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

They promised to treat everyone to their signature dishes, but they were so busy that they only served some tea and snacks before the party ended.

Unlike the meager offerings in Ningnan, Xianyue Pavilion serves only the finest dishes.

If the dish gets cold, the waiter waiting nearby will be very observant and remove it, replacing it with a hot, freshly cooked dish.

Out of consideration for the dozen or so prominent merchants present, Dou Yuan chuckled and instructed the steward to give a brief report on the situation at Fu Lai Tavern. This was meant to add a touch of fun to today's gathering.

With the income from Sujin Pavilion cut off from the Qi Prince's residence, he began to plan to add new businesses for His Highness. However, if he wanted to do big, profitable business, he couldn't avoid the dozen or so wealthy merchants present.

Just like today's literary gathering. It was held in the name of the Prince of Qi's residence, but the money came from the merchants present.

However, given his status as the King of Qi, he would naturally drink with the great scholars of the Imperial Academy and Bailu Academy in a separate room, and would not lower himself to come here to meet the merchants.

"Well? Sujin Pavilion was, after all, the culmination of my hard work, so naturally I can't let it go. Just tell me the truth. If Master Ning's sincerity can truly unite all the cotton merchants to help Sujin Pavilion overcome its difficulties, then I will truly feel relieved and should go to the temple to fulfill my vow."

"Heh." Everyone at the table chuckled, jokingly remarking that Mr. Dou truly valued friendship. Those present were all businessmen, and naturally knew that businessmen were most driven by profit. For a deal that wasn't profitable, tears, even blood, wouldn't help!

The steward had reported this before, and Mr. Dou had told him to speak frankly. When they heard Ning Nan earnestly and tearfully explaining at the Fulai Tavern that Sujin Pavilion was facing extremely difficult times, everyone burst into laughter, shaking their heads and saying that he was indeed a scholar.

Their information channels were far superior to those of the cotton merchants from other regions in Songjiang Prefecture.

We've pretty much figured out Ning Nan's background. Ning Nan, not yet of age, is from Lijia Village in Jiangning. He's a country scholar who can write a few sentimental poems. He met the seventh son of the Marquis of Zhenguo's mansion at a poetry gathering.

When Grand Tutor Gu was pacifying Black Tiger Mountain, Li Family Village was plagued by bandits.

This scholar organized the villagers to flee.

Seeing that he had some ability, the Grand Tutor hired him as a temporary advisor.

In the battle of Black Tiger Mountain, this scholar used firearms to help Grand Tutor Gu break through the stronghold, which can be considered a great achievement.

The Grand Tutor rewarded him with a house in Nanjing, and probably also some gold and silver, so that he could settle down in the capital.

Sujin Pavilion was transferred from King Qi to Queen Xin.

Prince Xin and Grand Tutor Gu then made Ning Nan the owner, managing the Sujin Pavilion on behalf of Prince Xin's residence... Well, that's roughly how it was done.

The crowd sneered inwardly. Prince Xin and Gu Xichuan were far too dismissive of commerce! To actually let a mere country bumpkin manage such a large cloth shop? Well, they shouldn't blame them for kicking him while he's down and giving him a good beating!

Upon hearing the master's words, the steward's face revealed an extremely complex expression.

Chen Yangxuan of Chen Ji laughed and said, "Manager Jiang, please speak freely. We feel sorry to see Su Jin Ge Cloth Shop in such a predicament, and that it is leaderless and has no real leader. Therefore, we want to know about the current situation. We are not here to laugh at Su Jin Ge."

These words were clearly praising Dou Yuan. Everyone sighed and said, "Old Chen is absolutely right. The Sujin Pavilion, a thirty-year-old cloth shop, has been destroyed by a mere child. Isn't that tragic and lamentable?"

Manager Jiang hesitated for a few moments, but still couldn't open his mouth. It wasn't that he was unwilling to speak, but what had happened over there was simply too sudden, too unexpected, even too astonishing, leaving him unable to organize his thoughts and unsure where to begin.

But seeing the master's brows gradually furrow, Steward Jiang felt a chill and quickly spoke up.

"Well, gentlemen, at Fulai Tavern, Master Ning did indeed first cancel the previous market price orders with many Songjiang cotton merchants, and then changed them to fixed price orders."

"Heh," someone chuckled, "just as expected."

Everyone smiled; this was exactly what they expected.

