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

a few days later.

"Sister Xue'er! Something terrible has happened!"

Lin Mu practically tumbled into the backyard, his face deathly pale and his lips trembling. "Boss Qian's paper mill...it's shut down! They said...they said they won't sell any paper! Not a single sheet!"

A shout startled everyone in the room.

Several workers who were drying new tea leaves in the courtyard all stopped what they were doing and gathered around in a panic.

"What happened? Why did you suddenly stop selling them?"

"He dares to breach the contract we just signed?"

"What are we going to do now? The most popular items in the shop are all kinds of paper. What if we run out of stock..."

The clamor of discussion was like a pot of boiling water.

Jiang Zhenxue sat on a rattan chair under the eaves, holding a map of Yunyang County in her hand, her fingertips slowly tracing across it, as if she were planning something.

She didn't even lift her eyelids when she heard Lin Mu's words.

"What's the panic?" Her voice wasn't loud, but it was like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing everyone's anxiety. "Is the sky falling down?"

Lin Mu, panting heavily, said urgently, "Sister Xue'er! It's true! I went there myself, and the paper mill's doors were all closed! Boss Qian avoided seeing us, only sending his manager to say... that he can't afford to offend such an important person, and this business can't continue!"

Noble.

The moment those two words were uttered, everyone present understood instantly.

Aside from the Marquis of Ningguo who has already left the capital, who else in Yunyang County can be considered a "noble person"?

This was clearly a deadly move that the marquis had laid out before he left!

"He's quite impatient." Jiang Zhenxue finally put down the map, slowly raised her head, and instead of the panic that everyone expected, a very faint, cold smile appeared on her face.

She stood up, her gaze sweeping over the bewildered faces.

"What are you all standing here for? Waiting for the shop to close by itself?"

"The accountant should go and reconcile the accounts, the front-of-house staff should prepare tea, and the kitchen staff should peel the newly arrived lotus seeds. Go and do what you're supposed to do."

"I'll handle this."

Her tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable composure, as if it wasn't her shop that had its supply cut off.

Kang Mingyan rushed over upon hearing the news, even more anxious than Lin Mu, his forehead covered in sweat.

"Xue'er! I've heard about it! This...this Marquis of Ningguo has gone too far! He's already gone, but he's still trying to get his hands on Yunyang! He's trying to cut off your lineage!"

Jiang Zhenxue poured him a cup of iced tea: "What's the rush? Have some tea and calm yourself down."

"What's the point of drinking tea anymore!" Kang Mingyan paced anxiously. "Without paper, how will Qingyun Pavilion do business? Sihai Bookstore is still eyeing us covetously! My father said this is a ruthless tactic in the business world!"

He lowered his voice and whispered in Jiang Zhenxue's ear, "My family has some connections in a neighboring prefecture and can get paper, but... it's 30-40% more expensive, and the quantity might not be enough. If you need it urgently, I'll have my father write to you tonight!"

Jiang Zhenxue felt a warmth in her heart and patted his shoulder: "Mingyan, thank you. I appreciate your kindness. But this is a long-term solution, and besides, I don't want to drag your family into this."

"What kind of time is this to be saying such things!" Kang Mingyan exclaimed anxiously. "No matter how powerful the Marquis of Ningguo is, he can't possibly control everything!"

"Of course he can." Jiang Zhenxue's eyes were clear to the point of cruelty. "Therefore, the Kang family's path cannot be followed."

"Then... what are you going to do?"

Looking at his anxious expression, Jiang Zhenxue suddenly smiled: "Don't worry, Xiao Qingyan thinks he can trap me with such a small trick? He's underestimating Jiang Zhenxue too much."

The bedroom light was still on at night.

A huge map covered the entire desk.

Shen Yu stood by the table, his expression solemn beyond his years.

"Sister Jiang, his move is a desperate measure," he said in a deep voice. "It may seem like just a business deal, but in reality, he has us by the throat, forcing us to bow down, forcing you... to go back to Beijing to find him."

