In ancient times, the powerful and wealthy seized power step by step.

Gu Zhao once hoped that Zhu Qingyu didn't know, but now he hopes she knows even more, because it's better than being trapped in this dark and hopeless delusion by himself.

She doesn't have to be.

The words Liu Wenhuan had just said suddenly popped into his mind, and once they did, they swirled around in his head, leaving only that one sentence.

Ultimately, the barrier between him and her was nothing more than those four words.

She doesn't have to be.

Gu Zhao tucked the plain handkerchief into his bosom and said:

"Okay, you can go now."

As night deepened and all was quiet, Gu Zhao lay on the bed with her eyes closed, stroking the soft, woman-like handkerchief in her hand, the scene of her appearing in the room that afternoon replaying in her mind.

Her clothes were half-wet, and she was so close to him that when he held her in the chair, her fragrance clung to his entire body.

Gu Zhao covered his face with a handkerchief, and the cool fragrance enveloped him again, even closer than when she was there, as if he had already embraced her.

The servant, keeping watch outside, half-asleep and half-awake, in the utter silence, heard a tender call coming from inside:

"Wishing you well, Madam."

It sounded like a call, a murmur, and even more like a gasp.

When he first heard it, the servant was terrified and dared not sleep for several days, for fear of revealing even a single word and being killed by the young master to silence him.

But now, perhaps because it has happened so many times, Chang Sui has become accustomed to it, and with a calm mind, he doesn't even lift his eyelids before falling asleep again.

……

After returning to the Zhang family mansion and settling Zhang Ruohua in, Zhu Qingyu wrote a letter to Zhang Shen that very night.

After some hesitation, he ultimately did not mention his involvement with Gu Zhao. He only mentioned in the letter Lord Liu's ill intentions towards the Zhang family and the fact that Zhang Ruohua had been arrested. Then he arranged for a fast horse to deliver a message to Zhang Shen at the Huaibei salt field, telling Zhang Shen to be careful, pay attention to safety, and return to Yangzhou as soon as possible.

Gu Zhao told Zhu Qingyu to take more people with her when she went out, and in the following days, Zhu Qingyu simply didn't leave the house at all.

Firstly, Zhang Ruohua was young and had been frightened, so Zhu Qingyu stayed with her at home for several days because she was worried about her.

Then there's the monthly accounting book delivery. Since Zhang Shen wasn't home, it was routinely delivered to Zhu Qingyu.

That day, the head manager was reporting to Zhu Qingyu:

"Last month, the master withdrew a lot of cash, and now the money in the account is not enough to pay the salt tax. Lord Dai of the Salt Bureau has sent people to urge us several times, asking how many salt permits we plan to withdraw this year and when we plan to pay the advance salt tax. I said that the master is not at home and I dare not make decisions on my own, asking for more time, but I'm afraid it won't be long."

The head manager spoke slowly and deliberately, but the second manager, who had accompanied him, was impatient and interrupted, rattling off a string of words:

"Oh dear, Manager, this is a matter of life and death! Can you just get to the point? You're really driving me crazy! I've already inquired, and the Zhou and Wang families have prepaid twice as much salt tax as last year. The total amount of salt permits is only so much; these other families are determined to take all our share and squeeze us out! Madam, the master isn't home, you have to make a decision quickly. This salt tax can't be delayed; we have to pay it as soon as possible, or we'll be left with nothing!"

Zhu Qingyu flipped through the account book and said:

"This matter really can't be rushed. Given the current market price of official salt, the Zhou and Wang families are taking a large share, which may not be a good thing. The master went to the Huaibei salt fields specifically for this matter. I've already written to him, and I estimate he'll be back in the next few days. Of course, we can't afford to offend Lord Dai either. Head Manager, you should prepare another gift for Lord Dai and stall for time until the master returns. In the next few days, the managers should discuss it again. We should pay only as much salt tax as we can afford, and do as much business as we can manage. Don't be greedy."

The head manager had already considered this before he arrived and was fully aware of it:

"No family can afford to pay that much tax in a year. If we only do cash business, we'll probably only get 30% of what we did in previous years."

The second manager immediately exploded:

"I just don't understand! Why insist on cash? The Salt Commissioner can get the salt permits without spending a penny by using loans as a way to get the money. The Zhou and Wang families did it this way, so why can't we? How can we do business if we only take 30% of the profits?"

Although the second manager is impatient and stubborn, he usually doesn't explode like this. What's wrong with him today? Why is he so irritable?

Zhu Qingyu found it very strange and asked:

"Second Manager, what others do isn't necessarily right. Why should we follow their example? The salt business is clearly a pit of fire. Why rush into it? There are other businesses besides salt. We can do less salt and more other businesses. Why can't we do business? Don't you understand why the Master took the money?"

The second manager was so anxious after being rejected that he stood up abruptly:

"Madam, I just don't understand! The salt business is an extremely profitable business. I've been with the Zhang family for decades and watched generations of owners build such a large fortune through the salt business. Now, the owner is giving up such a good business and even trying to push it away. I just don't understand!"

Zhu Qingyu put down the account book and asked him seriously:

"Times have changed. Where can you find a business that lasts forever? One 'yin' of salt weighs three hundred catties, and the salt tax is three taels of silver. If we borrow silver from the government for working capital, we get an 8% interest rate, which adds another two taels and four mace of interest costs per 'yin' of salt. In the two years that Lord Yan has been in office, after deducting all kinds of tributes and losses, we can only earn three mace of silver per 'yin' of salt. We would be better off buying land and shops and collecting rent. Second Manager, you've been here for decades and have been in business for decades, so you must be better at calculating than me. You should do the math for our family. We lose two taels and one mace of salt per 'yin' of salt. The bigger the business, the more we lose. What kind of good business is this?"

The second manager, his face flushed and neck red from the rebuke, was still unconvinced and muttered:

"The old lady also said that times have changed. The extra two taels and four mace can be recovered by raising the price of salt by eight wen per catty. Besides, Lord Dai is not Lord Yan."

This is just stubbornness even when there's no truth to it. Zhu Qingyu asked back:

"Official salt is already sixty copper coins a catty. If it goes up another eight copper coins, are the common people stupid? Why would they give up smuggled salt at twenty copper coins a catty and buy official salt at sixty-eight copper coins a catty? Lord Dai is certainly not Lord Yan. Lord Yan only wanted some tribute. What does Lord Dai want? Does the Second Manager even know? Is government money so easy to borrow? If we can't pay it back by the end of the year, and the government comes to confiscate our property and arrest us, will only Jingyan be imprisoned? Everyone in this house, not one of us, will escape. Do you think I can escape, or you, Second Manager?"