Xu Qinghuan stared at the pile of banknotes on the table, her brow tightly furrowed.
Tens of thousands of taels of silver were piled there. Anyone else would have been grinning from ear to ear, but she was so vexed she felt like smashing the table. The progress bar for the system's hundred-thousand-tael task had only crawled past forty percent, still far from completion. What was worse, this money couldn't just be saved; it had to be spent, and spent in a way that fit the "heartless rich" persona.
Cui'er came in carrying a tea cup, carefully placing it at the corner of the table.
"Young Mistress, this silver is enough for our family to live on for years."
"It won't last," Xu Qinghuan pushed the banknotes aside. "This money burns my hands; it needs to be spent, and fast."
She paced back and forth in the room, her mind racing.
The money had to be spent, her reputation had to be ruined, and it would be best if she could stir up some major trouble, enough for the imperial court to exile her directly to Lingnan.
Killing three birds with one stone.
Xu Qinghuan stopped pacing, her eyes lighting up.
"Cui'er, go call Steward Li Sheng."
Li Sheng arrived quickly, his face wreathed in smiles as he entered.
"Young Mistress, you summoned me?"
"Go post a notice," Xu Qinghuan sat back in her chair, tapping her fingers on the desk. "Say the Xu family is hiring. Hire the kind of local thugs and scoundrels, the ones who look fierce, have criminal records, preferably the most inhuman sort."
Li Sheng was stunned.
"Young Mistress, this... what is this for?"
"To form a City Patrol Brigade," Xu Qinghuan declared matter-of-factly. "I want to raise a gang of enforcers, have them bully people on the streets, turn Taoyuan County upside down."
Li Sheng's face paled.
"Young Mistress, this must not be done! If we hire such people, our Xu family..."
"That's exactly why we're hiring them," Xu Qinghuan cut him off. "I'll pay the wages. Five taels of silver per person, per month."
Five taels.
Li Sheng drew a sharp breath.
The county constables only earned one tael a month. Five taels was nearly half a year's salary for a minor clerk.
"Young Mistress, that's far too much money. What if those people take the money and run?"
"They won't get far," Xu Qinghuan pulled a stack of contracts from a drawer. "Have them sign indentured servitude papers. Anyone who dares to run, I'll have my father issue a wanted warrant. We'll confiscate their property and wipe out their clans."
Li Sheng looked at the stack of contracts, his hand trembling slightly.
This wasn't hiring; this was raising death-sworn retainers.
"Go handle it," Xu Qinghuan waved her hand. "Make the notice prominent. It's best if the whole city knows."
Li Sheng withdrew, his steps unsteady.
He walked into the courtyard and looked up at the sky.
The sky was gloomy, dark clouds hanging low.
Li Sheng sighed and turned to find someone to write the notice.
The day after the notice was posted, Taoyuan County was in an uproar.
The gate of the county office's side courtyard was jammed with people, all rough-looking hoodlums with clubs in their hands.
These men usually ran amok on the streets, bullying men and women. Now, hearing the Xu family was hiring at the high price of five taels, they all came running.
The courtyard was chaotic, dozens of men shoved together, none willing to yield to another.
"Move aside! I was here first!"
"Bullshit! I clearly got here first!"
Two thugs started shoving each other, their fists swinging with force.
The watching commoners shrank back in fear, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.
Subprefect Li Wencheng stood on the second floor of a nearby teahouse, holding a tea cup, watching the spectacle below.
A cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
The Xu family had lost its mind.
Openly recruiting desperadoes was courting destruction.
Li Wencheng put down his tea cup and turned to instruct the clerk beside him.
"Go, record today's events, every detail. When the Xu family meets disaster, this will be ironclad evidence."
The clerk acknowledged and picked up his brush to begin recording.
In the courtyard, Xu Qinghuan sat on a high platform, looking down at the disorderly crowd of thugs.
She didn't speak, merely raising her hand to signal Cui'er to unveil the red cloth.
Underneath the cloth were several large baskets, filled to the brim with gleaming silver ingots.
Sunlight reflected off the silver, casting a dazzling glare.
The courtyard fell silent instantly.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on that silver, their breathing growing noticeably heavier.
Xu Qinghuan stood up, looking down at the crowd from her elevated position.
"Want the money?"
Her voice wasn't loud, but it cut through all the noise.
"The Xu family's silver is only for obedient dogs to eat."
A ripple of unrest passed through the crowd.
A thug with a scarred face, a notorious local bully named Pockmarked Liu, pushed his way to the front.
Pockmarked Liu looked up at Xu Qinghuan, a hint of scorn in his eyes.
"Young Mistress, your words aren't very pleasant to hear."
He took a few steps forward, reaching out to grab the silver on the table.
"I'll take this money. As for whether I listen or not, that's another matter."
Xu Qinghuan didn't move.
She watched Pockmarked Liu's hand draw closer, not even blinking.
Just as Pockmarked Liu's fingers were about to touch the silver, Xu Qinghuan suddenly spoke.