"He thought it was just a throat." Jiang Zhenxue's finger traced a long line on the map, stretching south from Yunyang County.

Shen Yu's gaze followed her finger: "The Kang family's approach only solves a short-term problem, not a long-term solution. Firstly, the price is exorbitant; secondly, once he discovers it, the Kang family may face annihilation. He's using an overt scheme."

"You're right." Jiang Zhenxue nodded, quite satisfied with Shen Yu's keen insight. "Therefore, not only can I not follow the Kang family's path, but I also need to let everyone know that I, Jiang Zhenxue, am not stumped by this little thing."

Her finger finally stopped at a coastal prefecture at the southernmost point of the map.

"Guangzhou Prefecture?" Shen Yu frowned. "The journey is long, passing through three prefectures and six counties, with numerous checkpoints and exorbitant transportation costs. A round trip would take at least a month. Our inventory won't last until then."

"Who said I have to wait a month?" Jiang Zhenxue laughed, a laugh that carried a hint of crazy, desperate ambition.

The next day, Qingyun Pavilion posted a new notice early in the morning.

The whole city was in an uproar.

"Have you heard? Qingyun Pavilion is out of paper!"

"That's not all! They say the owner disliked the poor quality of the paper from Yunyang County and personally went to other prefectures to search for superior paper!"

"This Manager Jiang is far too arrogant!"

"That's right. But the notice also says that during the owner's absence, all VIP guests who have prepaid will receive a 50% discount on tea and snacks!"

"There's also this new service called 'copying books on behalf of customers' or 'polishing articles,' supposedly written by Manager Jiang and that Mr. Shen Yu himself. Good heavens, ten taels of silver per page! That's highway robbery!"

Amidst the rumors, Jiang Zhenxue summoned Lin Mu to the inner room.

On the table was a thick stack of silver notes.

"Take these silver notes and head south immediately." Jiang Zhenxue's tone was calm and decisive. "Don't take the official roads, take the waterways. Get to Guangzhou Prefecture as quickly as possible and buy as much of their best Xuan paper as you can."

Lin Mu stared at the stack of silver notes, his hands trembling. "Sister Xue'er, this...this much money?"

"If it's not enough, go to the bank to get more." Jiang Zhenxue handed him a token. "Hire the best fleet at the highest price, travel day and night, and bring the paper back to me. Tell the captain that I will pay him an extra hundred taels of silver for each day he arrives early."

Lin Mu's eyes widened in astonishment.

This isn't doing business, it's burning money!

"Sister Xue'er, how much...how much will we lose?"

"Losing money?" Jiang Zhenxue sneered, her eyes gleaming with ambition. "I don't care. He wants to use money to trap me? I'll use money to pave a road to the heavens for him!"

"As long as Qingyun Pavilion's reputation remains intact, and as long as our customers still recognize us, I'll make back this loss tenfold, a hundredfold, sooner or later!"

Her words were like a flame, instantly igniting the passion in Lin Mu's heart.

"Yes! I understand! I'll go right away! I promise I'll handle it perfectly!"

After Lin Mu left, the entire Qingyun Pavilion seemed to return to its usual tranquility.

Jiang Zhenxue's new service unexpectedly became very popular.

Those wealthy young men and merchants were indeed willing to spend ten taels of silver to hire the renowned Manager Jiang and Mr. Shen to copy a page of Buddhist scripture or polish a birthday poem for them.

What I'm seeking isn't the content, but this unique sense of dignity.

Instead of declining, Qingyun Pavilion's revenue is showing a slight upward trend due to this high-profit "intellectual service".

In the stillness of the night, Jiang Zhenxue sat alone under the lamp.

Instead of doing the accounting, she spread out the only remaining, most precious sheet of Chengxintang paper and picked up her pen.

She looked out the window toward the capital, a mocking smile curving her lips.

"Xiao Qingyan, you've miscalculated."

"Money? Money is the last thing I lack right now."

"You cut off one of my sources of income, and I can open ten more. You think this is a game of chess? But you've forgotten that I'm the one who plays by the rules the most."