I just wrote a love poem, how did that make me so powerful?

Li Chun glanced back at the lights coming from the second floor and asked Su Man, who was being escorted to the door, in a low voice.

"Miss Su, Miss Song Yao... what is your relationship with Her Highness the Princess?"

Su Man was slightly taken aback by his question, then shook her head and smiled:

"To be honest, I am just as curious as you are, sir."

After listening, Li Chun was stunned for a moment, then smiled.

"Then I'll take my leave."

Li Chun walked quickly away to deal with Sun Decai's matter.

Su Man stood there watching his back for a while, then shook her head slightly and turned back upstairs.

……

……

The next morning.

Xu Qing, who had been busy all day, was still half asleep in bed.

Then I heard the crackling of firecrackers outside, followed by the deafening sound of gongs and drums, which was deafening even through the courtyard wall.

He turned over, trying to cover his head with the blanket and continue sleeping.

Then I heard someone knocking on the door.

"Xu Qing, Brother Qing, Little Brother Qing, wake up! The sun's already high in the sky, get up and study!"

Xu Qing hugged the blanket and refused to move.

Xiao Mingyuan pushed the door open and yanked off his blanket.

Xu Qing shuddered and sat up.

"Fatty Xiao, what are you doing? You'd better actually be studying."

Xiao Mingyuan patted his double chin and laughed.

"Great news! What a joyous occasion! To celebrate your official enrollment as a student at Songlin Academy, I've prepared a whole bunch of things for you."

Xu Qing rubbed her face. "Seriously? Are you sick? You'd better actually study, or you'll have double the homework today."

Xu Qing muttered irritably.

Looking up, I saw several workers standing in the yard behind him, carrying boxes of things into the yard.

Xu Qing got up and saw that there were three fully loaded carriages parked at the door.

It was filled with a complete set of furniture, newly made quilts, and the finest rice, flour, oil, and grains.

There were several bolts of cotton cloth on the ground, which had already been carried into the house and piled up in a corner of the main room.

Xu's mother has already returned from working.

I was stunned as soon as I entered the courtyard.

She stood at the doorway, staring at the new furniture and new food, her mouth agape.

His hands, rough from years of hard work, rubbed together and then wiped them on his clothes.

"Oh dear, what are you doing?"

Seeing this, Xiao Mingyuan grabbed a handful of copper coins and stuffed them into her hand.

"Auntie, please give this to the workers who are moving things as a reward, as a good luck charm."

Xu's mother looked down at the handful of copper coins in her hand, her eyes immediately reddened, and her voice trembled.

"Young Master Xiao, how can I accept this? I've taken so many things from you, and you're still giving me money as a tip."

Xiao Mingyuan said with a smile.

"Auntie, please don't be so polite. Xu Qing's kindness to my family is something we could never repay in ten lifetimes. Please accept it without worry. We have a long good life ahead of us."

Xu's mother looked at Xu Qing, and Xu Qing nodded.

"Okay, fine, I'll do as you say."

Mrs. Xu agreed repeatedly and turned to distribute the money to the workers.

After everything was unloaded, the yard became quiet again.

Xiao Mingyuan pulled Xu Qing into the study, closed the door, and recounted the events of yesterday in a low voice.

The bra sold for 13,000 taels of silver, much to everyone's delight and astonishment.

Xu Qing raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. "Not bad at all, a bit beyond my expectations."

Xiao Mingyuan slapped his thigh happily.

"Haha, this is nothing! Su Man said that once the channels in the prefectural city and the capital are fully established, it wouldn't be surprising if it increased tenfold."

Xu Qing chuckled, "I do believe that."

After saying this, Xiao Mingyuan's expression changed.

He leaned closer with a serious expression and lowered his voice.

"There's one more thing. Sun Decai has been poisoned. He's not quite dead yet, but he's close to death. Li Yan sent word that the Chen family was behind it, but there's no evidence yet."

They originally intended to keep Sun Decai in his dead state as a warning to others. Who knew Sun Decai would hold on longer than expected? Now, his half-dead state has become evidence; if they can save him, the Chen family will surely fall this time.

Xu Qing sat down at the crippled desk, and the smile on her face slowly faded.

His fingers tapped lightly on the table as he pondered.

"That's right, Sun Decai being alive is the proof. The Chen family panicked this time, and panic makes them prone to making mistakes."

He thought for a while, then looked up at the window. The morning light was shining in, warm and pleasant.

"Have we finished discussing the important matters? Let's start studying. Didn't you say today is a study day?"

Xiao Mingyuan blinked, looked at the rickety table again, stood up and kicked the table leg.

The table was wobbly, looking like it might fall apart at any moment.

"Ahem, well, it's not like you'll miss out on studying for a day. Let's fix the house first. Now that you're earning money, don't you feel ashamed living in this dilapidated house? You won't even have a place to hold your wedding with Miss Song in the future."

Xu Qing thought for a moment and nodded.

"You're right, this table really needs to be replaced. And it's really inconvenient living here. We definitely need to build a house, which will eventually become our ancestral home. Also, could you keep an eye out for houses in the city for me, something cheap is fine. I don't have much spare money after I finish repairing the house."

Xiao Mingyuan's eyes lit up upon hearing this. "That's right, I'll have someone look for it as soon as I get back. As for the money, I'll get it for you first."

Xu Qing didn't stand on ceremony: "Okay, that'll do. I'll deduct it from my share of the profits later."

Xiao Mingyuan waved his hand: "I can pay for it for you."

Xu Qing: "That's not appropriate..."

……

Xu's mother acted faster than expected.

Before long, they invited their third uncle over to discuss building a new house.

Third Uncle was the most senior and influential elder in the family.

He walked around the Xu family's courtyard with his cane and nodded.

"The old house is decades old and it's time for renovation. The foundation was good when it was built, so if we don't need to replace the foundation, we can save a lot of effort by building a new house directly on it."

Before the conversation about building a new house was even finished, a crowd had already gathered at the gate of the courtyard.

After all, Xiao Mingyuan was setting off firecrackers and banging drums back then.

The crowd gathered around were all members of the Xu family and their neighbors, all talking at once and making a racket.

One of the middle-aged men, wearing a coarse cloth jacket, squeezed to the front and muttered something at the top of his lungs.

"Third Uncle, when the Xu family was down on their luck, we helped them a lot, lending them grain and helping them with chores. Now that things are better, they can't forget their poor relatives, can they?"

Someone nearby chimed in.

"That's right, that's right. Xu Qing now knows the eldest young master of the Xiao family, and he's entered the academy. I heard they're even building a new house. Shouldn't they repay this favor?"

Third Uncle stood in the middle of the courtyard, leaning on his cane, and scolded him irritably.

"It's only right to help each other out; everyone has their difficulties. The Xu family remembered your help back then, but what kind of behavior is it for you to be blocking their door now? Are you here to beg for food?"

What he said made sense, but it was a bit harsh.

The crowd quieted down for a moment, but a few people still clearly showed signs of resentment on their faces.

Xu Qing, who had been standing silently at the entrance of the main room, walked out into the courtyard.

He frowned as he looked at the villagers, pondering a suitable breakthrough.