For the common folk of Beiping.
The news lately was truly endless, impossible to finish reading or talking about. It hadn't been this lively in years. First, Consort Shu's divorce had generated enough buzz to keep street thugs gossiping for a decade.
All sorts of baseless rumors and royal secrets from the previous dynasty also sprang up in the streets and alleys.
The royalists and young nobles were heartbroken.
"In what dynasty or era have we ever heard of an imperial consort divorcing an emperor? The faces of our ancestors have been completely thrown away!" Someone even rushed to Tianjin to hang themselves in protest; of course, The Last Emperor refused to see them.
Then came another massive piece of news—
Miss Su appeared at the shareholders' meeting in excellent condition, and the fertilizer plant returned to her hands!
When the news broke, everyone's jaws dropped. A person they all thought was going to die had suddenly come back to life. When observant people pondered the events surrounding the assassination from beginning to end, they could guess the truth with near-perfect accuracy.
In their shock, they warned their juniors:
"You can eat, drink, and play however you like, but absolutely do not offend Su Ning... That person will eat you alive without spitting out the bones."
Just look at it.
Using this assassination incident, she played everyone for fools. Standing on the moral high ground, she cleaned house and burned bridges, yet left people unable to utter a single word of complaint.
They had to swallow this bitter pill whole!
"Is she really that formidable?" a junior asked, waving a tabloid with unevenly printed ink. "Look, all the famous literary giants are cursing her. Any random literary society is organizing people to publish articles to crusade against Su Ning."
"Did you participate?"
"No."
"That's good." The elder breathed a sigh of relief. "You brat, remember this: the waters here run very deep. Miss Su is currently locking horns with the Beiping press circles. But regardless of whether she wins or loses, Miss Su won't lose a single hair on her head."
"How could she be fine... What if her reputation is ruined?"
"If it's ruined, it's ruined."
The elder taught earnestly, "Outside of life and death, there are no major matters. This thing called reputation—sometimes it's as heavy as a thousand pounds, and sometimes it's worthless."
"Besides... when has Miss Su ever cared about her reputation?"
The answer was—never.
Even the playboy juniors knew that Su Ning acted with unbearable arrogance. She sought revenge for the smallest grievances and was cold-blooded and ruthless. After coming to Beiping, even when her reputation was at its peak because of the fertilizer, it still wasn't that great.
It was obvious she didn't care about this at all.
Therefore, in Su Ning's battle with the press, she inherently stood in an invincible position.
What the elder didn't say was this.
Moreover, it wasn't as if Su Ning had no helpers. Those few newspapers that were forced onto her "pirate ship" were working tirelessly every day to sing her praises, mobilizing their networks to whitewash her reputation.
That was enough.
............
"Lin Sen, go fetch some money and send it over to Chief Editor Li and the others. Tell them it's a bonus." If you want a horse to run, you have to feed it more grass. Su Ning was not a stingy person.
"Understood."
Beside her, Lin Sen, who was personally ironing the newspapers, nodded and then lowered his head to continue his work.
The quality of newspapers during the Republican era was poor.
The ink on them easily stained the hands and had a smell, so fastidious households would always iron the newspapers before reading them. The ones in Lin Sen's hands were privately printed street tabloids; without ironing, they couldn't even be handled.
"Just let someone else do such trivial things."
Su Ning said without even looking up.
"The injury on your arm hasn't healed yet." After saying that, she let out a long sigh in her heart. Having an omnipotent assistant was certainly wonderful; everything was arranged perfectly.
But he was just too capable!
"System, do you think I exploited him too much before? Lin Sen's threshold has been adjusted so high that I can't even get any rewards out of him now."
"...Perhaps."
But there was no need to worry too much.
It believed that the host's level of inhumanity would definitely surpass Lin Sen's level of evolution.
On the other side.
Lin Sen's hand paused slightly, his gaze landing on the massive, exaggerated headline of the tabloid. It was a satirical story where the protagonist's surname was Su. The language was humorous and biting. Though it seemingly depicted the protagonist's luxurious life, readers would only feel mockery and even roar with laughter.
It was a masterwork that could be passed down through the generations.
"Thank you for your concern, Miss."
He said, "My hand is almost completely healed. The doctor also told me to move it more so it will heal faster."
At the very moment she heard those words.
A reward notification chimed in Su Ning's mind. Looking at the long-absent name on it, she raised an eyebrow. Was this a case of planting flowers intentionally only to have them fail, while carelessly thrusting a willow twig into the ground only to see it grow into a shade tree?
But she had just been showing concern for someone, right?
So—
"System, what exactly are your reward criteria? We're so familiar with each other now, just tell me... Could it be a malfunction that you're insisting is normal?"
"You're the one who's malfunctioning."
Dropping that sentence.
The Heartless Rich System vanished without a trace, refusing to bubble up no matter how Su Ning provoked it.
Just then.
