When You Fangying heard the two words “You Yue” from Jiang Xuening’s mouth, her first reaction was surprise, because she didn’t know how she could have guessed so accurately. But merely a moment later, this surprise turned into alarm—

Her employer had already helped her too much.

She didn’t want to cause her employer any more trouble.

Not to mention, this person was her difficult-to-deal-with sister You Yue, who had returned yesterday and said so many intolerable, harsh words…

She absolutely couldn’t let Second Young Miss know!

Immediately, she slowly and forcefully withdrew her palm from Jiang Xuening’s hand, stammering: “No, my injury has nothing to do with Second Sister. It’s all because I was careless myself. This little injury doesn’t matter, it will heal in a few days.”

Jiang Xuening leaned against the pillow watching her.

The scrutiny in her eyes rarely became somewhat sharp as she slowly said: “I only asked whether your second sister came back. I didn’t say your injury was caused by your second sister. Why are you in such a hurry to defend her?”

Only then did You Fangying realize that in her urgency she had let something slip. Moreover, she was already poor at lying, not to mention lying to her life-saving benefactor. For a moment she became flustered, mumbling: “Because Fangying knows Second Young Miss is genuinely good to me, and fears Second Young Miss might misunderstand and have a conflict with Second Sister. After all, I heard that Second Young Miss and my second sister are both study companions for the princess in the palace. From now on, you’ll see each other constantly and should get along well. My second sister is quite… formidable…”

Formidable?

The kind of “formidable” where she was pressed into a fish tank and didn’t dare talk back even two sentences?

Jiang Xuening sneered inwardly. Her eyes moved slightly as she suddenly asked: “Are you afraid that if I get involved in this matter and offend your sister, I’ll have a hard time in the palace?”

You Fangying was stunned. After quite a while, she slowly lowered her head and said: “Yes.”

Jiang Xuening fell silent.

Fearing she was angry, or perhaps hurt, You Fangying hurriedly and frantically explained: “My second sister is very well-liked by Father and our legitimate mother at home, and her temper isn’t very good. I heard that on the day of the Double Ninth Festival banquet, even Young Master Yan from the Yongyi Marquis’s residence and His Highness Prince Linzi came, and her painting was chosen as first by Her Highness the Grand Princess in the palace. She must be very favored by Her Highness the Grand Princess. If, if because of this little misunderstanding between me, Second Young Miss and my second sister have a conflict, Fangying really doesn’t dare imagine it and feels too guilty…”

Jiang Xuening almost laughed out loud.

This girl truly hadn’t figured out the situation. She clearly regarded You Yue as the most terrifying and formidable person in her life, with the appearance of being desperately afraid she would be bullied by You Yue, which was why she was compromising and swallowing her grievances this way.

A complete punching bag.

Looking at her indeed made one somewhat angry.

But she also genuinely wanted to protect her from the bottom of her heart, preferring to endure this grievance herself rather than let her know that it was You Yue throwing her weight around in the residence, fearing it would implicate her.

Jiang Xuening’s feud with You Yue truly didn’t lack this one incident. At this moment, her slender fingers lightly rested on the edge of the table, slowly turning in a circle, and suddenly a plan came to mind.

Her originally raised eyebrows slowly lowered.

She seemed to recall something unbearable and sighed faintly. The corner of her lips actually bore a trace of convincing bitterness: “That’s true. Your second sister is extremely favored and trusted by Her Highness the Grand Princess. Very formidable, very formidable indeed…”

You Fangying had originally been nervous, afraid Jiang Xuening would provoke You Yue. Seeing her suddenly become dejected, her heart skipped a beat and she blurted out: “She, she bullied you, Second Young Miss?”

Jiang Xuening supported herself against the edge of the table and buried her head.

But one hand slowly clenched where You Fangying could see it as she said: “Just the night before last, when we were still in the palace, we were having a perfectly good conversation about a minister from the previous dynasty. I was speaking, and I don’t know which sentence angered her, but she told me to go over to her side. I went, but how could I have known that she would suddenly strike? So fierce, so fierce, she made me, made me…”

At this point, there was already a bit of sobbing.

She couldn’t possibly continue speaking.

Heaven knows she hadn’t acted like this in so long—she had almost broken character just now.

At this moment, she only buried her head, not letting You Fangying see her expression, and even quickly raised her hand to wipe at the corner of her eye where there wasn’t half a drop of tears.

Inside the room, Tang’er and Lian’er exchanged glances: Isn’t our young miss’s delicate and fragile style a bit off?

Though she hadn’t finished speaking, the effect was even better than if she had.

