The leader of the black-clothed n gave an order, binding all their dead comrades onto their horses. The horses of the deceased had not strayed far!
They intended to take the dead back to ascertain the causes of their deaths!
The mission had failed, and with more than a dozen of their companions dying in unclear circumstances, their morale was low!
A failed mission ant they were returning to face punishnt!
Ye Shiqi felt the carriage continuously dashing forward. Her maid let her lie down, moving over to make room!
The maids remained vigilant, guarding her. However, in the darkness of night, they could see nothing outside and dared not sleep with their eyes closed!
The night’s flight had been exhausting, and they could feel the fatigue even inside the carriage, resulting in restless sleep!
The old housekeeper and guards, along with the leader, Tang Weixing, and the soldiers had ridden all night and finally arrived at the city gates by dawn, though the people and horses were worn out!
The city gates were still closed, so they dismounted to settle there. As they waited, they were joined by common folk and rchants who lined up around them, waiting to enter the city!
Ye Shiqi opened her eyes but didn’t join the maid to stretch her limbs. Instead, the maid served the hot water from the carriage’s stove to those who ran all night!
They each had at least a water flask on them, and aside from tents and blankets which they hadn’t packed in the rush, the luggage on the saddles remained intact, along with clothes and other items!
Fortunately, they were always ready to flee, alert at all tis, and when they set up tents while traveling, they did not remove important items from the horses!
Their horses were well-trained, and after enduring the attacks and running all night, they were still obedient after stopping. They stayed calm while drinking and eating, without sprawling down to rest!
After Ye Shiqi woke up again, she secretly infused so Space Water into the stove’s pot. Once all the people had drunk the hot water, and the horses had been watered, they felt a renewed vigor!
It was as if they had consud nutrient water, and their weariness disappeared after drinking!
No one questioned the water, simply assuming that their renewed spirits were due to quenching their thirst!
However, the water in their flasks had also been prepared by Yin Shiqi’s maids!
The water wasn’t much different from what they were currently drinking, though it had a faint sweetness to it!
The city gates opened, and they all entered in an orderly fashion.
Once inside, the group headed straight to the newly built factory, bypassing food establishnts to deposit the items they transported!
The old housekeeper initially thought the goods should be delivered to the factory while the Lady and guests went to the inn to have breakfast and settle into rooms!
The old housekeeper, although tired, felt reinvigorated and didn’t show signs of weariness or aging despite being up all night!
Ye Shiqi, on the other hand, felt she needed to check the factory first, making sure the machinery was properly installed and explained before she could relax!
Liang Boya had been quite frightened the previous night, but excitent kept her alert through the night. Despite the fatigue, she was now full of energy!
Wherever Ye Shiqi went, she followed!
Ye Haohuan followed silently, always managing to turn danger into safety. As a man, he may have required a woman’s protection, but he did not see himself as a coward or useless!
What difference did it make if he was protected once or several tis?
The feeling of being protected was quite pleasant, even if it was the opposite of the usual male-female roles!
Ye Haohuan greatly admired Ye Shiqi, the young girl with such courage and exceptional skills with hidden weapons.
The more he knew her, the more he respected her!
He felt that he had already beco the lackey of this little girl, and if Prince 13 were here, he would surely rebuke him for letting a little girl protect a grown man.
However, the sudden incident last night, just like the previous unforeseen events, showed that even though he possessed martial arts skills, he still had to cherish his life!
Ye Shiqi was planning to start a factory and conduct business, so naturally, she needed to inspect the factory’s construction. When the carriage arrived at a suburban area close to a nearby village, the factory was right next to the main road!
The location was convenient for transport, not far from the small town, and the workers’ housing was built together with the factory, all made of red clay bricks!
These were constructed according to her specifications. At that ti, Ye Haohuan had invested in it!
Ye Haohuan, seeing the new buildings, was surprised at how quickly they were built; it was only a month, and the houses were already constructed, with the external walls built strong and surrounded by very high walls!
The main entrance was closed in the morning, but when they knocked, soone opened the door.
All the carriages and horses not transporting goods were stopped at the entrance, while those carrying equipnt went inside, and the items outside were watched over.
Ye Shiqi, assisted by her maid, stepped down from the carriage, and together with the maid, prepared to enter the factory.
Liang Boya also got out of her carriage and ran over, grabbing her cousin’s hand.
She chirped excitedly, "Cousin, is this the factory you spoke of? And these newly constructed living quarters are even better than the civilian houses, which aren’t this nice!"
Ye Shiqi nodded. Indeed, so of the civilian hos in the nearby villages were made of mud bricks with grass roofs, and there were even more thatch-roof houses.
Their large-scale construction of the factory was a long-term plan and also for the safety of the workers.
She glanced at Ye Haohuan and said,
"There is shareholders’ investnt involved here."
"Oh, no wonder!" Liang Boya also glanced at Ye Haohuan, then said no more and happily went inside together.
Ye Haohuan touched his nose, wondering why their looks gave him the feeling... that he wasn’t seen as a fat sheep, was he?
Liang Boya had already heard from Ye Shiqi that the workers in this factory were official slaves that they had purchased together. Maybe they were people from wealthy families who had committed cris, people who used to live in luxury whether they were truly guilty or had been implicated by others.
They probably weren’t the masterminds, as the real culprits would have been executed long ago.
Perhaps they were scapegoats or victims of misdirected anger, sent here and treated cruelly, yet pitiable.
Still alive, being able to work here could be considered lucky.
At least here they could work for food. Not to ntion wages, just being able to eat and clothe themselves was a stroke of good fortune.
Since being convicted, many of their families had fallen apart, more were sold off to various places, none had the money to bribe, or relatives to visit.
As they all entered, they saw n chopping wood while the won were in the kitchen or outside washing clothes. The factory had its own well for water, so they didn’t need to go out for it.
All the people who saw them co in, recognizing their benefactors who had purchased them, kneeled down:
"Lady, young master, you’ve arrived!"
Ye Shiqi stopped, and those moving the carriage tools didn’t, but they were also paying attention to the scene.
Ye Haohuan did not make a sound, not out of a lack of compassion, but knowing that there were those who would manage these affairs.
Liang Boya felt a bit of pity for these people, yet admired her cousin. If it had been her encountering these people, she would definitely not have bought them, fearing they were dangerous!
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