Just as the simpleton was having a good time, he suddenly stopped.

Who is it!?

Jing Zhe also stopped and looked back.

Under the bright moonlight, two figures slowly emerged from behind the corner of the wall.

"Is it you?"

Upon closer inspection, Jing Zhe's face tightened.

The newcomers were none other than the handsome young man and his servant.

She struggled with herself twice in Chunshui Tower, and after being rejected, she even tripped him up. Is this guy a pervert?

"Young Master Kun just left like that?"

The young man, despite being discovered, didn't feel embarrassed. He looked up at Jing Zhe and smiled.

"What, are you waiting to leave for the New Year?"

Jing Zhe said irritably.

"..."

The young man, with his fair complexion, was momentarily speechless at these words, then laughed and said, "Young Master Kun, aren't you going to thank me?"

"Thank you?"

Jing Zhe was so angry at this guy's thick-skinned face that he laughed.

You should be grateful I didn't beat you up, thank your mother!

"Indeed, if it weren't for my strong recommendation, how would Young Master Kun have had the opportunity to compose poetry at Chunshui Tower? Once the events of tonight spread throughout the city, it won't be long before you become famous throughout the land. Aren't you going to thank me?"

"Thank you, of course you should!"

Jing Zhe gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice, "I thank you and your ancestors for eighteen generations!"

After saying that, she left the young man with a suspicious look behind and strode towards the inn.

"Ancestors for eighteen generations..."

After a long pause, the servant finally realized what had happened: "Your Highness, have we been scolded?"

"Do I need you to remind me?"

The young master glared at the servant, gritted his teeth as he looked at the alley where Jing Zhe had disappeared.

"Ah Kun? I'll remember you!"

With only two people left, they no longer cared about how they addressed each other. If Jing Zhe had heard this, he would have been shocked—to offend a member of the royal family just by going out, what kind of luck is this?

Seeing his master's angry expression, the servant was somewhat surprised and hurriedly asked, "Your Highness, we've been out for a while now, shouldn't we go back?"

"I'm not going back!"

"Your Highness, please don't be angry. We've been out for over half a month now. If we delay any longer, His Majesty might punish us when we return to the palace!"

The servant reminded him with a worried expression.

"Don't be afraid!"

The young master said decisively, "This Ah Kun is indeed despicable, but he does have real talent! None of the people I know could have written the poem he composed today!"

"Even the one from Grand Secretary Song's family isn't suitable?"

Upon hearing the servant's question, the young master's eyes lit up.

"Of course not! Hehe, if Ah Kun can go to Jingzhou to attend the Mid-Autumn Poetry Gathering, Song Jimao and the Song family's wishful thinking will probably fall through!"

"Your Highness wishes to..."

"That's right, I'm going to take Ah Kun back to Jingzhou!"

Her face, which had been filled with rage just moments before, was now beaming with smiles.

...

Back at the inn, Jing Zhe, clutching fifty taels of silver, sprawled out on his back and slept soundly.

For him, a good night's sleep must include good dreams.

In his dream, he earned enough money, left Mangshan, and went to Jingzhou. With his elder sister, who was the daughter of the prime minister, taking care of him, he thrived.

In my dream,

When I woke up in the morning, the scenes from my dream still seemed vivid in my mind.

Hanhan was already waiting outside. Jing Zhe changed his clothes, ate some food at the inn, and then came out.

With money in hand, he naturally wanted to buy saltpeter.

When he opened the door and saw Jing Zhe, the man with the goatee had a complicated expression.

Yesterday, when he heard Jing Zhe say that he was going to buy all of his saltpeter, Goatee was very excited. He even stopped making firecrackers and fired all his employees.

But when he waited and waited, and it got dark but Jing Zhe still hadn't appeared, his heart sank completely.

Was I tricked?

That's the only idea I have.

So when he saw Jing Zhe again, Goatee's feelings were like experiencing both ice and fire.

"What, you don't recognize me after just one day?"

Seeing the goatee standing blankly at the door, Jing Zhe teased.

"Ah...no!"

The man with the goatee snapped out of his daze and quickly made way for him.

"Young master, are you planning to buy saltpeter today?"

Jing Zhe nodded, took out some silver from his clothes, and handed it over.

The man with the goatee was initially excited, but his face darkened when he saw the silver that Jing Zhe handed over.

"Young master, we agreed on twenty taels of silver. What do you mean by giving me ten taels?"

Jing Zhe laughed and said, "To be honest, I'm not a native of Yongzhou. If I were to transport all the saltpeter back to my hometown, the journey would be too long and it would be too uneconomical. So I plan to buy a house in the city and then transport all the saltpeter there."

He weighed the silver in his hand and continued, "I'll take all the saltpeter, but I need to leave it with you here first. Ten taels of silver is a deposit. Once we find a house, I'll settle the balance. How about that?"

"OK!"

As long as we can buy all the saltpeter, everything else is negotiable!

Besides, the saltpeter is still in my hands, so I'm not afraid he'll run away!

The man with the goatee took the silver and asked, "Young master, do you have a house in the city that you like?"

Jing Zhe shook his head, "I haven't been in Yongzhou for long, and I'm not very familiar with this place."

Upon hearing this, the man with the goatee tentatively asked, "I happen to have a friend who wants to sell his house. Would you mind asking him for me?"

"That would be perfect!"

Jing Zhe laughed and said, "If the shopkeeper can really help me find a suitable house, the money will naturally be plentiful!"

He rubbed his hands together, his eyes narrowing into slits.

"Money doesn't matter, I just want to be friends with you, young master!"

"..."

...

Jing Zhe asked the man with the goatee to help him pack a large bag of saltpeter before he came out with Hanhan.

Throughout the journey, Hanhan was preoccupied with many worries.

It has to be said that this young chieftain is quite the money-maker; he earns fifty taels of silver for a single poem, a feat unmatched by anyone.

But their spending skills are even more impressive!

Twenty taels of saltpeter have already been spent, and now they're planning to buy a house—who knows how much that will cost! Aren't there enough empty houses on Mount Mang to live in?

After holding it in for a long time, Hanhan finally couldn't help but say, "Young Chieftain, I think you're spending money too extravagantly! You've worked so hard to earn so much money, this isn't right!"

Jing Zhe nodded, "Really? I was thinking of buying some meat and wine to treat the brothers on the mountain, but since you put it that way, then forget it."

Hanhan: "..."

After walking for a while, Hanhan whispered, "Young Master, I feel like the money you spent makes sense, it's not like you're being extravagant..."

"..."

————