It left infinite room for imagination—

What exactly did You Yue do to her?

You Fangying’s mind suddenly swirled entirely around this question. For a moment, she recalled that day at the You residence when she had saved her from a desperate situation. For a moment, she recalled how she had cried yesterday yet gently embraced her. She also recalled that sentence Jiang Xuening had said that day.

That sentence she still didn’t dare forget.

To save her, Second Young Miss had given up the greatest support of her life.

But now her second sister was not only bullying her—she was actually bullying Second Young Miss too!

Her fingers hanging at her sides, hidden within her sleeves, quietly clenched tight!

You Fangying’s eyes suddenly reddened somewhat.

Her body was trembling slightly, but this trembling was completely different from her previous trembling. Before it was because of fear, but at this moment, though fear hadn’t dissipated, an inexplicable anger was added.

Only then did Jiang Xuening raise her head, turning her eyes back to look at her, lifting the corners of her lips to reveal a smile.

The more brilliant it was, the more piercing it appeared in You Fangying’s eyes.

Jiang Xuening reached out again to pull her to sit down. Her eyes held deep amusement, yet she deliberately spoke gently to comfort her: “Ai, it’s all my fault. Why did I bring this up for no reason? After all, someone like me who isn’t favored at home and doesn’t have the liking of noble people in the palace naturally can’t compare to your second sister. It must be that I unintentionally violated some taboo of hers. Who in the palace doesn’t suffer grievances? I’ll just endure it. If I calculate, it’s only half a year anyway.”

You Fangying sat down, but her eyes remained lowered and her body didn’t relax in the slightest. Instead, she was even more tense than before.

Only then did Jiang Xuening send Tang’er and Lian’er out, feigning relaxation as she said: “Look at me, so focused on looking at your injury that I forgot to discuss the real business. You have quite a bit of money in hand now and can barely be considered a merchant of modest size. I heard that recently, for over a month, there has been a salt field owner from Sichuan, who seems to be surnamed Ren, called Ren Weizhi. He’s been running around outside all along, wanting to raise a sum of silver to return home and continue developing his family’s salt field. Many people know that his family’s salt field has been boiling salt for over a hundred years and there’s no more brine underground to extract, so even though this young Master Ren says he’s willing to give future profit shares from the salt field proportional to everyone’s investment, no one is willing to invest. But this young Master Ren also says he’s invented a new tool that can drill to deeper parts of the salt wells…”

The famous salt fields of the Great Qian Dynasty were basically all in the south.

But the Ziliujing area of Sichuan was an exception.

This place could be called the largest salt field besides those by the sea!

People would drill wells in certain places, and brine would gush up from the wells. The underground areas of Shu had much fiery gas, so after drawing brine water from underground, they would conveniently set up pots near the salt wells to channel and burn the gas, drying the brine, filtering the brine, and finally boiling salt.

Salt produced this way was called “well salt.”

Shu region’s well salt was sold north and south and was very famous. Therefore, in this place called Ziliujing, hundreds of salt fields large and small appeared producing private salt, and the court couldn’t manage them all.

Ren Weizhi’s ancestors for three generations had been operating that salt field. By the time it passed to his hands, it was exactly the fourth generation.

But how could one well withstand over a hundred years of extraction?

The salt wells of Shu were all “large-mouth shallow wells.” A well could only be drilled so deep. At most, one could only dig the well wider to extract more brine. But as brine was extracted, the water level would gradually decrease, ultimately dropping below the depth of the salt well, and then no matter what, no more brine could be extracted.

The salt well would become an “abandoned well.”

The salt field would also decline along with it.

What Ren Weizhi inherited was just such a salt field that was clearly about to decline. The long-term workers left or scattered, and the vast family business would collapse at any moment.

When a person is in a desperate situation, suddenly facing such pressure, it’s difficult to accept.

So for the next two full years, he squandered gold and silver, drank to drown his sorrows, and sat all day on the empty salt field that had nothing but abandoned wells, wailing in grief.

But suddenly one day, he threw down a wine jar.

And carelessly pressed down on it.

The ground was hard earth. When he pressed his palm down, the fragments of the wine jar slowly pierced into the soil.

In just such an instant, amid all his distress and the darkness filling his heart, inspiration flashed!

Ren Weizhi suddenly stopped drinking entirely and didn’t even go out anymore. He shut himself at home all day, buying various construction books. He actually spent a full three months concentrating on research and drew several complex blueprints.

But by this time he had no more money.

There were also few people around willing to lend him money.