"How much did he buy?" Chen Yangxuan asked with a smile.

Of course, it can be changed. But before the change, everyone could sell you 30,000 jin, but now, at your price, you can only sell 300 jin, or you'd be lucky if you didn't just leave the party.

If you're in business and don't want to cause a scene, but also don't want to get involved, there's always a way.

"Hmm..." Manager Jiang's expression became extremely conflicted. "Hmm... a lot. He bought a lot."

"a lot of?"

"Hmm." Manager Jiang nodded.

"What's wrong?" someone frowned. "Did the cotton merchants in Songjiang Prefecture suddenly become incredibly generous? Or did that kid not buy at the fair price, but at a markup?"

"I bought it at a higher price," Manager Jiang said confidently.

"He's not stupid after all." Chen Yangxuan glanced at Mr. Dou and smiled, "It must have been Liu Xin who reminded him, which made the scholar raise the price a bit... Plus, given the scholar's vague background, the cotton merchants in Songjiang gave him some face and sold some."

Meng Shichen, a major cotton merchant in Suzhou, laughed and said, "If this scholar is willing to raise the price by 30%, selling 2,000 catties as a token price won't be difficult. If he's willing to raise it by 50%, selling 5,000 catties would also be acceptable."

Everyone nodded in agreement: "Although it won't solve the major problem, piecing together what we have to fill the gap by 20% is not bad."

"Heh, not utterly pedantic," someone chuckled, but their tone seemed filled with regret.

Dou Yuan smiled and said, "Hmm, not bad... How much did he increase the price?"

With Sujinge's financial resources, it's feasible to increase the price by 50% and buy up a portion of the cotton. Although it's still a long way from solving the problem, if we have the courage and speed, we can empty Sujinge's coffers before the cotton price triples, and then borrow from banks. Perhaps that can solve 80% of the imperial merchant mission.

"Um..." Manager Jiang stammered, "Five times." Even now, he still couldn't believe the number.

"Heh," Meng Shichen chuckled, "Indeed, fifty percent..." His laughter abruptly stopped, and he frowned in confusion, asking, "Manager Jiang, what did you just say?"

"Five times?" Someone stared wide-eyed and repeated the question, their tone distorted.

"Five times?" another person exclaimed, making a move to get up.

Everyone else's gaze also focused on the manager in front: Five times? Was there a mistake?

Jiang Heng's expression was complicated, but he still nodded solemnly and said, "Yes, five times... He is offering to buy cotton at a price of one hundred coins per catty and is signing a new purchase contract."

"What?" someone exclaimed.

"Is he courting death?" "What is this scholar doing?" "Does Sujin Pavilion have that much silver?!" "..."

In an instant, a sense of chaos and disbelief exploded in everyone's minds, and the private room erupted into a cacophony of voices.

Dou Yuan's brows furrowed deeply: "Old Jiang, how much did he spend? How much cotton did he buy? How much cotton does Sujin Pavilion still have in short supply?" One hundred coins per catty... Where did Sujin Pavilion get so much money?

Jiang Heng said, "He...he took out fifty thousand taels of silver..." The manager of Lao Yu's business was still in a state of complicated emotions, unable to understand what had happened. He didn't know how such a thing had happened, how it would develop, or how it would end.

Jiang Heng frowned: "Fifty thousand taels of silver... but he only spent twenty thousand taels to buy two million catties of cotton... based on Su Jin Pavilion's loss rate of five catties per bolt of cloth and previous inventory... Master..." Manager Jiang's teeth ached, and his face trembled, "Su Jin Pavilion's cotton shortage... has been 90% resolved!" Jiang Heng's face trembled, hiding part of the truth... Actually, it wasn't 90%; considering Su Jin Pavilion's inventory... it should be said... the other party had already solved the problem.

On the table were steaming hot dishes: Four Happiness Meatballs, Crystal Pork Knuckle, Black Chicken and Ginseng Soup, Peking Duck, Osmanthus Duck, and Eight Delicacies from the Water... The aroma was irresistible... Bang! Suddenly, someone slammed their fist on the table. The porcelain bowls clattered, the delicate dishes wobbled, and a lot of rich and delicious broth spilled out.

"No!" the man shouted angrily, "Twenty thousand taels of silver, at his price of one hundred cash per catty, could at most buy two hundred thousand catties of cotton, right? Where did two million catties come from?!"