Divorced by her husband's family and rejected by her own! She defiantly turned her life around

The waiter stood opposite Liu Siyue with a fawning expression, keeping a distance of about three feet. "To be honest, there really is something. I don't know what's wrong with the prefect lately, but he's been asking the gentry in the prefecture to donate money to the imperial court. The pretext for the donation is that the imperial treasury is empty and the soldiers on the border are short of food and pay, so everyone needs to help the imperial court get through the crisis."

Although everyone was indignant, they couldn't refuse the prefect's request. They all knew that once the prefect spoke, he would never leave empty-handed. Rather than let him resort to force, they might as well obediently hand over the goods and get a good deal in return.

To save face for the prefect, the local gentry donated some money, but before long, their homes were either burglarized or robbed. When they filed complaints with the prefect's office, the prefect's reply was that he was investigating.

I heard that the prefect thought those people weren't doing enough, so he deliberately sent people to do those things. I don't know if it's true or not.

Merchants in the prefectural city have had their taxes increased by 20%, and they are also required to pay this year's and next year's taxes in advance. Furthermore, I heard from the government that commercial taxes will also be increased in various county towns, and gentry in various places are required to donate silver.

Yesterday, Prefect Cai's son was crippled and brought back to the capital. All the city's top doctors were summoned for a consultation. The diagnosis was that all four of his limbs were broken and, even if they were reattached, they wouldn't heal properly; he'd be bedridden for life. Even worse, his penis had been crushed, rendering him a eunuch. The prefect was furious and vowed revenge for his son.

"Is there anything else?"

The waiter thought for a moment, "I heard that the prefect has requisitioned the Wang family's ship and will soon be transporting goods to the capital."

The man scratched his head. "I really can't think of anything else that's important."

Liu Siyue waved her hand, "Alright, take the money and go downstairs."

The waiter took the silver, thanked him repeatedly, bowed, and left, closing the door behind him. He weighed the silver in his hand, his face beaming with joy. This piece of silver was a full half tael. He had only said a few words and he had received so much. That customer was truly generous. He put the silver in his pocket, immediately went downstairs, and rushed to bring the food upstairs.

She stood outside the door with the food in her hand and gently knocked. "Sir, the food has arrived."

Qingwu opened the door, and the waiter placed the food on the table—a simple meal of three dishes and a soup. "Please enjoy your meal, gentlemen. If you need anything, just let me know."

Liu Siyue urged Qingwu to sit down and eat. As they ate, they chatted. "Qingwu, what do you think the prefect wants to transport?"

"It's nothing more than three things: gold and silver, food, or weapons."

"After we finish eating, let's go out on the street together and find out what's going on."

"Master, you should rest at the inn. The sun is so bright outside. Leave the gathering of information to me."

Liu Siyue felt a little sorry for Qingwu. She always thought of Qingwu in everything. Even though Qingwu was younger than her, she was always considerate.

"No, I'll go with you."

"Okay, I just feel tired from the journey and want my master to rest a little longer."

"You're also on your journey, aren't you tired too?"

"I'm different. I'm tough and thick-skinned, and I'm used to it."

"There's no such thing as being used to or not used to. Although you are a servant I bought, I have never treated you as a servant. You are like my sister, family."

From now on, no matter what, your safety must always be the top priority. I won't allow anything to happen to you, understand?

Qingwu held her rice bowl, her chopsticks hovering in mid-air, her eyes slightly red, and she gave a big smile, "Master~"

"Alright, let's eat."

After finishing their meal, the two lay down to rest. Liu Siyue lay on the inside of the bed, while Qingwu lay on the outside.

"Qingwu, tell me about what happened in the woods that day?"

"Okay." Qingwu then explained the whole story.

Liu Siyue gasped in shock. "If we hadn't gone into the mountains today, she would have been dead."

"Yes, that's true."

They were all incapacitated; to those people, they were like fish on a chopping board, their lives easily taken.

"It seems everything was arranged by fate; she wasn't meant to die!"

After resting, the two went out to gather information. They entered a jewelry shop and immediately felt a sense of unease. The shop assistant's smile was more like a grimace. "What do you two gentlemen need? We have more on the second floor."

The two looked around on the first floor when three people came downstairs. The first person was probably a couple, and the second person was probably the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper said, "Please wait a moment, gentlemen. This shop can't stay open for the time being. We've been robbed twice in the past month. Even if we sold ourselves, we couldn't afford to pay for the stolen goods."

The man sighed, "The world is going to be in chaos. Why is no one doing anything about it? Brother Lu, please be careful in everything you do. If you need any help, feel free to come to me."

"Shopkeeper, what happened? Why is your shop closing down?"

"The prefectural city is in turmoil, and the people are filled with fear. It's all because of that Prefect Cai. He's extorting money from the people, and he won't get away with it."

The shopkeeper, indignant as if he had found someone to confide in, said, "The shop was robbed twice in one month, so we can't keep it open."

As for who did it, even a fool could figure it out.

When a person commits too many evil deeds, God will punish him. I'm just waiting for that day.

"Hmph! I refuse to believe that the people of Dongping Prefecture are all cowards who would allow him to move all the goods from the north warehouse of the city."

The shopkeeper suddenly realized he had spoken out of turn. He looked at the two women with a scrutinizing gaze, fearing they might be sent by the prefect, which would mean his demise.

He forced a smile. "And who are you two?"

"We'll be passing through the city, wandering around, and when we pass by here, I want to buy my sister a piece of jewelry."

"Then you can choose, all the good stuff has been stolen."

Liu Siyue randomly picked something, paid the money, and left.

"Master, shall we go take a look at the north side of the city now?"

"Hmm, go to the north of the city and check out the location of the warehouse. Since it contains important items, the defenses must be very tight."

The two arrived at the north of the city and searched around. Sure enough, they found a place with several rows of houses, heavily guarded by soldiers, and patrols passing by from time to time.

"Master, let's go around to that side and take a look."

Qingwu took Liu Siyue's hand and gently squatted down. Under the cover of weeds, they reached the other side of the door, where guards stood at intervals and people patrolled constantly.

"Master, let's go back."

The two quickly left the north of the city. "Master, with such tight security, there must be something very important inside. Are we coming tonight to set it on fire?"

"We're not going to set it on fire, we're just going in to take a look."

"Master, we're just risking going in to take a look. What's so interesting about that?"

"Qingwu, I have my reasons for going in."

We don't even know where the prefect lives. We'll go back and find out where he lives first. We'll be busy tonight.

"Master, are you going to exterminate the entire prefect's family?"

"No, no, no, we won't punish him. We'll make him panic, make him chaotic, so he won't have time to care about his son being beaten. Let him die quickly, or let him be punished. That would be the most painful thing."

"Qingwu, I'm leaving the task of finding out the prefect's residence to you. After all, it's broad daylight, and I'm afraid I'll be a burden to you."

"Master, you should go back to the inn and get some rest. I'll find out more about the prefect's house and then take you there tonight, especially to the study."

Liu Siyue tapped her forehead. "Naughty!"

"Where did I misbehave? Doesn't Master love looking into other people's studies?"

Upon arriving in the city, Liu Siyue parted ways with Qingwu. She returned to the inn, while Qingwu went to gather information.