Ren Weizhi had no choice but to personally come to the capital, wanting to seek help from an old friend of his father. Who would have thought that when this friend of his father heard he had come, he did treat him as a guest quite well and was willing to lend him some small amounts of money. But when it came to borrowing thousands or tens of thousands of taels, he made all kinds of excuses.

Ren Weizhi struggled in the capital for two months and ultimately became disheartened.

He worried about his family’s salt field. With no other choice, he released news to other salt merchants in the capital that he had researched a new tool that could extract from “abandoned wells,” hoping to use future profit shares from the salt field as thanks to raise a sum of money and hurry home to implement his plan.

This new tool was what would become famous in later generations as the “zhuotong well.”

In her previous life, when Jiang Xuening heard this story in the palace, it was when Shen Jie summoned ministers from Shu. By then, Ren Weizhi had already hanged himself at his family’s salt field three years prior.

He had indeed raised a sum of money from the capital and returned.

After returning to Sichuan and much commotion, he also created this “zhuotong well.” But his luck was bad. On the very first night of testing the zhuotong well, he drilled to the deeper fiery gas in the salt well. There happened to be open flames from lanterns outside, and when the fiery gas surged up and touched the open flames, it immediately burst into fire.

The entire salt field was destroyed in one stroke.

The first zhuotong well made from bamboo also collapsed in the fire.

What was worse, several long-term workers were injured in the fire.

The merchants who had previously lent him money almost immediately pressed him for repayment.

Ren Weizhi was at his wit’s end.

The salt field was destroyed, the zhuotong well was gone. He had to compensate the long-term workers for treating their burns and had to compensate the merchants for their principal according to the contract initially established. With no way out, he sold the ancestral home passed down through his family. On the day he cleared all debts, he used a hemp rope to hang himself on the remnants of the zhuotong well left at the salt field, ending his difficult life and leaving this world.

Three months after his death, the blueprints left in a box were discovered.

Four months after his death, a second zhuotong well was manufactured by others and successfully drilled a deep well over twenty zhang underground, extracting brine that had previously been impossible to reach, hidden twenty zhang deep in “abandoned wells.”

One year after his death, the zhuotong well had become an essential tool for “small-mouth deep well” brine extraction at Ziliujing salt fields.

Three years after his death, wherever there were salt fields at Ziliujing, his portrait was enshrined!

In other words, the zhuotong well that Ren Weizhi invented could absolutely be used to extract brine from deep underground strata. It was just that his own luck was bad and he couldn’t endure through that most difficult period.

Jiang Xuening still remembered that in her previous life, when You Fangying discussed her experience of starting from scratch with her, she had also lamented missing this excellent opportunity, because she hadn’t known that Ren Weizhi was raising money in the capital back then.

She had also said things like “drilling technology” and “natural gas.”

These strange things, Jiang Xuening didn’t understand.

But she knew the ins and outs of this matter and also knew how many heart-stirring twists and turns there would be.

“You should know that accomplishing something isn’t that easy. Who knows how much desperate, dead-end despair one might experience in between. But only by gritting one’s teeth and persevering through does one discover ‘behind dark willows and blooming flowers lies another village.'” Jiang Xuening gazed at You Fangying, telling her this meaningful story. “Since this Ren Weizhi dares to borrow so much money and says he can extract from ‘abandoned wells,’ this ‘zhuotong well’ must certainly work. If he has sufficient money and seizes the initiative to buy up the ‘abandoned wells’ that other salt fields don’t want, then uses the ‘zhuotong well’ to extract brine and produce salt, heaven knows how great an enterprise he could create.”

All this business about extracting brine and producing salt left You Fangying somewhat confused.

But this didn’t prevent her from grasping the key point in Jiang Xuening’s words.

Which was—

This Ren Weizhi was a capable person. If one invested money in him, even if one might lose a lot in between, as long as one gritted one’s teeth and persevered, a new world would open up!

Jiang Xuening knew she had at least understood the most crucial part. Her eyes turned slightly. Thinking of You Yue, she adopted an expression full of worry and reminded You Fangying: “You should know, I obtained this information with great difficulty. You absolutely mustn’t go spreading it around everywhere. This time is different from last time. Last time, you just had to sell the silk and that was it. This time you have to endure a difficult process. If some unexpected development occurs in between, who knows, you might even have to throw in all your money. This is a long-term business, and the torment in between isn’t something ordinary people can endure. If some impatient person finds out and impulsively invests money, then can’t even recover their principal in the end, wouldn’t that be harming them?”

You Fangying’s clenched fist didn’t loosen. When she heard Jiang Xuening say these words, a crazy thought suddenly popped into her mind.

