Empress Zhangsun didn’t return to her own quarters at Liangyi Hall, but instead came to a courtyard. Before entering the gate, Yun Ye heard the familiar “whirring” sound of spinning wheels. It wasn’t until the gate was opened by a eunuch that Yun Ye was stunned by the scene before him.

Over a hundred palace maids, old and young, were spinning wool yarn. Over a hundred spinning wheels were lined up in a row—a spectacular sight. There were also some eunuchs wearing coarse cloth clothes carrying bundles of spun wool yarn along with the spindles to store in the rooms beside them.

A little girl wearing a pink jacket sat behind a desk, earnestly making records. When Yun Ye saw it was Gao Yang, he immediately understood what was going on and said quietly to Empress Zhangsun, “Your Majesty, your favoritism has gone all the way to the East Sea. Lan Ling can only sell sugar when doing business, but as soon as Gao Yang makes a move, it’s wool fabric. This is too much.”

Empress Zhangsun didn’t take offense but instead asked, “You think wool fabric is very profitable?”

“Of course it’s profitable. Can’t you see this subject’s eyes have turned red? This isn’t making money—this is clearly robbing money, robbing money under the imperial family’s name. This subject wants to buy a share. What do you think?”

The imperial family’s sale of wool fabric had already become a joke. If sold too expensively, they worried the court ministers would object. If sold too cheaply, they worried they couldn’t recoup costs. Later, someone came up with a terrible idea and took a slightly low middle price. Do you know what they used as reference? Hemp cloth! First, they didn’t advertise. Second, they didn’t promote it. The servants of the princess’s residence stupidly opened a shop in the West Market. Wool fabric piled like mountains was displayed on the counter, waiting for customers to come. After two months on display, the common people still didn’t know what this shop sold. Just looking at the name “Water Moon Pavilion,” they thought some noble person had lost their mind and opened their summer villa in the busy market.

After two months of not selling any goods, the shopkeeper was ready to hang himself. As a result, a beautiful lady who wandered into this shop out of boredom became the shopkeeper’s lifesaving benefactor. Seeing the wool fabric and asking the price, that lady’s eyes turned green. She said nothing else, only that she would buy all the wool fabric—however much there was, she wanted it all. She had the shopkeeper immediately deliver it to the Yun Family, payment in cash silver without delay. Moreover, she immediately signed a contract with the tearfully joyful shopkeeper for another hundred thousand bolts of such goods, which was said to be the princess’s residence three years’ worth of production.

It was said that the princess’s residence celebrated for three days. Having one good customer was enough. Losing face all over the world selling wool fabric—the princess’s residence couldn’t afford to lose that face either. They decisively closed the West Market shop. As soon as the goods accumulated to a thousand bolts, they would deliver them to the Yun Family. The steward of the princess’s residence couldn’t do anything else, but he was absolutely skilled at inspecting silver. He personally examined every ingot of silver—those with mold spots weren’t acceptable. Every single ingot had to be snow white, absolutely snow white to be accepted. This forced Xinyue to constantly take out her family’s silver to soak in medicinal solution and scrub it to its original color before they would accept it.

When other merchants, such as He Shao, learned the news that the princess’s residence wool fabric wasn’t selling, they also wanted to help the princess by buying some wool fabric. After asking around, they learned that within three years, there was no stock. The shopkeeper’s foot was raised higher than his head—not everyone was qualified to flatter the princess. The Yun Family was a hereditary marquis, so they were qualified. What was He Shao? Never heard of him.

When He Shao brought generous gifts to visit Lady Xinyue, the titled lady, wanting to help the Yun Family recover some losses—their two families had deep relations, and for the Yun Family to lose a bit less money, he wanted half of the hundred-thousand-bolt wool fabric contract.

The result was very poor. He Shao and his European concubine were driven out by Liu Jinbao without a word. Even this crude fellow could see it—He Shao was too shameless. Did he think our family was also foolish like the princess’s residence? Selling gold at bran prices.

Many exquisite cloaks appeared on the market, along with various beautiful blankets. They couldn’t be seen in the West Market; only the East Market had a small quantity of goods for sale. As for the price, it was completely East Market prices. Poor beggars without money could only stand outside the shop door swallowing their saliva and jumping up and down cursing. As for wealthy gentlemen, especially the young masters of Chang’an, if they didn’t have a printed cloak made of wool fabric, they had no face to go out. Wearing a silk cloak would get them cursed as women.

“Making money? Do you know that this Empress is paying these palace maids’ wages? Do you know how many processes wool fabric goes through from sheep’s wool to the final product? Do you know that His Majesty set the price low precisely so that common people could afford it? Do you know that His Majesty’s plan was destroyed by a scoundrel, and all the wool fabric in Chang’an became his profit-making tool? This Palace went to that shop in the East Market and saw the prices. This Palace had the thought of burning down the East Market. You still have the face to meddle in the wool fabric spinning business?”

Empress Zhangsun’s fury was reasonable. No matter who it was, seeing the good things their family worked so hard to make being profited from by others, would have thoughts of arson. That Empress Zhangsun hadn’t gone to the door to fight with Xinyue already showed she was maintaining her dignity.

“Your Majesty, look here. The princess’s residence shop was open for several months with wool fabric piled there and no one interested. My lady worried about the imperial family’s face being damaged and, willing to take a loss, bought all the goods without even negotiating the price. This was taking the imperial family’s burden onto herself. Such noble character—you don’t reward her or raise her rank, but instead call her a scoundrel. Even this subject can’t bear to watch. The contract in black and white writes it clearly. Speaking of which, who wrote the seal script on Princess Gao Yang’s seal? Every time this subject looks at it, he feels delighted.”

