Rebirth and Reversal of Fortune

Chapter 338 Jealousy and Conspiracy, Sensing the Clues

The Marquis's mansion's splendor aroused the jealousy of other families, and another round of conspiracy was quietly brewing.

The prosperity of the Marquis's mansion shone like a dazzling pearl in the capital, yet this brilliance stung the eyes of many, especially those families who were once on par with the Marquis's but have now fallen far behind.

Among them, the Zhao family was the most prominent. Whenever Zhao Yong, the head of the Zhao family, saw the bustling traffic in front of the Marquis's mansion, a burning flame of jealousy would ignite in his heart.

"Why should Xiao Ling achieve such success? My Zhao family will never be content to lag behind others." Zhao Yong paced back and forth in his study, his face grim.

Therefore, Zhao Yong secretly summoned the core members of his family to discuss how to deal with the Marquis's mansion.

“We can start with the Marquis’s business, disrupt their supply chain, and prevent their goods from being delivered on time,” an advisor suggested.

“Or spread rumors that the Marquis’s mansion is secretly colluding with enemy states, undermining their standing in the eyes of the court and the people,” another person said.

Zhao Yong listened to everyone's suggestions and nodded repeatedly, a sinister glint flashing in his eyes.

Meanwhile, in the Marquis's mansion, Su Jinxiu and Xiao Ling were still immersed in the joy of their success and were unaware of the impending crisis.

The Marquis's estate continued to develop steadily, but some subtle changes began to quietly occur.

One of the Hou family's important shops was suddenly destroyed by fire, resulting in heavy losses.

"This fire started suspiciously; there must be something fishy going on," Xiao Ling frowned.

Subsequently, some of the Hou family's partners terminated their cooperation for various reasons, plunging the Hou family's business into difficulties.

"There must be someone behind this." Su Jinxiu realized that things were not simple.

Meanwhile, various negative rumors began to circulate in the capital about the Marquis's mansion, saying that the mansion bullied and oppressed the people.

"This is clearly malicious slander!" the servants of the Marquis's mansion said indignantly.

Xiao Ling and Su Jinxiu began investigating the truth behind these events, only to find that the clues always went cold at crucial moments, as if an invisible hand was controlling everything.

"It seems our opponent is quite cunning," Xiao Ling said.

While the Marquis's mansion was busy dealing with these troubles, the situation in the imperial court also became more complicated.

The emperor's condition worsened, and the struggle among the princes intensified. Taking advantage of this, the Zhao family colluded with one of the princes, attempting to use his power to completely suppress the Marquis's mansion.

"Any price is worth paying to eliminate the Marquis's mansion," Zhao Yong promised the prince.

In order to seize the throne, the prince readily agreed to the Zhao family's request.

Su Jinxiu keenly sensed something amiss and began to investigate secretly.

As the Marquis's mansion encountered a series of troubles, Su Jinxiu, with her meticulousness and keen insight, realized that these events were not accidental and that a huge conspiracy seemed to be hidden behind them.

"These events are too coincidental; someone must be manipulating things behind the scenes," Su Jinxiu thought to herself.

Without making a sound, she began to quietly gather clues. She started by examining the accounts and personnel changes within the Marquis's residence, carefully investigating every possible problematic link.

Su Jinxiu noticed that some of her once loyal servants had been behaving suspiciously lately, often communicating privately away from others.

"What are you hiding from me?" Su Jinxiu asked calmly.

The servants stammered and avoided eye contact, which deepened Su Jinxiu's suspicions.

Meanwhile, Su Jinxiu sent people throughout the capital to inquire about the source of any rumors related to the Marquis's mansion.

"We must find out who is spreading these rumors."

After some effort, Su Jinxiu finally discovered some clues. It turned out that some of the Marquis's rivals had recently been in frequent contact with a mysterious figure, and this mysterious figure seemed to have intricate connections with the Zhao family.

"The Zhao family can't escape involvement," Su Jinxiu concluded.

In order to obtain more conclusive evidence, Su Jinxiu decided to personally go into Zhao's business in disguise to gather information.

In the Zhao family's shop, Su Jinxiu cautiously struck up a conversation with the shop assistants, trying to extract useful information from them.

"I heard the Marquis's mansion has been having some bad luck lately. Was it your Zhao family's doing?" Su Jinxiu deliberately brought up the topic.

"Well... that's hard to say." The men looked very nervous.

Su Jinxiu became increasingly certain of her guess, but she knew that this alone was not enough to expose the Zhao family's conspiracy.

During the investigation, Su Jinxiu encountered numerous difficulties. The Zhao family seemed to have realized that someone was secretly investigating them and strengthened their defenses, which restricted Su Jinxiu's actions at every turn.

"Madam, this is too dangerous. Let's go back first," a trusted aide advised.

But Su Jinxiu did not give up. She knew that if the mastermind behind the scenes was not found, the Marquis's mansion would never have peace.

Just then, Su Jinxiu received news that a large quantity of goods had been stolen from an important warehouse in the Marquis's mansion, resulting in heavy losses.

"This must be yet another of their conspiracies!"