Manager Zhao's expression changed: "This is double the original price! This is way too much! It's more expensive than the selling price!"

Chen watched with trepidation. Raising prices was one thing, but doubling them all at once seemed like too much.

Even if prices rise during a famine, they won't rise this much.

What if Manager Zhao gets angry and refuses to accept it later?

Shen Jialu didn't think he was shouting too loudly and still wouldn't budge: "Manager Zhao, potatoes usually sell for six coins a pound, but I see you've marked them at nine coins a pound, and they're still selling out. Doesn't that mean there's a market for them?"

Manager Zhao glanced at the price tags next to him and regretted that he hadn't thought to cover them up.

"I'm selling them for nine coins a pound because grain is scarce now, but demand is high. Scarcity drives up prices, and having enough to eat is more important than anything else. Given the current situation, do you believe that Nanlin County will end up like Xixiang County after this winter? At that time, not even one tael of silver can buy a pound of potatoes!"

Shen Jialu and Lili exchanged a glance.

Shen Jialu: Lili, what do you think?

Lili: Second brother, let's go!

Shen Jialu understood and immediately said, "Manager Zhao, since you've said so yourself, isn't it reasonable for us to sell it to you for eight copper coins a pound?"

Manager Zhao was displeased: "The problem isn't that serious yet. Nine copper coins a pound is already the absolute maximum! If I charge you eight copper coins a pound, wouldn't I only make one copper coin? Besides, whether you even have the goods is another matter. If you can produce them, I'll give you seven copper coins!"

Shen Jialu raised an eyebrow: "Really seven copper coins a pound?"

Manager Zhao scoffed and shook his head. He didn't believe they could actually produce that!

These days, who wouldn't keep any surplus grain for themselves?

Still supplying goods, two hundred shi?

He doesn't believe it!

Manager Zhao: "Seven coins a pound is the most I can offer. If you can afford it, I'll take it!"

"OK!"

Shen Jialu readily agreed.

Shen Jialu and Lili gave each other a high five.

Effortlessly, the price was raised by two coins, yay!

Lili smiled and said, "It's a deal then, see you on the third day of the twelfth lunar month!"

Manager Zhao: ?

Something just doesn't feel right.

After making this pleasant agreement, Lili went to the small courtyard where the grain was stored and hired someone to transport all the potatoes back.

No one knows where Qi Zheng heard the news, but when Lili came out of the yard, she actually saw Qi Zheng squatting at the door waiting for her.

"Pear!"

Qi Zheng ran over.

Chen was supervising the loading of potatoes onto the truck in the courtyard. Lili was only with Shen Jialu at the moment. Feeling a great sense of responsibility, Shen Jialu immediately stepped in front of Lili and asked, "Who are you?"

Lili grabbed Shen Jialu: "Second brother, this is Brother Qi Zheng, we know him."

Qi Zheng nodded somewhat reservedly.

Shen Jialu looked at him suspiciously before lowering his hand.

What a coincidence! Lili originally wanted to go to the Qi residence to find him, but unexpectedly, Qi Zheng came by himself.

Lili tilted her head back, waiting for him to speak.

Qi Zheng smiled at Lili, and said to her with a mixture of sadness and pride, "My mother hired a tutor to teach me. When I grow up, I will help my mother manage the Qi family."

Lili laughed: "Then Brother Qi Zheng is very amazing."

"Hmm!" Qi Zheng nodded, a hint of sadness appearing on his face.

Lili guessed it was because of his father.

Although Lili didn't ask in detail, she knew that it was Qi Zheng who helped Magistrate Qin resolve the issue with Master Qi.

It's certainly not very ethical to put aside one's own family for the greater good.

Who knew that as soon as Shen Jialu heard the name Qi family, he guessed Qi Zheng's identity.

"Oh, so you're the son of Master Qi?" Shen Jialu suddenly realized. "Actually, putting aside your father's character, the Qi family is quite impressive in some ways, like making money. Otherwise, they wouldn't own so many estates, right?"

Qi Zheng nodded blankly, then shook his head: "After my father went to jail, the Qi family relied entirely on my mother to support it. Many of our businesses were either seized by the government or sold off by my mother. The Qi family is not as good as it used to be."

Lili blinked, then suddenly asked him, "What about your family's estate? Is it for sale too?"

Qi Zheng: "Some have been sold, but some haven't been sold yet. What's wrong?"

Lili smiled and said, "It's nothing."

Hehe, there are plenty of estates here, let her think about how to get them at a 90% discount.

