After saving the Empress, I became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

"You're the owner of Sujin Pavilion?!" Fatty Chu exclaimed loudly on the street.

The young master's fat face jiggled wildly, and his voice was loud and intense, attracting the attention of passersby on the street. They stopped and looked around curiously to see who the owner of Sujin Pavilion, this large silk shop, was.

Zhao Jing and Zuo Yong froze, while Zou Tianju and Tang Lianbin exchanged a glance and also wore wry smiles.

The employer?

The owner of the world-famous Sujin Pavilion, this large fabric store?

The students, who came from impoverished families, glanced at Ning Nan, then at the two elderly men in expensive silk robes who were bowing and greeting him, their eyes gradually turning resentful.

Feed... Brother Bai Xuan... Shouldn't you be cold, lonely, and miserable?

Shouldn't they be students who came from humble backgrounds?

You have such a big house on Datong Street, a large group of servants, and a wife who is as beautiful as an angel and considerate to the extreme... but let's forget about all that for now.

Now... you actually own such a big fabric store!

The students gasped in sorrow, their eyes welling with tears. "Brother Bai Xuan... what are you doing all this time?!"

"Not the young master?" Fatty Chu asked, his eyes bloodshot, unwilling to give up. He was just the young master; he still had a father.

Although his family ran a money exchange, most of the money in the exchange came from customers. If you really wanted to calculate it, they might not be able to compete with the Jiangnan Cloth Company, which was a royal merchant. Moreover, although his father was nominally the owner, he only received a 10% share of the profits.

Ning Nan glanced helplessly at Liu Xin and the shopkeeper, Mr. Zhou, who looked rather embarrassed.

"Yes, it's the boss. My father passed away a long time ago."

Chu Pangzi's eyes immediately reddened as he said, "Brother Bai Xuan, you are so lucky." His voice was trembling with tears.

Ning Nan: "..."

He recognized the man... or rather, he let Manager Zhou recognize him, then wandered around the shop for a bit before deciding to leave.

They had originally planned to ask if there was any abuse of power by the big store, but compared to Liu Xin and Manager Zhou, Fatty Chu and his group were now considered outsiders.

If we were to seriously rectify this matter now, it would inevitably be seen as showing off our power as the boss in front of Fatty Chu and his group.

Praising virtues in public and correcting faults in private—this is the proper way to manage subordinates. These matters are not suitable to be discussed today.

Before leaving, Ning Nan planned to give Zhao Jing and the others a set of silk clothes each, and was about to have the best tailor in the shop take their measurements.

Zhao Jing and the others looked at each other, then smiled and declined.

The group laughed and clasped their hands in greeting, saying that if they passed the imperial examination this year, they would definitely go to Brother Bai Xuan's shop to have a new set of clothes made. As for now, they were more comfortable wearing these patched cloth clothes.

Ning Nan knew that these people were all proud and proud, so he would not force them. He smiled and said, "If you become a scholar, I will not give you a discount."

The group immediately smiled and said generously, "That makes sense... As long as we buy clothes from Brother Ning, please allow us to have a drink at your residence!"

Ning Nan smiled and nodded, saying that he would personally cook and they would drink until they were completely drunk. Everyone laughed.

Chu Pangzi looked at them resentfully. It was free! He wanted it... but the poor students didn't want it. If he did, he would inevitably mock them for pretending to be modest, so he could only reluctantly give up this opportunity.

Ning Nan insisted on not going to the literary gathering across the street, so the others didn't force him. They saw him off in front of the branch shop, watching him get into the carriage and sway home.

When the King of Qi arrived in person, the literary gathering at the opposite Xianyue Tower was exceptionally lively.

Officials, scholars, and nobles alike mingled, clinking glasses, raising toasts, and laughing freely.

