Dugu Jingyao is reborn as Li Chu's beloved

Chapter 325 The Source of Rumors

Xiaojiu nodded slightly, and with light steps, she followed the servant leading the way into the palace. Although her destination was only the main hall, this short distance was enough to make her sigh.

Back then, the princess's private residence was already quite nice, a world apart from the small shop they lived in. However, now that she was inside the palace, whether it was the carefully trimmed exotic flowers and plants lining the roads, the lush and verdant towering trees, or the overall staggered layout and magnificent scenery, everything left her speechless and awestruck.

Soon, the two finally arrived in front of the main hall. The servant stopped, stood sideways, and said respectfully to Xiaojiu, "Miss, please rest here for a while. The princess will come to see you in a moment."

After saying this, he gently waved his hand and called a maid over. The maid quickly stepped forward, first bowed to Xiaojiu with a smile, then deftly poured her a cup of steaming hot tea and placed several plates of exquisite and delicious snacks on the table.

Faced with such thoughtful hospitality, Xiaojiu couldn't help but feel flattered. She quickly stood up and thanked the maid repeatedly.

The maid kept her sweet smile on her face and replied softly, "You are too polite, young lady. This is just my duty as a servant."

As soon as she finished speaking, she bowed slightly towards Xiaojiu, then quietly stepped aside and stopped disturbing him.

After the maid left, Xiaojiu sat down again. She carefully picked up the teacup and took a sip, feeling the refreshing tea fragrance lingering on her tongue, while curiously looking at the furnishings in the room.

Wherever you look, whether it is the crystal clear teacup in your hand, the exquisitely carved chair you sit on, or the quaint and elegant table in front of you, they are all made of high-quality materials, of superior quality and of great value.

When Dugu Jingyao heard the news that Xiaojiu was coming, she said with interest: "Okay, this princess will go there right away." After that, she took Shijian and Sijian to the main hall, because she knew that if there was no important matter, the female workers would not come directly to the palace to find her.

About a quarter of an hour later, Dugu Jingyao appeared in the main hall. When Xiaojiu saw Dugu Jingyao coming, she didn't know whether it was the majesty of the palace or she was a little excited because she hadn't seen Dugu Jingyao for a long time. It's no exaggeration to say that she bounced off the chair.

After a moment, she realized she had to bow, and then she said, "This humble girl pays her respects to the princess."

Seeing her like this, Dugu Jingyao couldn't help but laugh: "Xiaojiu, don't be so nervous, get up and sit down!" As she said this, she walked to Xiaojiu and helped her up.

Then he continued to walk to the seat at the top and sat down. After being helped up, Xiaojiu also sat back in his original seat.

Dugu Jingyao smiled and said, "Xiaojiu, is there something important? Why did you come here to find me?"

Xiao Jiu nodded and complimented, "My princess is wise! There is indeed something going on."

Dugu Jingyao raised her eyebrows slightly and said, "Oh? What's the matter?"

Xiaojiu looked around. Dugu Jingyao probably knew what she meant. She thought the matter was secret and it was not good for others to know, so she said, "Xiaojiu, come with me."

After saying that, he stood up and walked out of the main hall. Xiaojiu followed him after hearing what he said. For Dugu Jingyao, the road was not long, but for ordinary people like Xiaojiu, it was already winding. It took a long time to reach Jiangxuexuan where Dugu Jingyao lived.

After entering Jiangxuexuan, Dugu Jingyao said, "If you have anything to say, please come to the flower hall in my courtyard to talk. Everyone here is my people, don't be afraid."

Hearing this, Xiaojiu nodded awkwardly and followed Dugu Jingyao into the flower hall.

After the two of them sat down, Shi Jian and Si Jian served some tea, then closed the door, went out, and stood guard at the door.

Seeing that there was no one else around, Xiao Jiu said, "Princess, we have found the source of that rumor."

Upon hearing this, Dugu Jingyao raised an eyebrow and smiled at Xiaojiu, thinking: I thought I was just helping them, and they would also help me make money, but I didn't expect to gain such a reward as gathering intelligence. But it's also true. After all, rumors originate from the people, so these people are the easiest to contact, so naturally it is easier to investigate.

