Chapter 14 Wealth Comes from All Directions

"Wealth, wealth, wealth—"

"Wealth is coming—"

Shang Yuji's recent big moves have given her a taste of the legendary ability to spend money like water.

It was so loud, you couldn't stop it.

She leaves the portion for daily expenses untouched, and tries her best to make the most of every penny she has.

Fortunately, she had the foresight to have Wang Si do business with the owners of several taverns in Yangzhou selling their menus, using the profits from the tavern sales to support their household.

Current recipes mainly focus on boiling, stewing, and cooking, and a systematic stir-frying method has not yet been developed.

Stir-frying requires hot oil in a wok, but current production levels are insufficient for ordinary people to freely consume oil, and animal fats that can be used to extract oil are too expensive. Therefore, stir-fry recipes in taverns are geared towards wealthy families.

It was meant to be a novelty for wealthy people, and naturally, the heavy oil and salt cooking method quickly won over the taste buds of a large group of people who usually ate bland food. The popularity was so great that taverns had to limit the number of dishes they could buy each day due to insufficient stock.

This also replenished Shang Yuji's visibly depleted wallet.

Shang Yuji sat on the mahogany stool in the study, rubbing her furrowed brow with her eyes closed. After a moment, there was a knock on the door. The voice through the door was somewhat muffled: "Aji, may I come in?"

"Come in."

The tall, slender boy, dressed in an indigo robe, with only a jade pendant around his waist, pushed open the door with one hand and put the other behind his back.

He took a few steps and stopped in front of the desk. His beautiful fox-like eyes blinked a few times, and his red lips pursed slightly. He stretched out his hand from behind his back and presented it to her. His open palm revealed a slightly bulging, old money pouch.

Shang Yuji: "Didn't I buy you a new purse? Why are you still using this one?"

Jiang Xi grabbed her other hand, opened her palm, and placed the money bag in her palm: "The new one is inside. Both money bags were given to me by Aji. I've kept them safe."

The purse landed in her palm, neither too light nor too heavy. She weighed it a few times and asked, "What do you want with your purse?"

He untied the rope of the money bag, revealing stacks of loose silver inside: "This is my wages for two months. Ah Ji, take it and use it first."

He noticed that Ah Ji was unhappy about the money these past few days, and he felt bad for her too, so he decided to give her all the money he had saved, hoping to help her.

“However, Ah Ji took the silver and wants to return the money bag to me so I can keep it safe.”

His antics made Shang Yuji laugh out loud, and the frustration of the past few days dissipated considerably: "I'm not the kind of person who would steal money and then pocket it."

The money pouch was pushed back, and Jiang Xi didn't say anything, only stuffing things into her hands: "With this money, Aji won't be unhappy. I want to see Aji happy."

"Alright, our family isn't so poor that we need to use your private funds." He didn't seem convinced, but he loosened his grip. Shang Yuji put it another way: "Take it back first. If I ever crave jade dew dumplings, I'll still need you to buy them for me."

After saying that, Jiang Xi put away her money pouch and then leaned closer to ask, "Does Aji want to eat jade dew dumplings now? I'll go buy some."

As the distance closed, as if Jiang Xi were handing him over to her, Shang Yuji poked the red mole on his left cheek without any politeness: "We'll be eating soon, and if you don't eat properly, Aunt Zhao will scold you."

"I ate properly." Jiang Xi protested, but did not stop her from poking her face. She even held her wrist, guided her hand to cover her face, and rubbed her soft palm against hers.

Shang Yuji did not retract the left hand that had been grabbed by him. Instead, she stretched out her other hand, picked up the palm-leaf fan on the table, and fanned herself casually.

During the humid and hot rainy season, she placed various fans in prominent places in each room, mostly palm-leaf fans, for easy access when needed.

At this time of year, she misses the convenience of modern air conditioning, refrigerators, and fans—they're practically lifesavers for surviving the summer heat.

Fortunately, the eldest princess adopted the idea of ​​a branch store and has already sent people to Yangzhou to inspect the land before deciding on the location of the ice-making branch.

The initial ice-making process had to be controlled by the eldest princess, so the method had to be kept secret by the craftsmen. From selecting the location and people to running the business, it was time-consuming and labor-intensive.

Shang Yuji didn't have enough energy, but she was still able to make a few bowls of ice, which she temporarily placed in the area where the staff of the mansion usually stayed.

After using the ice to cool off, some can be made into iced drinks. A sip of icy bayberry juice is incredibly refreshing and delightful.

Unfortunately, you can't drink too much of it, as it's easy to get sick from consuming too much cold food.

We could let Aunt Zhao develop some new flavors to satisfy our appetites.

Shang Yuji was thinking about having an iced drink after lunch and didn't notice Jiang Xi letting go of her hand, picking up another fan, adjusting it to an angle that would allow both of them to feel the breeze at the same time, and slowly fanning herself.

It wasn't until a cool breeze brushed against half her face that she came to her senses. She turned her head slightly and saw a pair of eyes staring straight at her.

In a daze, those eyes widened the moment their gaze met, then blossomed into a smile in the next breath. Paired with the indigo robe, he looked more like a naive young master, full of curiosity and goodwill towards everything.

"Ah Ji, is this wind okay? Do you need me to speed it up?"

"That's fine."

A gentle breeze blew through the half-open wooden window, bringing with it the damp scent of last night's rain. Shang Yuji spread out her account book, and with Jiangxi Qu's quiet company, her restless heart calmed down, and she began to carefully calculate the accounts again.

.

The Prefectural Governor's Office of Jingzhou.

Governor Li Wanjing looked hesitant as he carefully examined the contents of the letter, but no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't make heads or tails of it.

"Lord Li, what brings you here?"

