Qin Yuan's dowry shops were not in very good locations, scattered in several corners of the West Market. The only one near the stall was very small and could not do any big business.

Gu Shiliu was thinking of casually mentioning it to the Marquis when he got back.

Qin Yuan was quite satisfied after looking at these shops.

Compared to my previous life, it's already so much better.

The shopkeepers were all old men appointed by Cui, who were respectful to her but lacked loyalty.

Qin Yuan didn't care.

After hearing their general explanation, Qin Yuan asked to look through the account books that had been kept for many years.

If Qin Wan were to acquire these shops, the old nanny who accompanied her in her dowry would naturally help manage them, so she wouldn't need to personally oversee the shops or deal with the shopkeepers.

However, Qin Yuan only had two maids who had grown up with her.

Cuiming and Hongye hadn't experienced much hardship yet, and their faces were still very young, so she had to do everything herself.

After reviewing the ledgers, Qin Yuan had already made up her mind.

She asked Gu Shiliu, "I wonder if Meixiangzhai is around here?"

Gu Shiliu was taken aback. "Does Madam wish to try their pastries?"

Qin Yuan nodded.

Gu Shiliu said, "It's not far. Their hibiscus cake, mung bean cake, and cloud cake are all pretty good. I haven't been there for a while, so I wonder if they've come up with any new products."

Qin Yuan said, "Why don't you run an errand for me and pick out a few trendy items? Everything else is fine, but hibiscus cake is a must. If you know what the old lady likes, that would be even better."

Gu Shiliu immediately agreed happily.

He had already figured out how to say it to the Marquis when he got back.

The Marquis grew up in a wealthy family and went to the army to work in his youth. He didn't care about money at all and was very generous and domineering.

Gu Shiliu wouldn't let such a good opportunity slip by.

As soon as Gu Shiliu left, Qin Yuan slammed down the account book in her hand and said coldly to the shopkeepers, "You all need to redo these account books. Submit them to the Marquis's residence in three days. If I find any flaws again, you can stop managing these shops and go back to work for the Qin family."

Seeing their shifty eyes and suspicious expressions, Qin Yuan knew that they didn't believe she had seen through the trickery in these ledgers, and thought she was just bluffing and trying to trick them.

"Here, here, in these places, there are discrepancies between the general ledger and the individual ledgers. Little by little, over time, who knows how much money has been leaked out, and the accounts can't even be balanced. How can I trust you? Do you think the Marquis's accountants can't find out?"

Qin Yuan's move greatly shocked them.

Not many women know how to use an abacus, and even fewer know how to use mental arithmetic. Qin Yuan was so quick to spot the problem with the ledger that it was truly astonishing.

If they move out of the Marquis's residence again, they will dare not act recklessly.

Manager Wu, who was leading the group, stood up shakily, picked up the account book with trembling hands, and his goatee quivered as he hissed, "We will have someone redo the account book right away, but with so many years of account books, it is impossible to check them all in one go. Please give Madam Hou a few more days."

The other shopkeepers chimed in, smiling obsequiously, "The accounts from recent years aren't too bad, but the old ones are more difficult to handle. Actually, we have records of all the inflows and outflows this year. It's just that the young clerk isn't careful when he's doing the accounts, and he makes a few mistakes when transcribing them. Usually, we check the accounts carefully when we close the year, otherwise Madam Qin wouldn't have had us manage the shop all this time."

Qin Yuan drank her tea for a while before slowly saying, "Since that's the case, you should first sort out this year's accounts carefully. You have already settled the previous accounts with the Qin family's accountants, so I won't pursue it any further. However, from now on, you must be extremely careful and not make any more mistakes."

Manager Wu quickly took the lead in promising, "Madam, rest assured, it is only right. We handed it over without carefully counting it because Madam was in a hurry. There will never be any more like this in the future."

Qin Yuan intimidated them before asking, "How much money can each shop mobilize now?"

The shopkeepers whispered among themselves for a while before each revealing a number.

All together, it's only five hundred taels of silver.

Qin Yuan knew they were worried she would take the money and affect the shop's business, so they would definitely try to hide it. However, she didn't expect the amount to be so far from what she had imagined.

Five hundred taels of silver can only buy about ten catties of pepper.

Seeing her frown, Manager Wu asked, "Madam, is there some urgent need for the silver?"

Qin Yuan didn't hide anything from him: "I intend to stockpile some pepper."

Shopkeeper Wu hurriedly said, "That thing is so precious. Even if you try to sell it after you get it, it will be hard to sell. Ordinary people would never be willing to use it."

Manager Lin asked, "Has Madam received any news?"

The other shopkeepers also realized that since Qin Yuan had married into the Marquis's household, she might have received some news, which was why she acted this way.

Meeting the expectant gazes of the crowd, Qin Yuan casually said, "Not really. I had a dream a few days ago that pepper prices in the capital skyrocketed and was impossible to buy anywhere. Many wealthy families couldn't even afford pepper for sacrificial offerings or meat dishes, and they were complaining incessantly, worried that their ancestors would be angry."

Manager Lin was somewhat disappointed, but he smiled and said, "How could such a dream be so accurate? Madam, you don't know, pepper used to come from the Western Regions and was always expensive. In the past two years, merchants from the Western Regions have been bringing in less and less pepper."

"It was already a rare commodity, and now it's even rarer. Nowadays, roast meat shops are starting to look for other spices to replace it, otherwise I'm afraid not many customers can afford it. However, some people have already found out that there are many places in the Western Kingdom that they pass through on their sea voyages that produce pepper, and they are raising funds to ship pepper back to sell, so it's really hard to predict whether the price of this commodity will rise or fall."

Shopkeeper Wu also said, "We must be careful. If the lady buys too much and can't use it all, we're afraid that the market will change and the value will drop. Ordinary people wouldn't be willing to eat this stuff; only rich families would use it."

Qin Yuan thought for a moment and said, "I had that dream very vividly. You might as well try your best to find out where pepper can be sold, preferably in large quantities. Buying it in small quantities will make it difficult to negotiate the price since the quality will vary."

Manager Wu had no choice but to agree.

They both saw disapproval in each other's eyes.

Qin Yuan, seeing this, said, "We won't use the five hundred taels of silver. It will make it easier for you to replenish your inventory. However, the ledgers must be revised. If any problems are found in the shops during future inspections, don't blame me for sending you to the Prefectural Governor's Office with a letter from the Marquis's Mansion."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and repeatedly said they wouldn't dare.

Manager Lin suddenly said, "I heard that there is a Persian merchant in the West Market whose elderly mother is sick and who is about to pack up his stall and rush home. I will go and inquire about him later to see if he has any pepper left over."

Qin Yuan nodded and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you."

Gu Shiliu had already bought the pastries and packed them into several bags of various sizes, hanging them on his arm. He asked with a surprised look, "Madam wants to buy pepper?"