“Great Shopkeeper, please don’t laugh at me. I’ve seen little of the world, and the quick money-making methods I can think of are just those few. If not for Great Shopkeeper’s exceptional abilities, having just an idea alone wouldn’t be of any use.”

Qin Yining held back her light blue gauze wide sleeves with one hand, her pale hand holding the teapot as she poured the jade-green tea into a carp-playing-with-lotus teacup, then handed it to Shopkeeper Zhong.

Shopkeeper Zhong received it with both hands, flattered, repeatedly expressing his thanks.

Qin Yining smiled gracefully, picked up a silk fan painted with a cat chasing butterflies and waved it twice. The playful strands of hair at her temples stuck to her pink cheeks and were casually tucked behind her ear.

“The businesses under our Zhaoyun Company are all registered under the imperial name. The Emperor and Empress act without any order, and after my repeated investigations, I can now definitively conclude that the Emperor does indeed have intentions to seize Zhaoyun Company. His swift destruction of Duke Dingguo’s manor that day was not without the Emperor’s desire to incorporate Zhaoyun Company into the inner treasury. It’s just that due to concerns about appearances and my father’s status and those previous rumors, the Emperor can’t act easily now. But I think he won’t give up this intention. While the situation is still relatively stable during this period, we should quickly accumulate wealth.”

Shopkeeper Zhong understood the hidden meaning behind her words and immediately nodded: “I understand Boss’s meaning. Rest assured, all this extra money we’ve earned will be balanced in Zhaoyun Company’s accounts—no one will discover this money. We’ve earned quite a lot using short-term large loans for interest profits. If we publicize this everywhere, it would only invite hatred from peers. Such matters have always required secrecy.”

“Good.” Qin Yining smiled, casually waving her silk fan as her gaze passed through the half-open window lattice to look at several young maids without full hair sitting on steps under the opposite corridor, playing “grab the stones.”

The girls’ innocent and cheerful laughter was very infectious, causing her smile to deepen involuntarily.

“When I was small, my foster mother also coaxed me to play this. Taking a few apricot pits and sewing a small sandbag—first time catching one, second time catching two, third time catching three… When you catch a full handful, you throw all the apricot pits up and catch them with the back of your hand. At the time my hands were small, and I could never catch as many as foster mother. I secretly thought that when I grew up, I would definitely surpass foster mother. It’s just a pity that before I could grow up, she had already passed away.”

Shopkeeper Zhong sighed upon hearing this: “Boss’s foster mother must have been a very gentle and kind good person.”

“Yes, she was a very good person. It’s just that in this world, good people always have bitter fates. Born in chaotic times, so many people are displaced and homeless. But look—even when Great Zhou’s troops pressed against the city, wasn’t the capital still full of wine and gold fans, drunk with luxury?

“The Emperor leads in stupidity. He has no other abilities, but he’s quite skilled at harming loyal officials. He can’t see the people’s suffering outside, yet keeps his eyes on which minister has stolen his limelight. With such an emperor, corrupt officials can also boldly act without restraint.”

Qin Yining shook her head: “Don’t think it’s peaceful now—the successful peace talks only preserved some people’s wealth and honor. The common people who should suffer will still suffer.”

Shopkeeper Zhong couldn’t help but sigh upon hearing this.

He was well-traveled and experienced. Although he hadn’t truly lived through hard times like Qin Yining, he knew it was true that under years of warfare, distant towns were nine-tenths empty with corpses littering the ground. Moreover, this year after entering summer there had been very little rain, and many places were already showing signs of drought. The people’s lives were even more bitter.

“It’s just a pity that my abilities are meager.” Qin Yining shook her head with a bitter smile: “Right now I completely lack the ability to ‘benefit all under heaven.’ Sometimes I even want to beg Heaven to open its eyes and quickly take away that foolish emperor and demon empress.”

“Sigh! Isn’t that so? Rather than hoping for when the foolish emperor will become enlightened, it’s better to hope he’ll reincarnate soon! I estimate the common people outside all think this way too. It’s just that we can’t say such words outside—it’s better to be careful. The other day three storytellers were arrested, claiming the content they told showed rebellious hearts.”

“He does it himself but won’t let people talk about it. The Emperor hopes all the people are fools.” Qin Yining shook her head and sighed: “Today I spoke emotionally, so I rambled on here with you. Now while times are still good, let’s earn some silver. In the future, no matter what we want to do, we’ll have some capital and won’t have to worry about making ends meet.”

“Boss can rest assured. This old man has no other abilities, but I do have this mind.”

Qin Yining nodded and stood up: “I naturally trust Great Shopkeeper’s abilities. Since it’s still early, I plan to go outside the city to exercise the horses.”

“I’ll see you off.”

“Please don’t trouble yourself.”

…

After polite exchanges with Shopkeeper Zhong, Qin Yining took her leave from the Zhong family. At the main gate, Ji Yun helped her put on a snow-white light gauze hat.

Bingtang had already been waiting at the door for a long time, holding the reins of the date-red horse Huzi had given her. Nearby, the tethered “White Cloud” immediately lifted its neck and snorted when it saw Qin Yining emerge.

Qin Yining laughed softly, went forward to untie “White Cloud’s” reins, and gently stroked the smooth silver-white mane on its neck, smiling: “Were you getting impatient?”

“White Cloud” affectionately nuzzled her cheek.

Ji Yun smiled as she led over her own yellow horse: “Miss treats a horse more gently than you treat our Prince. If the Prince saw this, who knows how jealous he’d be. Next time Miss sees the Prince, you should at least give him more smiles.”

