemed to be frosty as he swung the vine in his hand at the seven people.