Qi Zheng wanted to talk to Lili. It had taken him a lot of effort to convince himself to expose his father's true colors.

On one side is her biological father, and on the other is what he believes is right; it's a truly difficult choice.

Upon seeing Lili, Qi Zheng suddenly lost the will to speak.

He knew that Lili was busy with something important.

That day in front of the prefectural government office, His Highness the Crown Prince personally rescued her. When the news came back, Qi Zheng knew that Lili might be able to save the Qi family.

His Highness the Crown Prince is far away at the border. If it weren't for something, why would he suddenly come here on horseback from the border?

Looking at Lili, Qi Zheng had a strange feeling for her from the first time he met her.

It wasn't the stirrings of a young man's heart, but rather a strange admiration, and a hint of... awe?

He always felt that Lili could see through everything, knew everything, and was afraid of nothing, as if everything was under her control.

Although Magistrate Qin was fair and just and did not convict the Qi family's relatives of what happened to his father, Qi Zheng was not stupid. He naturally knew that the Qi family's current peace was just the calm before the storm.

The eldest prince is currently in the eye of the storm, and his every move could be noticed by others, which is why he did not deal with other matters immediately.

But not dealing with it now doesn't mean it won't be dealt with in the future.

As an ally of the eldest prince, Master Qi helped the prince profit greatly. Now that Master Qi has been captured, how could the eldest prince not clean up the mess?

Moreover, the evidence has already been presented to the Emperor, and the Crown Prince will certainly not let the Qi family off the hook.

Despite the fact that the Qi family had been living in fear for so long without being wiped out, Qi Zheng, as the only legitimate son of the Qi family, had to find a way to save the entire family.

The solution he came up with was His Highness the Crown Prince.

The other party is a prince, above all others. If you want to seek protection, you need to find someone who is your equal.

Looking at the overall situation, the best choice now is His Highness the Crown Prince.

Qi Zheng had a gut feeling that this seemingly gentle and harmless little kid was actually quite cunning.

You can tell from the fact that she took him to see her own father's daytime debauchery.

Qi Zheng's expression changed frequently, which Shen Jialu interpreted as the brat wanting to steal his sister because she was too cute!

Shen Jialu found Qi Zheng increasingly displeasing.

“Lili, I can send my father to his death with my own hands because he did bad things like oppressing the people and harming others for his own benefit, but the Qi family is innocent, and I can’t just watch them die!”

Lili looked at him quietly.

Shen Jialu was completely bewildered. How did this suddenly turn into a palace intrigue?

How could he not know about these things? Pear had actually done so many things behind his back?

Shen Jialu felt he had missed a lot of the plot.

Lili suddenly chuckled softly, looking at Qi Zhengzai with great satisfaction, as if she were looking at a sensible child.

"Brother Qi Zheng, I didn't expect you to be so insightful."

Qi Zheng was a little embarrassed. After all, he was asking for a favor, and was it really okay to get in touch with His Highness the Crown Prince?

Lili shook her head: "Lili and His Highness the Crown Prince are just acquaintances. Lili doesn't have the ability to get His Highness to take care of the Qi family. Besides, Lili is just an ordinary child, not that amazing."

It's just good luck at most.

hey-hey.

Qi Zheng froze, his lips moved, and he said in a flustered voice, "Lili..."

“However, Lili happens to have a method that might make His Highness the Crown Prince consider it.” Lili smiled and offered her idea that she had already thought of. “As the head of the Eastern Palace, His Highness the Crown Prince may one day ascend to that position.”

But His Highness the Crown Prince is still young, and in terms of strategy and tactics, he is ultimately a step behind the First Prince; your father is the best example. The First Prince wants to gradually annex the counties farther from the capital, so can't you help His Highness the Crown Prince?”

Shen Jialu was completely confused: "What does this mean?"

Lili looked at Shen Jialu: "Second brother, do you still remember those Persian trinkets that Uncle brought back?"

Shen Jialu nodded: "I remember."

"So what do you think, how about we sell those things?"

Shen Jialu grinned: "It would be best if we could sell them and make a profit, but if we really wanted to sell them, we'd probably just have to do what those village peddlers do, carrying them around and trying to sell them. After all, the quantity isn't large, and we don't have anywhere to sell them anyway."

"That's right!"

What pears need is land to sell and a sufficient quantity to sell.

How can we achieve this?

This will require the full support of the Qi family.

The Qi family is a large and powerful merchant family. With the support of the eldest prince, they shouldn't just be the richest family in Liucheng.

