Chapter Twenty-Two: Zhao Yu exuded a faint sense of death.

Business still needed to be done, so Xu Chumian asked Amo to receive Qin Zhitong.

Just then, several more merchants from the Western Regions entered through the door.

Qin Zhitong's gaze shifted slightly as he noticed Xu Chumian's movements out of the corner of his eye.

Those merchants from the Western Regions had previously come to buy spices from Xu Chumian. After observing the shop for several days, they decided to come in and discuss cooperation.

“We are Persians, and we have come to the capital to sell spices. Your spices smell even better than ours.” The leader, a man from the Western Regions, spoke in a broken Central Plains accent, intending to buy four hundred boxes of Zhenwu Pear Fragrance to take back to Persia and resell.

Xu Chumian's eyes widened in surprise. Since the shop opened, it had only sold about 600 boxes of spices in total.

The Persians wanted to order such a large quantity as soon as they arrived.

Xu Chumian's expression remained relatively calm. "Is there a time limit?"

The Persian's eyes flickered. "Within five days."

Xu Chumian calculated the current inventory in the shop, "I can sell you a maximum of one hundred boxes of spices within five days."

The shop also needs to sell Zhenwu pear fragrance.

After calculating the remaining ingredients in the shop, I found that I was still short of one ingredient, Atractylodes lancea. If I wanted to make it, I would need to go to the villagers outside the city tomorrow to purchase some more.

One hundred boxes is the limit.

The Persians exchanged glances. "I'll go back and discuss it further."

There was no rush, so Xu Chumian saw the group off.

Qin Zhitong was still inside smelling the incense when he saw Xu Chumian speaking eloquently and meaningfully, and treating people with courtesy. He wondered why Shen Lingyin disliked this woman.

As Xu Chumian entered the shop, she met Qin Zhitong's thoughtful gaze.

The woman's eyes still held a wary look, much like a cat arching its back, ready to bite at any moment.

"Is there anything else, young master?"

Qin Zhitong smiled and said, "Seeing that the shopkeeper has a great talent for business and is calm and composed, has he not thought about going to a girls' school?"

Xu Chumian frowned: "A girls' school?"

Qin Zhitong took a few boxes of spices, preparing to pay, and explained, "It's not about women's studies of music, chess, calligraphy, painting, or needlework. As the saying goes, every profession can produce an expert. The Luming Academy in the capital has added three new subjects: medicine, commerce, and agriculture. This is a free school, so there is no tuition fee. However, if you want to enroll, you must pass the Luming Academy's preliminary exam. Only after passing the exam can you enter the school."

Luming Academy is a famous academy in the capital, and its headmaster is a woman.

Xu Chumian had heard Zhao Yu mention in her previous life that outstanding young men from noble families or young ladies from respectable backgrounds could enter the Imperial Academy to study if they were chosen to accompany princes and princesses.

Young masters and ladies with average education mostly studied in academies. The closest one in the capital was Luming Academy, located in the south of the city. Other academies were located outside the city. Noble young masters and ladies could not bear the bumpy ride, so most of them chose Luming Academy.

Seeing Xu Chumian deep in thought, he listened to what he had to say.

Qin Zhitong chuckled, "The shopkeeper's spices smell wonderful. Have you ever thought about opening a branch? The way of doing business is not something that can be learned overnight. You need someone to guide you, otherwise you'll mostly be stuck in pitfalls if you try to figure it out on your own."

Although merchants have a low social status, they can have money.

Xu Chumian had no power or influence, and Mu Mu's illness still required further care, so the more money she had, the better.

Xu Chuming's eyes were less wary than when they first met. She sincerely thanked him, her eyes curving slightly, "Thank you for informing me, young master."

Qin Zhitong shrugged: "You're welcome."

To express her gratitude, Xu Chumian also gifted Qin Zhitong a box of Zhenwu Pear Fragrance.

She casually remarked, "Do you know Miss Shen, young master?"

