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

When only the two of them were left in the room, Xiao Mingyuan took out several silver notes from his pocket and spread them out on the table. The five hundred taels were neatly arranged in a fan shape.

Xu Qing frowned as she looked at the stack of silver notes: "What do you mean by this? Aren't dividends settled at the end of the year?"

Xiao Mingyuan pushed the silver notes in front of him: "Logically, the settlement is supposed to be at the end of the year, but it's different for you. You need money to treat Miss Song's illness. This five hundred taels is the first batch, and I will settle it for you in advance every month thereafter. You don't need to wait until the end of the year."

Xu Qing waved her hand: "That won't do. The bra market is expanding, and money is needed everywhere..."

Xiao Mingyuan interrupted him: "Don't worry about the bras, I've always operated this way... There are plenty of people who want to invest, they just pay to buy shares, it doesn't consume any of our cash. Besides..."

He chuckled in a low voice, "And there are the glasses, the distilled liquor, and that glass you mentioned. Don't worry about the money. Just focus on preparing for the county exam; we'll have plenty of other business to do after that."

Xu Qing looked at him, remained silent for a moment, and then put the silver note away.

He gave a wry smile and raised his hand to touch the bridge of his handsome nose.

"Alright, I won't argue with you anymore. Building a house and Yao Yao needing to go to Beijing for medical treatment are definitely times when money is flowing out like water. Fortunately, we're not acquiring any big assets now, so we don't need to spend a lot of money."

Xiao Mingyuan chuckled: "By the way, speaking of buying a house, I'll take you to see a few suitable courtyards sometime. You can't keep living in that dilapidated house and waiting for people to laugh at you, can you?"

Xu Qing nodded: "Okay, you arrange it."

The two got up and went out side by side.

A night breeze blew through the Zhuangyuan Tower, causing the lanterns to sway gently twice.

Xiao Mingyuan hummed a little tune as he went downstairs.

Xu Qing glanced down at the few silver notes, folded them, put them in his inner pocket, and pushed open the door, calling out.

"What's the rush? It's so late, I'm definitely going to sleep at your place..."

In the distance, Xiao Mingyuan's laughter could be heard.

"Haha, you were so pleased with yourself for doing a good deed that you forgot about this..."

……

……

Chunhong Courtyard, a small building.

Gu Zhiyi had just pushed open the door to her room and hadn't even had time to turn on the light when she saw a figure already sitting in a chair by the window.

She paused slightly in her hand holding the fan, then released it, turned around and said something to the maid outside the door.

"You may leave. I'm a little tired. I don't need anyone to wait on me tonight."

"Yes, Miss..."

The maidservant acknowledged and withdrew, and the door was gently closed.

As the footsteps faded into the distance, the figure by the window slowly became more upright.

It was that woman who always held the tea tray with her head bowed and eyes down...

Gu Zhiyi's master, Aunt Mei.

She sat there with her back straight, her expression completely different from before, her gaze gloomy and cold.

She was completely different from the docile maid she had just seen.

She didn't get up, but just looked up at Gu Zhiyi.

Her tone carried a chilling undertone, "Zhiyi, do you even know what you've been doing today?"

Gu Zhiyi put down her fan, sat down at the table, and asked calmly, "Which matter is Master asking about?"

Her gaze met his without flinching, but the hand holding the fan unconsciously tensed up a little.

The lights inside were not yet on; only the moonlight streaming in from the window cast long shadows of the two people on the wall, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of two armies facing off…

Anita Mui remained seated, but leaned slightly forward, her tone leaving no room for perfunctory remarks:

"Which matter am I referring to? I see you hanging out with those people all day long, going from Zhuangyuanlou to Xiao Family Cloth Shop, I thought you'd forgotten who you are."

Gu Zhiyi put down her fan, stood up and walked to the table, poured two cups of tea, and placed one cup in front of Mei Gu.

"Master, your disciple has not forgotten."

Mei Gu didn't take the cup of tea, but looked up at her.

"Hmph, you're always calling those people 'sister' and 'brother,' I think you've completely forgotten about your important business."

