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

"Well……"

Upon hearing the person state their origins, Ning Nan opened his mouth, unsure how to greet them, and could only clasp his hands in a gesture of respect, trying his best to appear solemn.

"This humble citizen, Ning Nan, greets Princess Tang."

"Mr. Ning, please don't be so polite." Zhu Jiamu smiled and gently helped the other man's arms, saying, "I hope Mr. Ning doesn't find my sudden visit abrupt."

"No, no, I wouldn't dare."

Ning Nan smiled awkwardly, then invited the other party to the flower hall for a chat.

The uninvited princess only brought two maids and four guards, making it a simple affair.

After Ning Nan invited the other party to sit down, Chun Yu brewed some tea and brought it over.

"May I ask what business Your Highness has with me?" Ning Nan asked directly.

Zhu Jiamu was stunningly beautiful. When she smiled, two dimples appeared on her cheeks, making her even more approachable and breathtakingly beautiful. Back in Guangzhou, countless talented men blushed and stammered at the sight of her, daring only to secretly write poems for her, hoping to win her favor at poetry gatherings and capture her heart.

But the man in front of her, who kept referring to himself as a "commoner," had a dignified and peaceful appearance, yet his gaze was sharp. It was as if her appearance and her status as a princess of the Tang Dynasty were nothing more than ordinary things in his eyes.

"How desolate and deserted! What a thief!"

Her almond-shaped eyes lit up, and she secretly praised it in her heart.

"Mr. Ning," she said with a slight smile, "Jia Mu has come to invite you to Guangzhou for a chat."

Guangfu? Ning Nan frowned.

Zhu Jiamu's voice was gentle and approachable. He bowed slightly and said, "Please forgive my bluntness. To be honest, I have read all the newspapers of the Nancheng Daily published by you, sir, and have also purchased a considerable amount of cotton futures in Baiyufang. Your talent is truly rare."

"Oh? A customer..." Ning Nan's face naturally showed a standard smile, and she said gently, "Your Highness is too kind. These things are matters of commerce and are not worthy of being discussed in a refined manner."

"Sir, you are too modest." Zhu Jiamu's eyes lit up, and he raised his voice slightly as he said urgently, "Baiyufang needs no introduction; it's no exaggeration to say that it makes a fortune every day."

"Although Mr. Nancheng Daily distributed the newspaper for free and did not make any money, in Jiamu's opinion, the newspaper played a significant role."

"If Baiyufang is a field where golden wheat grows, then the Nancheng Daily is a series of thunderclaps."

"Only when thunder roars does the gentle spring rain fall, nourishing the fields and allowing the golden wheat to grow from the earth."

Ning Nan raised an eyebrow and smiled, "The princess possesses the talent of Dao Yun, but is not as graceful as willow catkins drifting in the wind. The metaphor is apt and used very well."

"Sir, you're making fun of me."

"This humble subject dares not."

Zhu Jiamu's eyes flickered, and he smiled, "But sir, are you aware that you are currently on the verge of a great calamity?"

"Oh?" Ning Nan frowned. "I'd like to hear more."

Zhu Jiamu's dimples widened as he smiled and said, "With your wisdom, sir, is there really any need for Jiamu to say more?"

Ning Nan gave a wry smile, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Please forgive me, Princess. I am foolish and truly unaware of the great calamity that has befallen me."

Zhu Jiamu slightly raised her chin and said with a charming smile, "Sir, are you trying to emulate Liu Bei's ability to conceal his talents? But I am not Cao Cao."

Ning Nan shook his head and said, "The princess's wisdom is certainly not comparable to Cao Cao's, but I, Ning, do not possess Xuande's talent. I simply do not know."

Zhu Jiamu sized up the scholar in front of him.

His eyes flickered slightly, then he smiled and said, "If that's the case, then Jia Mu may speak frankly."

Please advise.

"Sir, your Baiyufang is making a fortune every day. With each passing day, a dozen or so wolves turn their eyes to you, wanting a piece of meat and a share of the pie. Is Jiamu wrong about this?"

Ning Nan lowered his eyelids and remained noncommittal.

Zhu Jiamu smiled and said, "Sir, you may think that as the founder of Baiyufang, you should sit back and relax, and at most give some money to others."

