When Marquis Yongning thought about the location of the shop, he said to Xu Zhi, "Ninth Girl, the manor has several shops in the capital. Take a look and see which one is suitable. Your grandfather will find someone to vacate it for you."

Xu Zhi smiled and said, "Grandfather, how can I use the shops in the manor? Let alone the shops in the manor, they are all shops that make a fortune every day. If I take them over all at once, what will the brothers and sisters in the manor think? Grandfather, those shops are full of people who have worked with you for many years. They are used to working in the shops. If you kick them out just because your granddaughter wants a shop, even if you arrange another job for them, will it be as good as the job they are used to?"

Marquis Yongning never expected that in just over a year, the little girl who always smiled and followed behind her sisters would grow up so much.

The Marquis stroked his beard and said with a smile, "Ninth Girl, your considerations are quite insightful. So, what are your plans?"

Xu Zhi thought for a moment and said, "I plan to rent two shops in the capital. I have requirements for the shops I rent: one in the East City and one in the West City. Also, the shops must have a courtyard connected to them."

After listening to Xu Zhi's request, the Marquis pondered for a long time and said, "Although there are many places to do business in the capital, it is really not easy to find two such places on a daily basis."

Xu Zhi smiled and said, "Grandfather, you don't need to worry about that. We can find it eventually if we take our time. My young employees are all quite young. The shop is connected to the back courtyard, which can be used as their accommodation. It's also convenient for management, isn't it?"

The Marquis nodded, and after a long while, he said to Xu Di, "Di-ge'er, your grandfather will help Jiu-ya with this matter. You just focus on preparing for the provincial examination. Put aside whatever you want to do for now, and we'll make plans after the palace examination."

Xu Di responded, and Xu Zhi naturally understood. Her grandfather knew that she and her brother had a deep sibling bond. It was one thing that Xu Zhi was far away and couldn't help, but how could he not care about anything when she was right in front of him? Just now, during dinner, Xu Di sat with Xu Zhi and asked her in detail about the process of opening the shop in Liaodong. Xu Zhi was reluctant to tell her brother, fearing that it would affect his exam preparation. With her grandfather's words, Xu Zhi finally felt relieved.

It must be said that Marquis Yongning understands his eldest grandson quite well. Whenever someone in the household has something to ask for help, Xu Di is always eager to help. It makes no sense that Xu Di wouldn't ask any questions when his own sister is taking care of things. That's just not Xu Di's style.

Looking at his granddaughter sitting in front of him, Marquis Yongning sighed with satisfaction. The children were sensible and ambitious, which was the most gratifying thing for an elder to see. Especially the two siblings in the family, who had suffered outside since childhood and had built up their own abilities step by step.

Especially Xu Di. It wasn't until later that Marquis Yongning realized that his eldest grandson had given him many surprises. Many of the profitable businesses outside were actually run by Xu Di. Xu Di was able to do things discreetly and make them develop according to his own ideas. His cunning, magnanimity, skill, and ability were truly remarkable. In particular, those quick-money businesses, although not registered under his name, had made him quite a bit of money.

Seeing that it was getting late, the Marquis told the two men to go back and rest.

Xu Di and Xu Zhi walked together to the backyard. When they reached the garden, Xu Di stopped and whispered to Xu Zhi, "The capital has not been very peaceful lately. Don't be too ostentatious about opening your shop. Those people are not very well-off, so they do some underhanded things."

Xu Zhi naturally understood what her brother meant, nodded, and said, "Brother, I understand."

After the Battle of Hexi, Hexi City was completely destroyed. Xu Rao led his men to build a new city amidst the ruins. The money used was partly from the Hexi County government's own earnings, and the rest was squeezed from Emperor Liang Cheng's three sons. Otherwise, Hexi County wouldn't have been built so quickly. Originally, Xu Rao had even made a five-year plan for the county, but who knew that the money would suddenly arrive. Xu Rao didn't hide anything and used the money to quickly build a new city.

For the three princes, having no money meant they couldn't do many things. Loyalty was important, but loyalty couldn't put food on the table. If you didn't offer them some incentives to ensure they had enough to eat and wear, who would be willing to follow you wholeheartedly?

As far as Xu Di knew, several lucrative shops in the capital had secretly changed hands in recent years, and no one knew which prince was behind it.

Xu Di was very optimistic about Xu Zhi's cake business. There was no shortage of influential people and wealthy people in the capital. As long as the cakes tasted good, there would definitely be people who liked them. When that time came, it would not be a dream for the small shop to make a fortune every day.

As Xu Zhi walked towards her mother's courtyard, she thought about what Xu Di had just told her. Although the shop in Liaodong had only been open for a little over two months, the profits were already quite astonishing. She really hadn't expected that something so simple to make, and not even very expensive, could generate such a large profit. If they were to position it as a high-end cream birthday cake, the money would come in even more astonishingly quickly.

Walking into the courtyard with a worried expression, Bai Wei saw Xu Zhi and quickly bowed, saying, "Ninth Miss, you're back. Third Madam told you to go to her room as soon as you returned."

Xu Zhi agreed, and after entering the room, she took off her cloak, handed it to Bai Wei, and asked her, "Why is Mother still awake so late?"

Bai smiled and replied, "Third Madam and Eldest Madam are discussing preparing a test basket for the Eldest Young Master."

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhi smiled and said, "Sister-in-law is over here. Brother went back by himself."

Upon entering the inner room, one could see that Mother Chen Zhaoci and Sister-in-law Li Yuexi were sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) by the window, with writing brushes, ink, and paper on the kang table.

Li Yuexi was about to get off the kang (a heated brick bed), but Xu Zhi quickly stopped her. She took off her shoes and got on the kang herself, sitting down next to Li Yuexi. She peeked at the paper on the table that was already covered with writing.

Chen Zhaoci said, "Your eldest brother entered the venue at the end of February. It was still very cold at that time. He had to stay inside for eight or nine days. Food and drink were a problem, and clothing was an even bigger problem."

Xu Zhi, remembering that her father had also taken the imperial examination, asked, "How did my father take the exam back then?"

Chen Zhaoci thought carefully for a moment and said, "At that time, your grandfather prepared these things. I prepared some pills for your father to take with him. After your father finished the exam, he fainted as soon as he left the venue. I was so scared. He had to rest for a long time after returning home before he recovered. His performance in the palace examination was affected. Otherwise, his ranking could have been higher."