Li Wanjing's usually serious face showed a rare hint of confusion. He had already dismissed everyone else from the room, leaving only himself and the registrar: "Take a look at this letter."

The registrar took the letter, his expression shifting from doubt to confusion, then to astonishment and hesitation. He carefully placed the letter down, pausing for a moment before asking, "Sir, this letter..."

After much deliberation, he finally asked, "Jingzhou has never had any in-depth exchanges with that prince, so why would he send such a letter?"

The letter clearly expressed the hope that Jingzhou would safely weather the flood, but the problem is that Jingzhou itself was unaware of the flood, and the person who had the relationship with Jingzhou could at most be described as an occasional acquaintance at the New Year's banquet. Why would they send a heartfelt letter of notice about flood relief?

"That's exactly what I'm wondering about. What do you suggest we do?"

Now that the letter has been delivered, they can't pretend they didn't see it. But after reading it, how much effort will they have to put into dealing with this "difficult letter"?

Large-scale mobilization of resources in a state is never a trivial matter. There are too many things to consider, such as the site selection and construction of shelters, the relocation of tens of thousands of people, and the transportation and protection of grain warehouses.

Should we notify the people? What if the people become panicked and out of control? Will some merchants take advantage of the situation to drive up grain prices? How should we handle the chaotic public order in Jingzhou?

Should people risk their lives and property by accepting a flood warning letter from an unknown source?

A long silence fell over the room, until Li Wanjing finally broke the deadlock: "Take your men first and get the recent hydrological survey data. If you see any signs of flooding, we'll gather everyone together to discuss what to do."

"Sir, what if the news is false?"

"It's better to believe it exists than not to believe it doesn't. Go ahead."

The clerk received the order and hurriedly left.

Li Wanjing's tense face suddenly collapsed, revealing a weariness born of hardship.

If he could, he would also hope that the letter contained nothing but a lie.

However, he experienced the devastating flood in Jingzhou during his childhood, a disaster that is worthy of being recorded in history.

The land submerged by the flood was devoid of life, filled with cries of despair, and the people were living in misery.

It took Jingzhou more than ten years to recover and gradually prosper. He did not want to see the devastating aftermath of the disaster, which resembled a living hell, again.

Li Wanjing calmed himself down, picked up the letter again, and carefully examined it word by word, trying to engrave each word into his mind, hoping that if a sudden flood occurred, it could reduce the losses within his power.

.

Today, Lotus Road received two pieces of good news: Yining, sent by the Princess, arrived in Yangzhou, along with a letter.

It was also a coincidence that sending Yining to Yangzhou was arranged by the Princess's study meeting, which was a while earlier than Shang Yuji's delivery of the flood disaster letter, so she was able to meet Shang Yuji before she set off for Jingzhou.

"Miss Shang, I've long admired your name." Unlike her sister Yi'an's optimistic and enthusiastic personality, Yi Ning was more like snow in March—not icy cold, but calm with a touch of coolness.

Shang Yuji's position within the Princess's faction was a semi-public secret.

Everyone was curious about this extraordinary person who had turned the Princess's residence upside down in just two and a half months. Yining, having heard her sister talk about him so much, naturally became interested as well.

Surprisingly...naive

Miss Shang is not young; at seventeen, she is old enough to get married. However, among the many staff members in the Princess's mansion who are over twenty, she is a rare young face.

It's possible that she didn't take good care of her health from a young age, which is why she looks more slender and delicate, rather than as robust as she and her sister who were running around under the scorching sun every day.

If Shang Yuji knew what the stern-faced woman in front of her was thinking, she would surely cry out that she was innocent:

She used to be malnourished and thin, and after gaining some weight, she became even thinner due to the arduous journey from the capital to Yangzhou. Now, she has worked hard to regain her weight!

Give her some more time; once she gets enough nutrition, she can grow even more!

Shang Yuji responded, "It is I who have long admired Miss Yining's name. I will be setting off in a few days, and it would be a great honor to meet Miss Yining before I leave."

Yi Ning waved her hand: "It's not a matter of fate. I specially rushed here on horseback so that I could see Miss Shang as soon as possible."

"I never expected Miss Yining to value me so much."

"It's mostly out of curiosity. There are many people in the manor who are curious about the young lady, and so am I."

After exchanging only a few words, Shang Yuji roughly determined that Yi Ning was a straightforward person.

She enjoys communicating with these kinds of people the most. She doesn't have to think about whether there are hidden meanings in their words, and she can directly express her thoughts without having to consider too much. This is also the most convenient way to communicate with them.

Shang Yuji quietly relaxed her posture. She wasn't a dignified and elegant person to begin with, and pretending to be one took a lot of mental effort.

"I hope Miss Yining won't be disappointed when she sees me."

Yi Ning took a sip of the licorice-infused iced water and exclaimed, "Miss Shang is much more vivid than the rumors say. At least the rumors didn't mention that Miss Shang has a lot of experience with a dish."

Then, Yining recalled the story that had been the talk of the town before she left the capital: "The Jiang family spent ten thousand taels of silver to buy the last piece of 'Deer Cry in the Deep Mountains'." She then told Shang Yuji about it, focusing on the key points.

Having heard that Miss Shang and Mr. Jiang were originally from the Jiang family, but left for some unknown reason, and since the news hadn't spread, she naturally wouldn't overstep her bounds.

Yi Ning told the story of the ten thousand taels of soap.

The storyteller lacked eloquence, and the plot was monotonous and dull. Fortunately, the listeners didn't care about such things, and when they heard about the Jiang family's misfortune, they burst out laughing.

Before leaving, Yi Ning took out the envelope she had carried with her and repeated the Princess's words to Shang Yuji:

"His Highness said that since this is your idea, everything inside should belong to you."

A note from the author:

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