The Marquis doesn't support his beloved wife's ambitions, so I'll take the imperial e

Zhiweizhai is the premier restaurant in Yunyang County. Its ability to stand firm in the most prosperous area of ​​the prefectural city for decades suggests that its owner is no ordinary person.

Jiang Zhenxue's mind raced, but her smile remained unchanged. She did not immediately reach out to take the rather weighty invitation.

"Young Master, you're too kind." She nodded slightly, her gaze falling on the young scholar's slightly nervous face. "Qingyun Pavilion is just a small study, doing small business for students. How could it possibly be worthy of your esteemed household's attention?"

"Manager Jiang, you are too modest." Seeing that she did not turn people away, the young master became bolder and quickly said, "Nowadays in Yunyang County, who does not know that it is difficult to get a private room in Qingyun Pavilion? My father admires Manager Jiang's business acumen to the extreme, which is why he specially sent me here. I hope that Manager Jiang will do me the honor of coming."

That's a well-said statement.

Jiang Zhenxue knew perfectly well that Zhiweizhai had seen the huge high-end customer base behind Qingyun Pavilion and wanted to discuss cooperation.

This is definitely a very profitable business.

But the thought of that living Yama in Yingxian Tower gave her a terrible headache.

How could Xiao Qingyan's twisted possessiveness tolerate her having a "visit" with another man, a young "young master," at a restaurant?

I'm afraid that the moment she steps out of Zhiweizhai, Xiao Qingyan will break the young master's legs.

"I appreciate the young master's kindness," Jiang Zhenxue said after a moment's thought, politely declining, "but I've been very busy with affairs at the pavilion lately, and I'm simply unable to spare the time. How about this, I'll pay you a visit in person another day after I've finished my work?"

Let's stall for time. She needs time to come up with a foolproof plan.

A hint of disappointment flashed across the young master's face, but he couldn't insist. He could only cup his hands and say, "In that case, we'll await your good news, sir."

After seeing off the people from Zhiweizhai, Jiang Zhenxue clutched the exquisite gold-embossed invitation and returned to the backyard.

This is a tricky situation.

Going is risky. Not going is tantamount to handing over an excellent business cooperation opportunity.

The phrase "give up making money" doesn't exist in Jiang Zhenxue's dictionary.

The only obstacle is Xiao Qingyan.

She had to go, but in a way that he could accept, or even "allowed" her to go.

That night, Jiang Zhenxue, unusually, did not go straight to the recliner to sleep. Instead, she personally carried a pot of freshly brewed pre-rain Longjing tea into the bedroom that Xiao Qingyan had occupied.

The man was leaning against a soft couch by the window reading a book. His dark robes accentuated his handsome face, and his expression was indifferent, as if there was an insurmountable barrier between him and the mundane world.

"My lord, reading must be tiring. Have some tea to soothe your throat." Jiang Zhenxue placed the teacup on the small table beside him, her posture as natural as that of a considerate wife.

Xiao Qingyan didn't even lift his eyelids, only giving a faint "hmm".

Jiang Zhenxue didn't seem to care. She sat down on the chair opposite her and sighed seemingly unintentionally.

"Sigh, business is getting harder and harder."

Xiao Qingyan paused for a moment as he turned the pages of the book.

He raised his eyes, a barely perceptible scrutiny in his deep phoenix eyes: "What? I've cut off the Four Seas Bookstore's paper supply, and you're still not satisfied?"

"Of course not!" Jiang Zhenxue quickly waved her hand, her face displaying just the right amount of worry. "My lord, your help has relieved my immediate crisis, I am more than grateful. But..."

She hesitated, which perfectly piqued the other person's curiosity.

"Just what?"

"But I've found that just doing business with students is too narrow a scope," Jiang Zhenxue said, frowning as if she were worried about business. "The truly wealthy people in Yunyang County are the big merchants. But these people usually gather in restaurants and teahouses, and they might not appreciate the elegance of our Qingyun Pavilion. I want to expand my business into their circle, but I'm struggling to find the right connections."

As she spoke, she secretly observed Xiao Qingyan's expression.

Seeing that he was just listening and didn't immediately retaliate, they became bolder.