The rhythmic toasts echoed outside the building, like the gentle, yet powerful, beating of a drum by a drunken immortal, stirring the heart. Silhouettes blurred together upstairs and downstairs, their figures free and unrestrained, each gesture exuding the heroic spirit of a towering mountain. Inside, jars of various fine wines were overturned, their aromas rising like clouds of mist. Huadiao, Xiangxue, Huiquan, Penglai, Sangluo… the enticing scents that made Zuo Yong's mouth water filled half the street.

Just now, Mr. Dou from the Qi Prince's Mansion raised his glass and said, "The gathering of distinguished guests is truly elegant and refined." This statement is indeed true.

Zhao Jing and his companions exhaled a breath of stale air, invigorated themselves, and walked straight into this spiritually rich place where literary energy converged. They felt a pang of regret that their brother Bai Xuan, with such great talent, was unwilling to participate in such a grand event.

But half an hour later, this regret suddenly turned into relief, for Brother Bai Xuan was not present.

My previous envy of Brother Bai Xuan for owning a large cloth shop instantly turned into deep worry.

……

After several rounds of drinks...

A rumor inexplicably spread at the literary gathering: the reason Leng Leng Qingqing didn't participate in any poetry or literary events was because this talented man from both the north and south had encountered a major problem.

...Sujinge, one of the top three cotton merchants in the capital, signed many cotton purchase contracts with major cotton merchants in Songjiang Prefecture.

However, cotton production in the Jiangnan region has decreased significantly this year, leading to a surge in cotton prices.

Sujinge's purchase contracts are based on market prices, and the purchase price will double. But Sujinge's buyers are... the Eight Great Xiang in the north, Jinhongzhuang in the two lakes, Jiangnan Jin in the southwest, Ruiyuzhang in the two Guang provinces... and the most important buyer - the Liang royal family.

These major customers signed contracts with Sujin Pavilion with fixed purchase prices and even placed deposits.

As a result, this year, Sujin Pavilion will either be unable to supply cloth and be exterminated by the royal family, or it will desperately buy cotton at double the price to supply the royal family with cloth, survive, pay off the deposits of other customers, and finally... end up bankrupt.

Either their property was confiscated and their entire clan wiped out, or they were utterly ruined. This was the fate of Su Jin Pavilion three months later… At the dinner table, a scholar sighed, fanning himself with his fan.

The connection between this matter and Leng Leng Qingqing is that... The scholar slowly took a sip of the spicy Shaoxing wine, smacked his lips twice, and then chuckled softly... Ha, it's a bit ridiculous to say, but right now, Leng Leng Qingqing has just become the new owner of this unfortunate cloth shop!

"call……"

The crowd erupted in uproar!

"Let's see how he builds his skyscraper..."

"Let's see how he entertains his guests..."

"Just watch as his building collapses..."

After someone quietly inquired with several chamber of commerce leaders present that day and confirmed the matter, everyone shook their heads and sighed deeply... Well, now, these talented scholars from the North and South have truly ended up desolate, lonely, and utterly miserable...

……

……

Ning Nan went home and spent half an hour writing and calculating in his study. A servant came to report that Steward Liu had invited all the cotton merchants from Songjiang Prefecture. Ning Nan nodded, hummed in agreement, and got up with the stack of papers in his arms.

It was early in the night, around 7:00 PM.

When the autumn wind blows, a slight chill seeps into the bones, but fortunately, my daily exercise has not stopped, and being eighteen, my body adapts quickly, and I only feel cool and not cold.

Liu Xin made good arrangements. He found a private room in Fulai Tavern that had been converted into a larger one. There were already three tables of guests inside, some of whom were leaders of certain merchant groups, some were major cotton merchants, and some were key managers of certain cotton estates. They were all people who could speak and manage, and in short, they were all people who could make decisions.

As he walked in carrying a roll of papers, the whispers inside, some sad and some bitter, gradually stopped, and everyone's eyes turned to him. But he noticed a few customers making famous hand gestures... Hmm... they were discussing the price increase.

Although cotton prices have risen, natural disasters have also caused heavy losses to major cotton mills. Overall, the money earned is not necessarily more than last year.