Lin Sen handed over a thick stack of freshly ironed tabloids while patiently advising, "Miss, the things written on these are all fabricated nonsense. Why must you read them and upset yourself over nothing?"
"Why would I be angry?"
Su Ning chuckled softly. "I actually find it quite interesting." Not only interesting, but she was also quite proud and smug about it. Among these people scolding her were figures who would end up in future textbooks!
What a fun thing this was.
Besides, it wasn't as if she would be returning to the future of this world anyway.
Let them curse.
The invisible System: ...What a powerful mindset.
Having failed to persuade her, Lin Sen handed over an invitation card. It was hot-stamped with gold and sprinkled with floral patterns, the paper even embossed with elegant textures. The signature was a beautiful, cursive English name.
"Young Master Kong has sent another invitation."
"I won't see him."
Su Ning sneered. "This guy failed his task and doesn't dare return to Nanjing to face anyone, so he's using me as an excuse to stay. Heh, does he really think he's Pan An reincarnated or Song Yu reborn?"
What the man surnamed Kong wanted to do was clear at a glance.
Since he couldn't conquer the fertilizer plant.
He wanted to conquer the person.
"Next time he sends a card, don't accept it. If they force it on you, just throw it straight into the trash can." Su Ning casually flipped a page of the tabloid, chuckling in amusement as she added:
"Also, go question Chen Huaiqian for me. What does the South mean by this? I could tolerate it the first time, but if they let that Kong guy keep disgusting me here.
I won't hold back anymore."
Her tone was frivolous.
............
"Alright, understood."
Chen Huaiqian put down the phone and wearily massaged his temples. Suddenly, the door was pushed open, and Huang Yu hurriedly said, "Rations and forage are running out, quickly allocate some for me..."
"What's wrong with you?"
The topic abruptly shifted. There was no other reason than the fact that Mayor Chen, who was always calm and collected, who never even changed his expression when frequently targeted for assassination, now had a look of speechlessness and distress on his face that even a child could recognize.
"That fellow from the Kong family has displeased Miss Su, and Miss Su has issued an ultimatum."
Hearing this.
Huang Yu acted as if he had been stung by a venomous scorpion. Incomprehensibly, he said, "Is there water in his brain? He actually dares to lust after a woman like Su Ning? Isn't he afraid of dying a violent death one day?"
In any case, he was staying far away from her.
Yeah, knowing that Su Ning might attend, he had directly canceled his inauguration ball...
"Who knows."
Chen Huaiqian replied indifferently.
"Don't you think Su Ning is a bit too accustomed to bossing you around? It's one thing that the newspaper incident caused such an uproar, but she even makes you handle such trivial matters... And you actually help her do it."
Huang Yu gulped down some cold tea, his long eyebrows slanting upward:
"This doesn't sound like the you I know."
After a long pause, a voice sounded, "It is just an equal exchange." Chen Huaiqian looked away indifferently. "Miss Su is actually very measured in her actions. She demands exactly as much as she gives."
"For example?"
"The rations you mentioned. The prices of rice and flour on the market are skyrocketing right now. Many corrupt merchants are hoarding supplies to drive up prices. It is impossible to gather enough grain for the army on such short notice."
"Wait, do not tell me we are going to need Su Ning's help for all our future military rations?"
Huang Yu grew anxious.
That would mean dealing with her a lot in the future.
"No."
"Good."
"But Miss Su gave me this amount." Chen Huaiqian held up his fingers and waved them, a rare sharpness appearing in his eyes. "With this money, we can start stabilizing the grain prices. Tell me, should I listen to her or not?"
He should. He definitely should.
Huang Yu admitted with difficulty. It was a staggering figure, one that tempted even a military commander like him, who knew all too well that every cannon blast cost a fortune in gold.
"Is she giving it for free?"
If so, it would not be completely unacceptable to deal with Su Ning. Maintaining an army was incredibly expensive, after all.
"How could that be possible?"
He did not elaborate further. Instead, he changed the subject, asking Huang Yu to cooperate with his upcoming plans. Money alone was not enough to stabilize the grain prices; they also needed brute force.
"...We need to make an example of someone to frighten the rest. Only then will those grain merchants fall into line..."
He tapped his finger heavily on the paper.
Among the many names listed.
The Zhao family was heavily circled in red pen. Chen Huaiqian's eyes drifted for a moment; that circle was a mark drawn by Su Ning herself.
...
Meanwhile.
At the train station, a travel-worn man stepped off. He looked nostalgically at the familiar surroundings of his hometown. After being abroad for so many years, Beiping had changed so much.
"Young Master, you are really still alive."
The servant who had come to pick him up wiped away tears as he spoke.
"Yes, I am back."
Zhao Hao smiled, naturally handing his suitcase and belongings to the servant. He casually asked about the family's situation, and the servant answered each question. He paused for a moment, then asked in a low voice:
"Where is Xue Wen now?"
"Is he staying at home, or with Wen Yun?"