Qin Yining’s face reddened as she scolded: “You girl, surely Pang Zhixi didn’t specifically arrange for you to come to my side just to nag about these things all day?”

Ji Yun giggled: “Miss clearly misses the Prince too, so don’t blame me for nagging. Ever since you got that red bean bracelet, you haven’t worn any other chains or bracelets. At home you hold Er’Bai all day, and personally wash Er’Bai’s plum blossom net—isn’t this missing the Prince?”

“Bad girl, if you say more I’ll send you back and won’t take you horse riding.” Qin Yining’s face turned completely red as she spat at her.

Bingtang and Ji Yun exchanged winks and both laughed.

Qin Yining nimbly leaped onto the horse’s back: “Today let’s stay outside the city longer before returning to the manor. The Old Dowager wants to settle accounts about the kitchen steward’s embezzlement. If we return early, it’ll just be another bout of chaos.”

The head cook steward, Old Lady Liu, had been passing off inferior goods as superior ones and secretly moving the manor’s rice and grain to her home. That day she was caught red-handed by Ji Xiang, who was by the Old Dowager’s side, and it was reported back.

When the Old Dowager learned of this, she immediately made a fuss. For three consecutive days she dragged Sun Shi, the Second Madam, and Third Lady to settle accounts of manor affairs. Not only did they catch Old Lady Liu, but they also dug up many trivial rotten matters. Qin Yining had observed for two days at home and felt increasingly headaches, so today she had to escape.

“What if the Old Dowager asks? The other day the Old Dowager said you weren’t allowed to go horse riding, saying you don’t have the manner of a great family’s young lady.” Although Ji Yun said this, she very nimbly jumped onto the yellow horse.

Qin Yining lifted the light gauze on her hat and smiled: “If we look at what others say about everything, we wouldn’t need to live our lives. How many people have been talking behind my back, saying all sorts of unpleasant things? If I cared about all that, I should have hanged myself long ago. If they can stand looking at me, they can look. If they can’t stand it, they don’t have to look. Everyone lives their own life—who cares whose tendons ache.”

Ji Yun burst into laughter, spurred her horse forward, and accompanied Qin Yining on her left and right with Bingtang, choosing quiet roads toward the city outskirts.

After leaving the capital’s outer city, a bright and beautiful landscape spread before them. The blue sky was washed clean like jade, the green grass lush and verdant. Although the weather was stifling hot, all three wore hats for sun protection. When the horses ran, there was wind that blew the white gauze on their hats and the gauze clothing and skirts on their bodies, creating an indescribable coolness and refreshing feeling.

The master and two servants galloped wildly along a shaded path beside the official road for a while before dismounting to rest briefly and leading the horses to find water.

This year there was little rain, and several streams had already dried up. The original streambeds had only a shallow layer of muddy water and stones baked scorching hot by the sun. Walking on the stones for a while, they finally found a spring with bubbling water emerging.

Qin Yining, Bingtang, and Ji Yun first filled their water pouches, then let the three horses drink.

The three stood in the tree shade, looking at the official road in the distance that was dazzlingly golden yellow in the sunlight.

Bingtang couldn’t help but sigh worriedly: “If this drought continues, it won’t be good. The manor’s harvest will probably be affected.”

“Not just the manor—I hear many places outside are experiencing drought now. If this continues, I’m afraid it will cause a real disaster.”

Qin Yining took another sip of water and went forward to hang the water pouch on the saddle.

But Ji Yun slowly put down her water pouch, lifted the white gauze on her hat with one hand, and with a light leap jumped up a large tree, shading her eyes with her hand as she looked toward the official road.

Qin Yining asked curiously: “What’s wrong?”

Ji Yun slightly raised her left hand to signal them to be quiet.

Qin Yining and Bingtang immediately sensed something was wrong. Standing under the large tree, following Ji Yun’s gaze, they could faintly see some dust clouds on the distant road surface.

“Many people! Miss, there are very, very many people running this way!”

Qin Yining’s heart skipped a beat as she urgently asked: “Look carefully—what kind of people? Military or civilian? Are they on horseback?”

As Qin Yining spoke, she also stretched her neck trying to see clearly, but the terrain was low-lying and her view was obstructed. For a long time she could only see the dust cloud getting larger and larger.

“They shouldn’t be soldiers—their clothes don’t look like it… Miss, let’s hide quickly. In just a moment they’ll run past here.”

Ji Yun jumped down from the tree, pulling Qin Yining to hide behind.

Bingtang also hurriedly led the horses, following behind.

The three first carefully concealed the horses, then retreated further, crouching behind bushes to secretly peek out.

By this time that group of people had reached nearby. Looking carefully, this was actually a large group of disheveled common people!

A force of over a thousand people, including men and women, old and young, each carrying bundles, hair disheveled, clothes dirty, faces full of panic, supporting each other as they frantically rushed toward the capital direction. All were exhausted and gasping for breath, yet still pale-faced and unwilling to rest.

When elderly people ran slowly and fell to the ground, their children hadn’t even had time to help them up before being trampled several times by those rushing up from behind.

There were also scattered children crying loudly while calling for their parents.

Such a panicked and chaotic scene was like evil spirits chasing from behind!

Qin Yining turned back with a pale face, falling to sit on the ground with her mind buzzing, murmuring: “This is… could it be that Great Zhou is attacking again? Pang Zhixi… wasn’t there a peace agreement? Yes, yes, that final Tatar assassination wasn’t just a gift for me and father—it was more importantly his excuse to start war!”