Empress Zhangsun’s high chest rose and fell unsteadily. Knowing that getting angry had no deterrent effect on rolling meat like Yun Ye, the dignified imperial family had been reduced to the Yun Family’s laborers. How could the proud Empress Zhangsun be comfortable with this? Gritting her teeth, she said word by word, “Change the numbers on the contract to ten thousand bolts. This is already this Empress making concessions.”

“Sure. Business is like this—there must be selling for there to be buying. You want ninety thousand bolts over the next three years, right? Easy to say. Triple the original price. You return the silver the Yun Family already paid, then pay another fourteen thousand strings, and we can happily revise the contract. Your Majesty, what do you think? Oh my, someone come quickly! Her Majesty is dizzy. Quickly help Her Majesty sit down.”

Empress Zhangsun drank three cups of water before her mood calmed down. Gao Yang, who had been keeping accounts, had long since run over to attend to her. Seeing the Empress was unhappy, she showed off by taking out the account book and saying, “Mother, look. Our production this month has already reached two thousand three hundred and fifty bolts. By the end of the month, there will be three thousand six hundred bolts. Once those Goguryeo people become skilled, our production can increase even more. This month we can exchange for a lot of silver from the Yun Family.” After speaking, she even smugly glanced at Yun Ye, raising her head high, revealing her slender neck, like a proud swan.

Hearing Gao Yang’s words, the bitter expression on Empress Zhangsun’s face became even more intense. She lovingly patted Gao Yang’s small face and praised, “You’re truly a capable good child. You go on. Mother and Marquis Yun still have words to say.”

Watching Gao Yang leave, Empress Zhangsun asked Yun Ye with concern, “Fang Yi’ai has been trained by you all into a clever person. Now serving in the Ministry of War, he already has a reputation as an outstanding young talent. At year’s end official performance evaluation, it looks like an excellent rating from the Merit Assessment Bureau can’t be avoided. Do you think Gao Yang can control him?”

“I’m afraid it won’t be easy. Gao Yang has a temperament as fierce as fire and has been spoiled by His Majesty. She does things recklessly, not knowing the immensity of heaven and earth. As long as Fang Yi’ai undergoes tempering now, capturing Gao Yang’s heart isn’t too difficult. In fact, this fellow has already been working on it early—giving Gao Yang no ground, refusing all unreasonable demands, but being able to share hardships. You’ve heard about the incident of getting caught in the rain last time, right? That was a beginning. Anyway, their future battles will definitely be extremely fierce. However, this subject is more optimistic about Fang Yi’ai and feels his possibility of winning in the end is relatively greater.”

Empress Zhangsun suddenly smiled and pointed at Yun Ye, saying, “This Palace won’t interfere in your business dealings—wouldn’t want to lower my status. The imperial family also has talented people. You compete yourselves. This Palace won’t care anymore.”

After hearing this, Yun Ye was overjoyed. As long as Empress Zhangsun didn’t interfere, these business novices of the imperial family—what could they use to fight against him? Starting with Li’er, his family were masters at manipulating power and strategy. When it came to doing business, these were two different realms.

“Ah, Brother Yun, long time no see. Your bearing remains as always. This is truly most congratulatory. This prince offers his respects.” A soft, lazy, warm familiar voice sounded from behind Yun Ye. Turning around, he saw Li Ke’s face that was so handsome it made people want to bang their heads against a wall.

“Little Ke, when did you return from Shu? Why didn’t you send a letter so I could have something to look forward to?”

Li Ke’s eyes were bright and crystalline, seeming to have water vapor rising, but quickly returned to clarity as he cupped his hands and said, “I also miss you all very much. Alone in Shu, although the climate is mild there and the scenery beautiful, still, I always felt it wasn’t as comfortable as Chang’an. Mother issued an edict commanding me to enter the capital. I boarded a boat and went downstream. It could truly be called a thousand li in a day—not much slower than an eight-hundred-li urgent dispatch. So sending a letter was unnecessary.”

“Her Majesty just said the person opposing me—it’s not you, is it?”

“Ha ha ha. Precisely this younger brother. Elder brother doesn’t conduct himself generously enough, specializing in bullying my young siblings. I heard that just in the wool fabric business alone, the imperial family has suffered losses of over fifty thousand strings. After hearing this, younger brother was filled with righteous indignation, feeling that elder brother has already gone astray and needs younger brother to come correct him.”

“Isn’t it a bit late to say these things now? Look, this is a contract in black and white. The contract’s validity—I presume elder brother need not explain more, right? As long as Great Tang law exists for a day and social morality exists for a day, it has universal value. So if you want to reduce losses, you must overturn the contract. I carefully studied the contract and found no loopholes. If you want to turn the situation around, I’m afraid it won’t be easy. Forget it, you just arrived. Giving you face, I’ll step back. Compensate me ten thousand strings and the contract can be revised.”

Li Ke’s arrival made the alarm bells in Yun Ye’s head ring loudly. The visitor came with ill intent; those with good intentions don’t come like this. This fellow had been tempered these past years and was already very difficult to deal with. He needed to respond carefully to avoid capsizing in a small ditch.

Seeing the two engage in confrontation as soon as they met, each refusing to yield, Empress Zhangsun was very satisfied with this result. She sat under the flowering trees drinking tea on her own, not saying a word. It looked like she had indeed entrusted the authority of the imperial workshops to Li Ke.