Quick Transmigration: Even Extras Want to Be Leading Actresses

Chapter 215 Challenge (2)

While the emperor was raging, Gu Shijiu had already embarked on his journey back to the mountain stronghold.

She came to the capital to seek revenge, and now that Li Fang has gotten her revenge, she hasn't yet won the lottery. She also received a reminder that the competition is about to end.

Gu Shijiu was somewhat frustrated. She had failed to complete her first script with a mission and didn't know if this would be the end of her journey.

She secretly resolved that if she was eliminated, she would definitely go back and get some rest.

I've been working on several scripts in a row; I'm exhausted.

Shi Qi is so smart, he should be able to play another round, right? Let's cheer him on then.

Not long after, another of the emperor's confidants arrived at Gu Shijiu's village with a secret decree.

As emperor, the mysterious deaths of Zeng Xu and Zeng Xiaomei were like a thorn stuck in his throat, keeping him awake at night and unable to eat or sleep.

He secretly dispatched his most trusted spies, ordering them to thoroughly investigate the ins and outs of everything.

The spies, disguised, began their investigation by starting with Zeng Xu and Zeng Xiaomei's trusted confidants, gradually uncovering their deliberately hidden past.

After spending a considerable amount of time, they finally uncovered the complex relationship between the Zeng siblings and Gu Shijiu.

The emperor found the spy's reply utterly absurd.

So the village woman whom Zeng Xu discarded like trash was actually a top-notch expert?

Is this a revenge mission?

Since that's the case, and the person is now dead, it shouldn't affect the cooperation, right?

The emperor still did not give up on this trade route.

But this time, the men he sent were driven out by the bandits as soon as they arrived at the mountain stronghold.

Everyone was holding their breath in resentment.

What a joke! Last time, the people who came took the boss away, and he was gone for almost half a year, causing so much trouble.

The official delivering the decree was on the verge of tears; the boss was supposed to be very easy to talk to.

Gu Shijiu didn't react much when she learned that the villagers had driven away the imperial envoy. What did it have to do with her?

Although the negotiations failed, they served as a wake-up call for Gu Shijiu.

She could have easily taken over the land along the trade route as the court had planned, but she didn't necessarily have to submit to it.

So she racked her brains and drew on some methods she had seen before.

For example, turn a counterfeit village into a tollbooth, and robbery into collecting tolls.

For the passing people, the downside is that robbery only targets easy targets and other bandits, but tolls are collected from everyone.

That doesn't sound good.

However, anyone who has paid the toll can be guaranteed absolute safety when crossing this road.

After making up his mind, Gu Shijiu led several hundred people to set off on the business route.

After a period of time, his "career" went smoothly.

Gradually, they actually came to dominate this trade route.

Gu Shijiu set up toll checkpoints at both ends of the trade route to facilitate passing merchants to pay tolls according to the proportion of their goods.

Compared to the murderous and thieving behavior of bandits in the past, Gu Shijiu and his group's actions can be considered a true conscience in the industry.

Therefore, the customers are quite accepting of this.

Some people, taking advantage of their numbers, tried to bypass the checkpoint without paying, but Gu Shijiu and his team simply threw them back, along with their goods.

Over time, everyone got used to this system, and paying tolls when passing through became a matter of course.

As Gu Shijiu led the mountain stronghold to a better life, people from surrounding villages came to join them, surrounding the stronghold.

Even the bandits who had been forced to retire by Gu Shijiu changed their ways and hid in the vicinity.

I originally wanted to see this tollbooth fail, but I could only watch helplessly as it grew bigger and bigger.

These bandits also shamelessly wanted to join.

Gu Shijiu is now increasingly sensitive to that stench. She gets rid of anyone who smells terrible before allowing the rest into the mountain stronghold.

To everyone's surprise, the leader was able to identify who was the most wicked.

Now, Gu Shijiu's prestige is even higher.

And so, the hill where the stronghold was located gradually expanded, eventually forming a small city.

Gradually, residents from both the Central Plains and the Western Regions, unable to bear the exorbitant taxes and levies, came to seek refuge with their professional skills.

Merchants soon discovered that more and more people were setting up stalls along the trade route, and the variety of goods was becoming increasingly diverse.

Many things that would normally require a lot of effort to find in other countries can actually be found along this trade route.

Although the quantity is smaller and the price is higher, there are no major problems.

By then, Gu Shijiu already had quite a few advisors.

According to their suggestion, goods purchased along the trade route could be returned after paying only one toll.

It saved businessmen a lot of time, energy and money.

No one expected that this trade route would inadvertently become a small commodity trading and distribution center.

The subsequent live streams, like the previous ones, will speed up the timeline significantly when there are no special plot developments.

Thirty years have passed in the blink of an eye. With the continuous increase in population, the economy along this trade route has developed better and better.

In addition, Gu Shijiu's martial arts skills were quite formidable, and the trade route actually became an independent city sandwiched between the Central Plains and the Western Regions.

At first, neither the Central Plains nor the Western Regions took action against this place; they were both observing each other's movements.

No one wanted to benefit others, and they were all secretly plotting to win over Gu Shijiu, hoping to gain this prize without firing a shot.

But by the time the area became more prosperous, both sides wanted to intervene, only to find it was too late.

The region's influence on the economies of its neighboring countries is greater than they anticipated.

Both sides also weighed whether it was reliable to subdue Gu Shijiu and his group by force.

If a war were to break out, it's not that we wouldn't be able to win, but after the war, the trade routes would probably be completely destroyed.

What's more, there's also Gu Shijiu, whose martial arts skills are unfathomable.

It's not like no one has tried to cause trouble over the years, but well, those people never showed up again.

The fact that someone who isn't particularly bright can maintain his position as city lord speaks volumes.

They wanted to use economic means to control Gu Shijiu and his group, but first of all, their own businessmen would cause an uproar.

The economy has developed rapidly in recent years, and several neighboring countries have made a lot of money.

With national and private treasuries overflowing and domestic officials receiving high salaries to maintain integrity, they have no shortage of money and naturally have no interest in fighting wars.

As time went on, both sides gave in and gritted their teeth to become neighbors with Gu Shijiu.

Anyway, they never admitted that this place had broken away from their rule, so they managed to save face by talking to outsiders.

Gu Shijiu didn't care about these things. As long as no one interfered with her eating, drinking, and making money, she had no interest in expanding her territory.

The largest house in the city is where she lives, and there is a huge statue in the center of the city, modeled after the city lord.

Aside from never meeting Shi Qi or helping Li Fang make a living, Gu Shijiu is doing fairly well.