"It's quite a coincidence that the young master of Zhiweizhai came by today, saying he wanted to talk to me about a collaboration. But as a woman, I felt it was inappropriate to go to a restaurant for a banquet so abruptly, so I declined."

She downplayed her "attending the banquet" as "discussing cooperation," thus placing herself in a "difficult" position.

Sure enough, upon hearing the words "Zhiweizhai" and "Young Master", Xiao Qingyan's face visibly darkened.

The surrounding air instantly dropped to freezing point.

"What does he want with you?" The man's voice was devoid of emotion, yet it carried a chilling undertone.

"What else could they be doing? They want to cooperate with our Qingyun Pavilion, right?" Jiang Zhenxue spread her hands casually. "They probably want to set up a private booth in their restaurant where they can tell stories and sing songs, and sell our tea, snacks, and reference notes. It's nothing more than business."

"You seem to know quite a bit." Xiao Qingyan sneered, his gaze like a knife scraping across her face. "Does business require a man to personally come and invite a woman like you?"

Here we go again! That damned vinegar jar!

Jiang Zhenxue rolled her eyes inwardly, but dared not show any fear on her face. Instead, she met his gaze with a confident air: "My lord, you don't understand. In this world, it's rare to see a woman doing business in public. I've made Qingyun Pavilion a great success, and in the eyes of these businessmen, I'm a 'rare commodity.' They invite me half for profit and half for novelty. Besides," she changed her tone, adding a touch of coquettish complaint, "it's all because you live here, my lord. Who doesn't know that I, Jiang Zhenxue, am your person? They want to curry favor with you but can't reach you, so they can only start with me."

That flattery was perfectly timed.

This not only explained the other party's motives but also elevated him to a superior position, satisfying his pathetic vanity.

Xiao Qingyan's expression softened slightly, but his brows remained furrowed: "So, you want to go?"

"I don't want to go," Jiang Zhenxue immediately shook her head, pouting. "Dealing with those money-grubbing businessmen is exhausting. But if I don't go, I'll miss out on an opportunity to expand my business. Sigh, that's what I'm really worried about."

Her act of getting the better deal while pretending to be innocent made Xiao Qingyan both angry and amused.

He remained silent for a long time, seemingly weighing the pros and cons.

He certainly didn't want her to see any men.

But her words, "Who doesn't know that I, Jiang Zhenxue, am your person," made him feel inexplicably comfortable.

He stayed here specifically to keep an eye on her. If he pushed her too far and made her feel that her business was failing, and she started thinking about running away, it would be a greater loss than gain.

"You can go if you want." After a long while, he finally spoke.

Jiang Zhenxue was secretly delighted, but remained outwardly calm.

"However," Xiao Qingyan stood up, walked step by step to her, looked down at her with an unquestionable command in his eyes, "you are only allowed to talk business, no drinking, and you are not allowed to have any unnecessary conversations with that young master."

"You must be back before 3 PM."

"And also," he paused, then took a jet-black token from his waist, engraved with intricate patterns of ferocious beasts, and tossed it into her arms, "take this. If anyone dares to disrespect you, just smash this token in their face."

Jiang Zhenxue held the token, which still carried his body heat, and felt its weight.

This isn't a token; it's clearly an invisible chain.

He was using this method to declare his sovereignty to everyone, including her.

"Yes, I will do as you say, Lord Marquis." Jiang Zhenxue nodded obediently, but she was thinking about something else.

Attending the banquet meant leaving Qingyun Pavilion and his sight, even if only for an hour.

This is an opportunity.

She could perhaps use this opportunity to do something else, something more important.

Seeing that she readily agreed, Xiao Qingyan's slight displeasure finally dissipated. He sat back down on the soft couch, picked up a book, and his tone returned to its usual indifference: "Get out, don't get in my way."

"Alright." Jiang Zhenxue felt as if she had been granted a pardon, grabbed the token, and turned to leave.

As she reached the door, she seemed to remember something, turned back, and gave him a sweet smile: "My lord, don't worry. I know what I'm doing and won't let you down."

That smile was bright and radiant, but it didn't reach her eyes.

As Xiao Qingyan watched her departing figure, for some reason, the unwavering confidence he felt in controlling everything wavered slightly.