But she didn’t speak it aloud.

At the moment, seeming to ponder something, she slowly nodded and said: “Fangying will remember carefully.”

Jiang Xuening then said: “I’ve given all the guidance I should give. You’ve been out long enough today. With such a formidable sister at home, I don’t dare keep you any longer. Let me see you out.”

You Fangying then rose to take her leave.

Jiang Xuening got up and put on her embroidered shoes, seeing her to the door. At the last moment, she pressed a medicine bottle into her hand: “This medicine is for you. Apply it well to your wounds and they’ll heal quickly.”

You Fangying’s tears nearly fell: “You’re so good to me.”

In her heart, Jiang Xuening laughed at her for being a fool, but stroked the top of her head saying: “Since you know I’m good to you, be better to yourself. Oh, and when you earned so much money last time, you absolutely mustn’t let that second sister of yours know. Otherwise, who knows how she’ll interrogate you about your ‘way of making money.’ She bullies me, but after all it’s in the palace. No matter what, I’ll endure it. But you’re in the residence. I’m truly afraid something might happen to you under her hand. I know you want to protect me in your heart too, but you absolutely mustn’t have any conflict with her because of me…”

Tang’er and Lian’er stood outside, hearing these words sounding so familiar: Weren’t these exactly the words You Fangying had said earlier? Second Young Miss had almost completely appropriated them for her own use!

But You Fangying didn’t notice this at all. Hearing her words, her body trembled even more, her eyes reddened, but she buried her head even deeper, only responding lowly: “Yes.”

Only then did Jiang Xuening assume an appearance of being reassured and had someone see her out of the residence.

You Fangying came out from the side door. The carriage was still waiting outside.

The driver had already waited until he was somewhat drowsy. Seeing her come out, he perked up and hurried to ask: “Miss, where to now?”

You Fangying gripped that small medicine bottle in her hand, standing on the steps, looking for a very long time.

Her face had lost all expression.

An anger surged and roiled in her heart. She only gripped the medicine bottle tight again, saying word by word: “To the Qingyuan Earl’s residence.”

You Fangying’s front foot had barely left when Jiang Xuening’s previous appearance of pitiable fragility immediately scattered completely clean.

She snorted lightly and relaxed, clapping her hands.

The speed of her changing faces before and after simply left Tang’er and Lian’er dumbstruck!

For someone naturally timid to correct themselves wasn’t easy.

But it also wasn’t without methods.

In her previous life, Jiang Xuening at least had the ability to coax men into complete compliance. Now she was merely applying the methods for coaxing men to coaxing women. In any case, the effect was equally immediate.

Though she intended to teach You Fangying to do business and earn more money, her circumstances at the earl’s residence were also too poor. She couldn’t focus on doing these things at all.

To resist foreign aggression, one must first stabilize the home front.

If the situation in the inner residence wasn’t resolved, even doing business would be worrisome.

You Yue was narrow-minded and had a vicious heart. Now to see whether this foolish girl You Fangying would give her another surprise.

Lian’er still hadn’t figured out everything that had just happened and only felt her entire head was spinning: “Young Miss, she, you, just now…”

Jiang Xuening didn’t wish to explain and only said: “The hour isn’t early. Go see if the carriage is ready. We should set out too.”

Lian’er immediately had no way to ask anything more.

This side dispatched someone to check on the carriage.

The other side had servants from the residence hurrying over carrying a basket of fresh pears, their faces full of joy, saying: “Second Young Miss! This is something sent by Imperial Guard Commander Zhou from the Zhou residence in the slanted street alley. He says these are Dangshan crisp pears just rushed over from Anhui by fast horse, newly bestowed from above, specially sent for you to taste fresh.”

Those pears in the basket numbered twelve or thirteen.

Each one looked like it had soft yellow skin, plump and fresh.

Seeing them and hearing the servant report this way, Jiang Xuening’s complexion changed slightly.

Bestowed from above.

That must mean Zhou Yinzhi had already obtained the position of Chiliarch.

If that was the case…

This evening, Yan Lin might not necessarily come after all.

Tang’er saw she hadn’t responded for a long time and carefully asked: “Young Miss?”

Only then did Jiang Xuening come back to herself and said: “It’s just a basket of pears. Put them down.”

After saying this, she lowered her eyes and walked back into the room, sitting quietly.

Before long, Lian’er returned, saying: “The carriage is already prepared. But Second Young Miss, you look like you’re not quite comfortable. Today, should we still, still go to the Cengxiao Tower?”

Jiang Xuening blinked and said: “Let’s go.”

What if?