"But thinking like that is very bad." The beautiful princess shook her head slightly like a shrewd old man.

Ning Nan found it amusing and laughed, "Oh? What's wrong with that?"

"First," Zhu Jiamu said intently, "as far as I know, your Baiyufang has signed numerous purchasing contracts with many cotton merchants in Jiangnan. It is precisely because of these contracts that Baiyufang can sell cotton on promissory notes—that is, cotton one or two months in advance, isn't that right?"

"What the princess says is absolutely right."

"Furthermore, you, sir, have united with the city's six major cloth merchants, including Gongsujing Pavilion, to act in unison. However, the price is that you must first give Baiyufang a share, and second, you must sign a cotton supply agreement with them at a fair price. Is that right?"

"The princess is well-informed."

Zhu Jiamu leaned closer to Ning Nan, who immediately felt a fragrant breeze on her face. She smiled at the little princess and said, "In this way, you'll be indebted to both sides. You owe money to the cotton merchants and cotton to the cloth merchants."

"What's worse is that the promissory notes that Baiyufang is selling now all require you to negotiate with the cotton merchants. In other words," she said, resting her hand on the table and laughing, "if you want to issue new promissory notes at Baiyufang, you need to buy cotton and also work with the cloth merchants to lower the price. As a result, you will owe more and more money."

"This year we owe, next year we owe, we owe from both ends, year after year we are in debt, and the pressure is heavy every year."

"Those who are eyeing Baiyufang are indeed jackals and wolves, but cotton merchants and cloth merchants are no different from tigers and leopards. You will either be devoured by the wolves and left with nothing, or you will be trying to negotiate with tigers year after year, owing millions of taels of silver and tens of millions of catties of cotton."

The princess, who was exceptionally intelligent from a young age, spoke eloquently.

Ning Nan finally showed appreciation in his eyes.

It must be said that what the young princess said really hit the nail on the head.

If every year, every time a promissory note is issued, one has to rack one's brains to take risks in purchasing cotton, signing purchase contracts, and then issuing promissory notes, it means that there will be enormous pressure every year, with debts amounting to hundreds of thousands of taels, and even millions of taels in order to monopolize the market.

Princess Tang, who came from Guangzhou, approached Ning Nan with a smile and said, "Well? Do you still think I'm exaggerating?"

Ning Nan shook his head and exclaimed in admiration, "I dare not presume. Your Highness's insight is truly remarkable. I am filled with admiration. May I ask what Your Highness intends to teach me?"

Zhu Jiamu immediately moved closer to Ning Nan, her beautiful, watery eyes fixed on Ning Nan's, and said, "As long as you are willing to go to Guangfu with me, I promise you I will definitely help you extricate yourself from this vortex!"

"I wonder what idea Your Highness is planning to come up with so that my husband can leave the capital." At this moment, a slightly cold female voice came.

The young princess, with two dimples on her face, turned her head to look. At that moment, a woman in green, with eyebrows like distant mountains, eyes like autumn water, skin as white as snow, and a beauty that seemed to surpass her own, slowly walked in.

Judging from his demeanor, he was like an iceberg.

"Uh..." Ning Nan introduced, "Princess, this is my wife, she is from the same clan as you, Zhu..."

"Ning Zhu Shi." Zhu Cuiwei, dressed in emerald green, approached gracefully and said in a calm voice.

Zhu Jiamu was taken aback, realizing that he seemed to have gotten too close to Mr. Ning.

She quickly stood up, her pink and white glass dress sliding off the yellow pear-shaped stool, her face slightly flushed, and said, "Greetings, Madam Ning."

Zhu Cuiwei remained silent.

"Hmm..." Zhu Jiamu's expression froze for a moment, then she said seriously, "To be honest, Jiamu and the soon-to-be-crowned Prince Xin are like sisters. As long as Jiamu speaks to Prince Xin and the Emperor, Mr. Ning can be freed from the troublesome place of Baiyufang and go to Guangfu. The Tang Prince's Mansion will grant him great power, which will surely allow him to realize his ambitions!" Zhu Jiamu stared intently at the cold and beautiful Madam Ning in front of her, her tone firm and confident, her eyes burning.