Lili guessed that it was because of the Crown Prince's help that the Qi family could not stand out so much, and thus maintained their reputation as the richest family in Liucheng.

Although Master Qi is no longer here and the Qi family is not as prosperous as before, even a fallen camel is bigger than a horse.

As for Qi Zheng, Li Li thinks he's more suited to being a spy than a businessman.

He has a clear understanding of the situation, can distinguish right from wrong, and most importantly, he has the perfect identity of a young master of the Qi family.

Lili originally only wanted to use the Qi family's caravan to have Qi Zheng and Shen Jialu cooperate in opening a shop.

However... if His Highness needs it, perhaps we could train him a spy who can hear everything and infiltrate the caravan?

Hehe, the young prince has helped her a lot, so it's only right to reciprocate.

Whether he wants it or not is up to him.

"Lili, you mean you want me to open a shop with him?" Shen Jialu pointed at Qi Zheng suspiciously. "I'll pass, although I don't know why you're so confident in me, but I'm still a teenager. But... him? A little kid who just turned eight?"

Qi Zheng blushed: "So what if I'm eight? I know a lot even at eight! Didn't you hear Lili say I'm suitable to be a spy?"

"Hey, show some respect to your brother! I'm four years older than you!" Shen Jialu snorted. "Besides, Lili wasn't talking about the kind of spies who would brave fire and water, but spies who use their identities to gather information!"

"You!" Qi Zheng was speechless for a long time. "Hmph, I don't want to cooperate with you. I'll provide the money and the manpower, but what can you do?"

Who do you think you are?!

The two heads were almost touching, and Lili sighed and squeezed between them, saying, "Okay, okay."

"snort!"

The two spoke in unison, then each turned their heads away.

Lili sighed. Men are so childish.

Fortunately, Chen came over at this moment. Seeing the scene, Lili was sandwiched in the middle like a little dumpling and was amused by it.

"Oh dear, what happened? Whose child is this?"

The two reluctantly turned their heads back and called for help.

"Lili, aren't we still going to the academy?"

Lili nodded: "Yes, Auntie, wait for Lili, Lili wants to say something to Brother Qizheng."

When facing Lili, Qi Zheng was absolutely good-natured: "Lili?"

"Brother Qi Zheng, don't think too much about it. How about I write a letter to His Highness for you in a while and ask him?"

Qi Zheng's eyes lit up, and he excitedly grabbed Lili's hand: "Really? Thank you, Lili!"

Shen Jialu's eyes widened; he knew it!

Shen Jialu slapped Qi Zheng's hand away: "You brat, what are you doing!"

Qi Zheng was startled and opened his mouth to curse, but considering that his elders and Lili were present, he shut his mouth awkwardly: "I can't be bothered with you."

Mrs. Chen couldn't stop laughing. Lili was only a few years old, and her older brother was already taking precautions!

Lili laughed too. How could Qi Zheng, with such a good-tempered personality, quarrel with Shen Jialu, who was four years older than him?

After saying goodbye to Qi Zheng, Lili went to Moxiang Academy.

If we count the days, we might even see the long-lost Physician Sikong at Grandma Liu's place today.

It was the first time Chen and Shen Jialu had ever been to the academy, and they were incredibly excited. They wanted to listen to the students reading in the courtyard, so Lili went in alone.

As they entered the small courtyard, they indeed happened to see Physician Sikong taking the pulse of Old Madam Liu.

What a coincidence! What a coincidence!

Lili chuckled. Good luck is good; everything just happened so coincidentally.

Since she had run into Doctor Sikong by such a coincidence, she figured she might as well ask for something else.

When Madam Liu saw Liu Wumo leading Lili in, she was very happy: "Lili, come here quickly!"

Lili greeted the two of them politely, then sat down next to Old Madam Liu with a dignified smile.

"Grandma Liu, how are you?"

Madam Liu lovingly tidied the stray hairs by Lili's ear: "You're doing very well. It's all thanks to you, child, for asking Doctor Sikong to treat this old body of mine. With Lili's kindness and Doctor Sikong's medicine, Grandma feels like she'll be able to get out of bed and run around again in just a few days!"

Lili smiled and said, "That's good, otherwise Lili would have been worried all day!"

Old Madam Liu was so touched by her words: "Oh, my good child."

Doctor Sikong chuckled. After not seeing him for a while, this little dumpling was still as good at flattery as ever, making people's hearts flutter.

Liu Wumo said, "I am truly grateful for Physician Sikong's miraculous healing skills!"