"Li Sheng."
Li Sheng emerged from the crowd, holding a disciplinary cudgel.
He walked up behind Pockmarked Liu and swung the cudgel down.
"Thwack!"
Pockmarked Liu was smashed to the ground, his head hitting the blue brick with a bloody thud.
The courtyard was dead silent.
Only then did Xu Qinghuan leisurely descend from the platform and walk over to Pockmarked Liu.
With a glance from her, servants immediately stepped forward, yanking Pockmarked Liu's head up by the hair.
"Hear this clearly. These are the Xu family's rules."
Xu Qinghuan's voice was icy.
"If you want the money, you sign the indenture contract. Once signed, you belong to the Xu family. If the Xu family tells you to go east, you don't go west. Anyone who takes the money and runs, I'll have my father issue a wanted warrant. We'll confiscate your property and wipe out your clan."
Pockmarked Liu's face was pale, his lips trembling, unable to speak.
Xu Qinghuan released her grip, stood up, and dusted off her hands.
"Of course, there are benefits too."
She turned and pointed at the baskets of silver.
"Five taels of silver per person per month, food and lodging provided, and we'll issue you all uniforms. Be obedient, and this money is yours."
Five taels of silver.
The number hit the crowd like a stone thrown into water, sending ripples through them.
People in the crowd began to waver.
A scrawny, monkey-like thug squeezed out and knelt before Xu Qinghuan.
"Young Mistress, I'll sign! I'm willing to sign!"
With someone taking the lead, others followed, kneeling down.
"I'll sign too!"
"Young Mistress, I'll obey, I promise I'll obey!"
Pockmarked Liu lay on the ground, watching those kneeling around him, his face alternating between green and pale.
He gritted his teeth, finally lowering his head.
"Young Mistress, I... I'll sign too."
Xu Qinghuan nodded in satisfaction.
"Cui'er, bring out the contracts. Have them sign and fingerprint them, one by one."
Cui'er walked over carrying a stack of contracts and began distributing them.
The thugs took the contracts. Those who were literate took one look and their faces changed.
The contracts stated clearly: signing meant selling oneself to the Xu family, life and death at the Xu family's discretion.
But looking at the baskets of silver, they gritted their teeth and signed.
Money moves even the gods.
Especially five taels a month.
In less than an hour, dozens of contracts were signed.
Xu Qinghuan stood on the high platform, looking down at the crowd of thugs who moments ago had been ferocious but were now lining up obediently, and let out a silent sigh of relief in her heart.
The first step was complete.
She turned to Li Sheng and said, "Go fetch that batch of clothes and have them change into them."
Li Sheng acknowledged the order and headed to the storeroom.
Before long, he returned carrying a large pile of garments.
These clothes had been specially commissioned by Xu Qinghuan, made in a hurry. Their colors were glaringly bright, and embroidered across them were the large characters: "Taoyuan County Government Urban Management Brigade."
The street ruffians took the clothes, their expressions turning somewhat grim.
Wearing these out in public would make them walking targets.
But no one dared to say a word.
They obediently changed into the uniforms and lined up in a row.
Xu Qinghuan looked at this group of thugs dressed like garish circus monkeys and nodded in satisfaction.
"Good."
She walked to the front of the line, raising her voice.
"From today onward, you are part of the Xu household. Tomorrow at dawn, you will begin street patrols. When you see those setting up stalls or obstructing the roads, clear them all out. I want to turn Taoyuan County upside down!"
The ruffians exchanged bewildered glances, unsure how to respond.
Xu Qinghuan waved her hand.
"Dismissed. Assemble at mao hour tomorrow."
The men scattered in a hurry.
Soon, only Xu Qinghuan and Li Sheng remained in the courtyard.
Watching the retreating backs of the ruffians, Li Sheng couldn't help but ask, "Young Mistress, what is this all about..."
"Generating turnover," Xu Qinghuan cut him off. "Keeping these men costs money. Having them cause trouble on the streets also costs money. Money gets spent, and the task gets accomplished."
Li Sheng opened his mouth, wanting to say more, but ultimately swallowed his words.
He turned to leave. When he reached the courtyard gate, he glanced back.
Xu Qinghuan was still standing on the raised platform, looking at the several baskets now half-emptied of silver, her face devoid of expression.
Li Sheng sighed and walked away.
Upstairs in the teahouse, Li Wencheng set down his teacup, the smile freezing on his face.
He watched the group of uniformly dressed ruffians filing out below, his hand trembling slightly.
This was no simple recruitment of desperadoes.
This was the private cultivation of death warriors.
High pay to maintain troops, strict obedience to orders, unified attire—this was clearly the embryo of a rebellion.
Agitated, Li Wencheng turned to his advisor. "Quick, back to the residence. I must draft a secret missive."
The advisor was momentarily stunned, then hurried after him.
Li Wencheng walked swiftly, his steps unsteady.
In his secret letter, he would impeach Xu Youde for "harboring seditious intent."
This time, the Xu family was finished.