Qin Zhitong raised an eyebrow slightly: "We've only met a few times, so we can't be considered close."

However, while Ruoyu considers her a friend, Shen Lingyin may not feel the same way about her.

Qin Zhitong turned and left.

Xu Chumian turned around and went back to the shop to continue mixing the incense she hadn't finished. When she had some free time, she began to think about the girls' school.

Just before closing time in the evening, the Persians quickly returned with a message.

One hundred boxes it is, as long as they can be delivered within five days.

The deposit is one hundred taels, and the remaining three hundred taels will be paid after the goods are delivered.

Xu Chumian read the two contracts several times before signing and stamping them, making sure there were no problems.

Amo and his friends were overjoyed. Their shop had received a big order, and they would earn a lot of money this month.

Manager Xu is very kind to everyone. He not only provides lunch but also pays one tael of silver per month, plus a commission from selling spices. This month, everyone can earn at least five taels of silver!

Xu Chumian also had a smile on her face.

On her way back to the courtyard, she bought some more food and trinkets for Mu Mu.

The shop from the Western Regions was located next to a teahouse.

As Xu Chumian was making her selections, a loud, boisterous conversation drifted over from the side.

"I heard that the Duke of Zhao is still unemployed at home."

"The Duke of Zhao has angered His Majesty, but the heir of Zhao is still the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. He hasn't been affected. It's probably all bark and no bite. The Zhao family will rise again soon."

Xu Chumian quickly paid the bill and left.

She quickened her pace, as if trying to shake off the sound behind her, and stopped when she was almost at the Xu family's courtyard.

While she was in the capital, she was bound to hear about the Zhao family.

The events of her past life were too distant; even if she tried to recall them now, it would have been several years ago. But she knew that the Duke of Zhao would definitely be reinstated…

That is, the second half of next year.

The Duke of Zhao was killed in a war with the King of Yan.

Xu Chumian pursed her lips.

In this second life, Zhao Yu saves her life and kills Zhao Chenyu.

She owes Zhao Yu this debt of gratitude in this lifetime.

Let's find an opportunity to inform Zhao Yu.

...

The Zhao family.

Since the death of the third branch of the Zhao family, the Zhao residence has fallen into silence.

The Zhao family patriarch finally made it to the city, and the Duke of Zhao spent his days playing chess with the old man in the courtyard to relieve his boredom. The Duke of Zhao was still injured and could not go anywhere else.

The clan chief sighed, "For that bastard, we used the Zhao family's imperial edict to exchange for him. If I had lived a few decades earlier, I would have strangled the third son as soon as he was born, thus avoiding the trouble that followed."

The Duke of Zhao also frowned deeply. That day, His Majesty was furious and almost drew his sword to kill the Duke of Zhao.

The clan chief added, "Fortunately, He'an discovered it in time. If we had waited until the Prince of Yan rebelled and used that map to force his way to the capital, my Zhao family would have truly reached the point of bloodshed."

"You stay here and rest well. I'll be going back to the mountain tomorrow."

Duke Zhao immediately stood up, wincing in pain, "Young Master, you've only been here a few days, and you don't do any work on the mountain. You're just cultivating Taoism all day long, but I haven't seen you achieve anything?"

The clan chief snorted and stood up: "I don't cultivate Taoism, I'm long gone."

Seeing that there was no other way, Duke Zhao thought for a moment and said, "Tomorrow is He'an's day off, let him escort you back to the mountain."

The clan chief grunted, his aged eyes piercingly sharp: "He'an doesn't seem quite right."

In the past, the Duke of Zhao would have already retorted with insults.

Even the Duke of Zhao felt that there was something wrong with Zhao Yu.

Zhao Yu was upright and dignified from a young age. Although he was aloof and taciturn, he was still somewhat popular.

Recently, Zhao Yu has been exuding a faint sense of death.

The old clan chief thought to himself that perhaps the capital city was too bustling and disturbed Zhao Yu's peace of mind. He suggested that they stay on the mountain together for a few days to cultivate in seclusion.