Gu Zhiyi didn't rush to explain. She picked up another cup of tea, sat down at the table, and asked a question in return.

"Master, why have we stayed at Chunhong Courtyard for so many years, and then settled in Hengyang County?"

Anita Mui was taken aback, showing a hint of impatience at being questioned in return.

"You've come to ask me about it, naturally because of the treasure from back then."

Gu Zhiyi nodded. "Then what is the purpose of this treasure?"

Mei Gu said in an annoyed tone.

"Naturally, it's to accumulate enough capital to raise an army and overthrow that dog emperor."

Gu Zhiyi put down her teacup and looked up at Mei Gu.

"Master, what if I told you that you can earn enough money to start an army without digging for treasure? And you could earn more and faster than by digging for treasure."

Mei Gu's brows furrowed sharply. "What?"

She could hardly believe her ears, and her body involuntarily leaned forward again.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

Gu Zhiyi smiled, her smile conveying composure and calmness.

"Master, nothing is impossible. Do you know how much that bra sold for on its first day in Hengyang?"

Mei Gu snorted, speaking with a hint of disdain.

"In a county town, selling women's underwear can only fetch a maximum of a thousand taels of silver, at most."

Gu Zhiyi held up one finger.

Mei Gu scoffed, "See? I told you it would be one thousand taels."

Gu Zhiyi shook her head. "It's not one thousand, it's eleven thousand taels."

The room fell silent instantly.

Anita Mui paused, holding the cup of hot tea she hadn't drunk from.

She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Then she closed it again, and it took her a long time to finally manage to utter a sentence.

"...What? Eleven thousand taels, right here in this county town!"

Gu Zhiyi nodded, "On the first day, it's just Hengyang County. If we expand to the prefectural city, the capital, and all over the country, just think about it..."

She added another sentence.

"And this is just a bra. Recently, I've been observing Xu Qing and Xiao Mingyuan for a while, and they're already thinking about new things. If they come up with one or two more unprecedented products like the bra, how much could they earn in a year...?"

Mei Gu didn't speak. Her fingers unconsciously began to count on the table, her brows furrowing more and more tightly, until finally she blurted it out.

"...I can't even imagine it."

After she finished calculating the bill, she suddenly came to her senses, her face hardened again, and her tone became even colder than before.

"No, what you're saying are all guesses. I think your mind is really warped. You've been completely fooled by those young people and have completely forgotten about the important matter."

Gu Zhiyi didn't rush to refute, but simply stood up, walked to the window, and pushed open half of it.

The night breeze blew in through the window, causing the candlelight on the table to flicker.

This perfectly reflects Gu Zhiyi's feelings at this moment.

She turned to look at Anita Mui, her words filled with certainty.

"Master, I haven't forgotten your wish. But... I... I want to ask you to wait a while and see for yourself how far these two young people can go."

The things they're creating now are far more valuable than those old bottles and jars. Treasure buried underground is lifeless, but what's in their minds is alive.

Anita Mui remained silent and did not respond.

After a long while, she picked up the cup of tea, which had gone half-cold, took a sip, and then stood up and walked towards the door.

They were talking as they walked.

"Let me see, but don't keep me waiting too long..."

After saying that, he pushed open the door and went out.

As the door closed, the footsteps outside resumed their previous soft, gentle rhythm.

It's as if the imposing Anita Mui from just now never existed.

Gu Zhiyi stood by the window, watching the moonlight spill onto the bluestone slabs in the courtyard, and let out a long sigh.

……

……

On the other side, the lights in Zhuangyuanlou were not completely extinguished.

Su Man had just removed her makeup and changed into a casual light green dress. She was leaning against the couch looking at the account books, while Cui'er was tidying up the tea set beside her.

A soft knocking sounded at the door.

Cui'er went to open the door and was somewhat surprised to see the person outside.

"Miss, Miss Song has arrived."

Su Man put down the account book, sat up, straightened her clothes, and looked somewhat puzzled:

It's late at night, what's Yao Yao doing here? I didn't see her at the banquet earlier.