CHAPTER 436: CHAPTER 436: THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE TURNS, SHAMELESSLY BEGGING HER NOT TO QUIT THE GUILD

Pei Shu’er was taken aback and immediately furrowed her brows.

"What about the Third Prince?"

"He’s still in prison. I’ve got people watching over him."

Pei Shu’er nodded. If it were the Third Prince, even if he got out, he wouldn’t dare do anything since Pei Shu’er held leverage over him.

But Lin Shiyao was different. If she got out, her destructiveness would be enormous.

After all, this person knew the future development trends.

If she wanted to mess things up and embarrass Pei Shu’er, it would be very easy.

More importantly, she knew how to control the Golden Silkworm Gu.

Therefore, she had to hurry and find the Heavenly Snow Lotus.

But at this moment, with Lin Shiyao out, she would definitely block all known channels of the Heavenly Snow Lotus to control Pei Shu’er.

That night, as Pei Shu’er was sleeping, she heard a faint sound of a flute.

When she awoke, it was Tang Zan’s voice that woke her.

"Pei Shu’er, wake up."

Pei Shu’er slowly opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was Tang Zan close at hand, anxiousness in his eyes.

The two were now standing on the rooftop, with Tang Zan in front of Pei Shu’er and the eaves ahead.

If Tang Zan hadn’t woken her, she might have jumped off the roof.

Even if she didn’t die, she’d surely be injured.

She had unknowingly been controlled by the Golden Silkworm Gu.

Her hatred for Lin Shiyao grew a bit more.

She tugged on Tang Zan’s sleeve.

"Take me back."

Tang Zan carried Pei Shu’er horizontally back to her room, where Pei Shu’er finally spoke.

"Lin Shiyao must be nearby. Have you sent someone to investigate?"

Beyond a certain range, Lin Shiyao would have no way to control her.

At such a late hour, if someone were playing the flute nearby, it would be quite easy to find them.

Tang Zan said, "I’ve already sent someone to look."

The two returned to bed and fell asleep again.

After that ordeal, she felt utterly exhausted.

Tang Zan held her tightly, and there was no news of Lin Shiyao all night.

Xuan Liu said, "Master, the flute sound from before came from a tavern in the west of the city where Lin Shiyao was staying."

Xuan Yi suggested, "Master, I think we should turn the tables and let the Young Madam be lured by the flute sound. We might end up finding Lin Shiyao."

"Even if we can’t find her, we can have her keep playing the flute longer, allowing us to find her by the sound."

Pei Shu’er nodded, "Okay."

But Tang Zan frowned.

"No, it’s too risky. Lin Shiyao’s disdain for you could easily mean her flute would lead you to your death. I can’t let you take that risk."

Pei Shu’er said, "We still need to capture her. The Heavenly Snow Lotus is even more rare than the Thousand-year-old Ganoderma. Gathering it might take forever; we need to control Lin Shiyao quickly, and if we can kill her, all the better."

But she also knew how difficult it was to kill the protagonist with her luck.

After a pause, Pei Shu’er chuckled, "Besides, there’s Lin Fengying. She’s been guarding me closely, doing her duty as a Hidden Guard impeccably."

Lin Fengying had now transitioned from being a bodyguard to Pei Shu’er’s Hidden Guard.

Tang Zan frowned, finally looking at the determined Pei Shu’er with a fond yet helpless smile.

"Since you’ve made up your mind, I’ll support you, but you have to stay by my side, and you can’t carry any sharp objects."

Pei Shu’er nodded, and the two waited for Lin Shiyao to play the flute again.

But a long time passed, and Lin Shiyao didn’t play it again, leaving them wondering what her plan was.

Given Lin Shiyao’s meticulous nature, she certainly wouldn’t miss this opportunity.

In the following days, during the meetings of the Jingzhou Chamber of Commerce, Pei Shu’er didn’t attend, and no one dared to trouble her, though many came to visit.

They brought fake smiles and gifts, asking if she was unwell.

Regardless of their inquiries, their core question was whether she wanted to withdraw from the association.

After all, an Imperial Uncle was still in Jingzhou.

Realizing Pei Shu’er’s waning interest in the Commerce Association made them anxious.

Then they gathered for emergency meetings with the association members overnight.

Everyone couldn’t wait to show their friendliness.

Pei Shu’er mostly kept her doors closed to visitors.

Zisu chatted with Pei Shu’er cheerfully.

"Look, tables have turned. Didn’t they refuse to let the Young Madam into the Commerce Association before? Now they’re begging you to stay."

Pei Shu’er said calmly, "From now on, I won’t see any Commerce Association people. It’s a waste of time."

Thinking of this, Pei Shu’er smiled, "Right, have someone find Manager Yang to place an order for after-dinner desserts at Pei’s Pastry Shop."

Manager Yang arrived, but not just for himself; he was also carrying a mission from Chairman Liu.

From the start, Pei Shu’er handed him the pastry menu and the prepared agreement directly.

"Take a look first, and sign it if you have no issues."

Manager Yang glanced at the contract, discovering that the after-dinner desserts were quite comprehensive.

According to Pei Shu’er’s terms, he had to purchase a batch of after-dinner desserts every week, amounting to ten taels of silver. That’s forty taels a month, and twelve hundred a year.

He widened his eyes, "Pei Shu’er, isn’t this robbery?"

Pei Shu’er nodded, "Yes, it’s robbery. What are you going to do about it?"

Pei Shu’er pointed to the words on the contract.

"Look carefully, we at Pei’s are only providing you with orders for two years. After two years, even if Yake Xuan wants to purchase from Pei’s Pastry Shop, we won’t sell to you."

After saying this, Pei Shu’er smiled, "At that time, you might regret it even more."

Manager Yang signed with gritted teeth, immediately handing over one hundred and eighty taels of silver to Pei Shu’er for the two-year contract totaling twenty-four hundred taels of silver, paid six months in advance.

Their Yake Xuan’s monthly profit was only about three hundred taels, and a large part of it was gone in an instant.

He now felt deep hatred for Pei Shu’er.

When he was about to deliver Chairman Liu’s message, Pei Shu’er glanced at Lin Yu.

"Lin Yu, see the guest out."

Lin Yu said to Manager Yang, "This way, please."

Looking at the tall and imposing Lin Yu, Manager Yang didn’t dare linger.

Otherwise, with Pei Shu’er’s unpredictable ways, she might even beat him up.

Manager Yang regretted it now, and when he returned to his restaurant, he immediately added the packaged pastries to the menu, increasing the average price by 30%.

He had to earn that money back.

Initially, it was not profitable, and no one ordered.

But when Manager Yang added "Pei’s" to the menu, the orders increased.

He felt both stifled and frustrated inside, displeased about making money using Pei’s reputation.

However, seeing the increasingly good sales of the pastries, bringing better business, he felt an unspeakable mix of emotions.

Some customers even entered the shop and asked directly.

"Pack some of Pei’s pastries."

"It’s really hard to get Pei’s Pastry Shop goodies. They never make enough; they’re always sold out."

"Their business is not something you can just envy."