Madam’s Shrewdness and a Desperate Plea

That morning, Hu Hai stepped into the main hall of the Lingzhou branch.

Seated before a low table, a graceful woman in white was engaged in embroidery. With one hand, she deftly held an embroidery needle, while the other clutched a piece of crimson cloth.

Her fingers danced with practiced grace, the needle and thread weaving a mesmerising pattern. It was an exceptionally… pleasing sight to behold.

A corner of Hu Hai’s mouth twitched involuntarily. He ultimately decided to feign ignorance of her actions.

Indeed, he found himself repeatedly chanting in his mind: ‘Even when away from home, Madam never forgets her needlework—truly a virtuous woman.’

Yes, virtuous.

Hu Hai wasn’t entirely sure how that word had surfaced in his mind, nor how it had come to be associated with the woman before him.

He took a deep breath, then bowed respectfully.

“Madam.”

That was it—Madam.

Unbeknownst to him, he had subconsciously omitted other titles, addressing her solely as “Madam” whenever he stood before this particular Bai Madam.

After all, he had witnessed her capabilities firsthand over the past few days.

Not to mention how she had uncovered the identities of those two demonic sect spies.

Consider the recent upheaval: Manager Sun He’s collusion with the demonic sect had suddenly been exposed, leading to his arrest. What remained for them was a mess beyond repair.

A thousand loose ends tangled into various chaotic affairs. The sudden decapitation of the highest authority had naturally caused unrest, with opportunists, the fearful, and those seeking to stir trouble all surfacing. Despite this, the local operations in Lingzhou still needed to be maintained.

Hu Hai found himself momentarily at a loss, unsure how to tackle the myriad issues.

Fortunately, Madam had taken charge, presiding over the situation.

The woman in white remained seated in the hall, issuing seemingly casual commands one after another, and the situation quickly clarified.

Those who needed to be dealt with were dealt with, those requiring suppression were suppressed, and those to be won over were approached. In just a few days, Lingzhou City had returned to a state of peace, as if nothing untoward had happened, merely awaiting the new manager’s arrival.

Such capability… she truly lived up to her reputation as a favored daughter of heaven, having taken control of the Bai family at her coming-of-age.

Hu Hai could only acknowledge her with complete admiration.

Indeed, it made sense. A woman who required the combined might of the Gate Master, the wisdom of the Eldest Young Mistress, the… unwavering loyalty of his own old uncle—Hu Hai had pondered for a while before finding that particular phrase—along with the full cooperation of several other Madams and brothers from various halls to finally be defeated, would naturally possess such astonishing talent.

Therefore, even though peace had settled these past two days, and Madam had grown increasingly leisurely, even openly embroidering in the main hall of Lingzhou, he still pretended not to notice.

He even helped her find excuses in his heart.

“Have all matters been resolved?”

The woman’s indifferent voice drifted to his ears.

“Yes, Madam, all resolved,” Hu Hai quickly composed himself. “Just now, several of Sun He’s personal guards were conspiring at the Ji Family Pawnshop, attempting to incite trouble. They have already been apprehended.”

“Good. Send them to Wuzhou along with Sun He’s family later,” Bai Yuan said, her hands not pausing in their work. She merely listened, nodding. This was within her expectations.

They were merely a few persistent minnows, incapable of stirring any significant waves.

“There are also the usurious loans Sun He issued. The accounts department is currently tallying the amounts. The sum appears quite substantial, with many loans issued under the gate’s name. Should we… burn the ledgers?”

Hu Hai asked tentatively. Many historical novels depicted such actions as a way to win over public sentiment.

“No, let the accounts department work harder and calculate everything thoroughly.”

Bai Yuan pondered briefly, then shook her head. “If the principal has already been repaid, and the interest is comparable to market rates, then let’s write it off. If the principal has been repaid, but the remaining debtors face genuine hardship, we can extend the repayment period. If the principal has not yet been repaid, they will slowly repay it according to the interest rates of a legitimate bank.”

This method of handling things seemed rather calculating, not entirely fitting her usual style.

Hu Hai thought this as he prepared to agree. Then, he saw Madam look over, a subtle smile playing on her slightly upturned lips. “You must understand, such acts of extreme kindness are not for us to undertake. Even if something is to be ‘burned,’ it must be my husband who does it.”

“…”

Well, there was certainly more to it than met the eye. Hu Hai, who had always prided himself on being forthright and upright, decided not to dwell on these intricacies. He began to report on another matter that had been brought to his attention that morning.

“Yu Hang, the owner of Yu Family Merchant House, has sought an audience through the Qinglong Firm?”

Bai Yuan heard the name and searched her memory. She confirmed she didn’t recall anyone named Yu. However, she did know of the Qinglong Firm; it had been one of the merchant guilds that responded when she was conquering Hexi, privately assisting her greatly. After her defeat, she hadn’t heard much about them, but they had likely suffered repercussions and were probably not faring well.

Thinking this, she glanced at Hu Hai.

Who had said this fellow was cold-faced yet warm-hearted? Whether someone had prompted him or he inherently knew, the ability to trace this connection clearly indicated that these seemingly rough men were incredibly shrewd.

“Very well, I will meet with them.”

Bai Yuan nodded, then lowered her gaze, continuing to embroider the dudou.

“This humble one greets Miss Bai.”

That form of address was rather interesting. Bai Yuan looked up at the man before her.

This Yu Hang, the owner, was a tall, slender man, around forty years of age, with a sallow complexion tinged with an unhealthy flush. Bai Yuan’s gaze lingered on him for a moment, her brow furrowing slightly, but she ultimately said nothing, merely asking faintly, “May I know why Owner Yu seeks me?”

“To Miss Bai, this humble one owes a debt to Tianhe Gate.”

Yu Hang spoke directly. “Years ago, I was entrapped by a villain, causing my shop to suffer from poor cash flow. Therefore, I borrowed from Tianhe Gate, incurring a debt that compounded interest, with an agreement to settle it in one year. With this money, I managed to reopen my shop, and riding on the coattails of Tianhe Gate’s trade routes, things proceeded smoothly. I expected to clear the debt by year-end, but unexpectedly, just six months later, Steward Chen of Tianhe Gate suddenly arrived, demanding early repayment based on a clause in the contract.

“In desperation, I exhausted all my family’s assets, yet only managed to repay seventy percent. Following that, Steward Chen insisted that I hand over my two daughters as collateral.”

It sounded like a debt dispute, even involving human trafficking, but Bai Yuan listened quietly, not interrupting. She had a feeling that for the Qinglong Firm to get involved, this person must be somewhat special.

“Manager Sun He and Steward Chen have always had ill reputations, and this humble one naturally never agreed. However, seeing that my end was near, I was fortunate that Miss Bai arrived in Lingzhou and apprehended both those villains, Sun and Chen. Thus, this humble one dared to harbor a slight hope, offering a secret family technique in exchange. I implore Miss Bai to take pity on my two daughters, who are alone and helpless, and allow them to remain by your side, even as servants or maids, if that is what it takes.”

Having said this, Yu Hang heavily kowtowed.