So Dugu Jingyao had another idea: if they were trained, could they become a source of information for her? After all, apart from their family, only the Crown Prince, the Crown Princess, Li Chu, Li Neng, Li Ruo, and the female workers knew that the shop was owned by the two sisters. Even Shen Zhenzhu and Murong Linzhi didn't know...

While Dugu Jingyao was thinking about this, Xiaojiu started reporting on the other side.

Xiao Jiu said, "Princess, we heard the rumor about you from customers who were shopping. After hearing the rumor, we approached them, intentionally or unintentionally, and started chatting with them. As time went by, we traced it back to the source. It was a lady who went to a teahouse to listen to a storyteller. The storyteller told a story about you, and so the rumor gradually spread. The main reason was that the storyteller was very famous in Chang'an City, and many people went to listen to him every day. So, word quickly spread from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred, until it spread all over Chang'an City."

After hearing what happened, Dugu Jingyao couldn't help but wonder, "The news of my assassination was reported back to Chang'an City, so it's not surprising that the storyteller knew about it. But he didn't announce that it was poisoning. How did he know?"

Xiao Jiu shook his head and said, "This...it's really not easy for us to arrest him and question him, so I came all the way here to tell you about this."

Dugu Jingyao nodded slightly and said, "Thank you for your help and for thinking of me so much. Thank you very much."

Xiaojiu quickly said passionately, "I don't deserve the princess's thanks! The princess has been so kind to us, providing us with a place to stay and giving us opportunities to make money. If the princess gets into trouble, we will definitely not stand idly by!"

Dugu Jingyao laughed heartily and said, "Haha, I remember your kindness. If you have any difficulties that you really can't solve in the future, please tell me. If I can provide help, I will definitely do my best."

Xiaojiu quickly stood up and saluted, saying, "Then I would like to thank you, Princess, on behalf of my sisters!"

Dugu Jingyao pretended to be angry and said, "Look, I told you not to be so polite, but you still bowed. Don't you take my words seriously?"

Xiao Jiu quickly stood up and said, "I dare not, I dare not."

Dugu Jingyao remembered to care about the business of this store again. When she returned to Yunnan, she would receive the account status from Liu Ruyan every month.

But because of the distance, she didn't dare send something as important as the account book. She could only send a letter, in which she gave a rough estimate of the profit for the month. Judging from the letters she received, it had been profitable, so in her reply, she was happy to give the female workers more wages.

Dugu Jingyao asked Xiaojiu, "Xiaojiu, how is the business in the store lately?"

When Xiaojiu mentioned this, her brows lit up with joy: "Princess, business is booming! Following your method, we first launched new gift boxes every month, and later started to recruit members. We gave them gifts on their birthdays, and more and more people signed up for membership. We can be said to be making a lot of money!"

However, Xiao Jiu scratched his head and said, "But the specific accounts are still being calculated by Sister Liu. I'm not sure how much it is..."

Dugu Jingyao couldn't help laughing when she saw Xiaojiu like this: "Haha, it doesn't matter, I believe in your level."

Xiaojiu seemed to have thought of something else and clapped his head, saying, "Look at my brain! I almost forgot. Sister Liu also told me that the shop next to ours is for sale and asked if we should buy it and merge the two into one."

Dugu Jingyao thought for a moment and asked, "I wonder what the prices are at the store next door?"

Xiao Jiu recalled something and said, "Sister Liu said that the owner of that shop is familiar with us, so if we buy something, he can give us a discount of seventy taels of silver. However, there are only two floors there."

Dugu Jingyao pondered, thinking that a two-story building wasn't out of the question, but she wanted to ask Liu Jingyue's opinion, since she had a talent for business. So she said, "Well, I'll ask Yue'er. If it's possible, I think it's fine to buy it."

Xiaojiu nodded and said, "Okay, Princess." Then Xiaojiu told Dugu Jingyao the name of the teahouse where the storyteller often told stories, and the name of the storyteller, and left. After all, the business in the store was good, and she had to go back early to take care of the business!

Dugu Jingyao didn't try to keep her. After all, Xiaojiu was good at attracting customers, so she nodded and asked Si Jian to send Xiaojiu out.

Then he said to Shijian, "Shijian, go and call Yue'er." After thinking for a while, he said, "Forget it, I'll go to Shuyayuan..." After that, he stood up and took Shijian to Shuyayuan.