While Master Jiang could have claimed ignorance or blamed Wu Caiwei for orchestrating everything herself, as those were her people and whatever she said went, the two families were locked in a fierce business rivalry. He, in particular, was the weaker party. No matter how he spun it, he had a motive. The people in the business world were cunning old foxes; even if he could extricate himself, his reputation would be tarnished, and no one would dare do business with him in the future.
He didn't want to escalate matters, but if he took these people in, it would be an open declaration that he had orchestrated this. He was at a loss for what to do.
"Have the two young masters of the Huangfu family been brought? I can finally play with them." Just then, a proud-looking boy, about four or five years old, dressed in silk, strode in.
Upon entering and not seeing the people he expected, he looked disappointed and quickly walked up to the two families, complaining, "Didn't you say you would bring them to play with me? I've already given you the silver, how can you go back on your word?"
Master Jiang's face immediately broke into a smile, and he looked at Wu Caiwei with a hint of helplessness. "It's all a misunderstanding. My grandson was too fond of your two sons, which led them to commit such a mistake."
Wu Caiwei's smile widened. In her previous life, her son's death was inextricably linked to this man. She hadn't expected him to be so deceitful even at such a young age.
"They are servants of the Huangfu family, yet they acted on behalf of your Jiang family. Today, my two sons were not lured away, and you had no malicious intent. Since it's a misunderstanding, and they are very fond of the Jiang family, how about this: you give me a thousand taels of silver, and I'll keep them. We can then let this matter pass easily." Wu Caiwei found the situation increasingly amusing. She had initially thought the child was innocent and didn't want to act against him, especially since he wouldn't harm her son until more than a decade later. Now, it seemed some people were inherently wicked from a young age and didn't deserve any leniency.
"Alright, we'll do as you say. It was indeed our family's fault. We admit defeat this time." Master Jiang, seeing that the amount of money she asked for was not excessive, wanted to resolve the matter quickly and didn't haggle further.
After smilingly seeing her out, the steward cautiously approached him and asked, "Master, what about the two families from the Huangfu family?"
"Order them to do the dirtiest and most tiring work, and tell our Jiang family people not to interact with them much in their daily lives." Master Jiang had initially wanted to sell them, but fearing they might spread rumors if they were released, and since he wasn't short of a thousand taels, he came up with this idea.
Leaving the Jiang residence, Wu Caiwei walked slowly along the street, contemplating her next move. Master Jiang's attempt to harm her children had crossed her bottom line. If she didn't retaliate, she couldn't forgive herself.
A few days later, an event that shocked the capital occurred. Although Wu Caiwei had strictly forbidden her staff from spreading rumors, secrets were eventually revealed. Many people learned that the Huangfu family had suffered a theft, and the stolen item was the recently popular rouge formula.
Wu Caiwei was furious. She summoned everyone in the shop and interrogated them one by one, but no one seemed suspicious. Could the formula have walked away on its own?
For this reason, she deliberately closed her shop, vowing not to rest until the truth was uncovered.
The merchants of the capital were closely watching her every move. They had initially dismissed it as a rumor, but now it seemed true. Recently, the noble ladies of the capital had been flocking to her shop to buy rouge, some even willing to pay exorbitant prices. This was a goldmine, and who would be willing to close their shop for no reason?
In a corner unknown to the Huangfu family, a man wearing a mask quietly spread the word that he was looking to sell the formula, with the highest bidder winning.
Upon hearing this, Master Jiang became restless. His family's rouge business had already been severely impacted by the rival. His shop was on the verge of closing. If he could acquire the formula, although it would put him in direct competition with the Huangfu family, he believed that with his longer business experience in the capital, and by expanding production and selling to towns and counties, the money spent would soon be recouped.
"Master, our people have reported that Master Li, Master Liu, and Master Zhou all visited him today. Perhaps we should give up." The steward looked at him with concern. "It's just a formula, though it's very important. Our Jiang family has many businesses; there's no need to tie ourselves to just one. Besides, the backgrounds and strengths of these masters are all more formidable than yours. Can we compete with them?"
"No, the Huangfu family has been severely impacting our business lately. All our shops are losing money. If we don't acquire a good formula soon and turn the situation around, our Jiang family will be ruined." Master Jiang thought for a moment and decided to proceed with his plan. It was just a matter of spending more money.
This time, even if it cost half of the Jiang family's assets, he was determined to get the formula. He had witnessed the success of the rival's rouge shop and couldn't bear to give up.
"But is the formula in his possession necessarily genuine? What if it's fake, and we lose a great deal?" The steward couldn't think of any reason why this wasn't a risky venture.
"If I were the only one who had seen this formula, I might have suspected it was fake. But those esteemed gentlemen are not fools. Moreover, if anyone dares to deceive them, no matter how far they flee, they have the means to track them down. I'm not trusting the seller; I'm trusting those merchants." He had indeed doubted the authenticity of the formula at first, but when he thought about how many times these shrewd old foxes had visited, there was no need to think twice; the item must be real.
The steward pondered for a moment and said no more. He had already advised his master, and his master's reasoning was also sound. Missing this business opportunity would be a significant loss for the Jiang family.
Finally, steeling his resolve, he sold off several shops, gathered two hundred thousand taels of silver, and handed it over to the seller, who then gave him the formula.
Upon receiving the formula, he immediately showed it to his craftsmen. The craftsmen treated it as a treasure and quickly began to replicate it according to the instructions. Although the initial few attempts failed, they gradually succeeded. The finished product was indeed identical to what they had bought from the rival's rouge shop. Master Jiang couldn't help but show a pleased smile, believing the money spent this time was worthwhile.
He quickly cleared out the best located shop in the Jiang family residence, renovated it, and prepared for its opening. Simultaneously, Wu Caiwei's shop was also quietly undergoing renovations. Both shops opened on the same day.
The newly opened shop of Master Jiang not only offered everything the same as Wu Caiwei's former rouge shop but was also priced cheaper. Naturally, people flocked to it.
After dark, Master Jiang calculated the day's earnings, his face beaming with joy. The net profit for the day alone was nearly ten thousand taels. To ensure continuous profit, the craftsmen worked overtime to produce the required amount for the next day. Unexpectedly, the next day, the shop was deserted. Upon inquiring, they learned that Wu Caiwei had quietly reopened her shop in an unnoticed corner, selling rouge of even better quality than before, and at more reasonable prices.