As Butler Jia pondered these thoughts, he became lost in sadness.

Seeing the dejected look on Butler Jia's face, Zhou Zhizhi knew he was reminiscing about the past, so she stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder. "Uncle Jia, don't worry, I will definitely clear my father's name."

Zhou Zhizhi smiled firmly at Steward Jia. Instead of using the polite and distant term of address, she chose the more affectionate way the original owner of the house addressed Steward Jia when she was a child.

"Good child." When Butler Jia heard Zhou Zhizhi call him Uncle Jia again, a feeling of warmth welled up inside him. He raised his sleeve, wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, and then grasped Zhou Zhizhi's hand in return, his eyes full of earnest expectation.

He desperately hoped that General Zhou could be exonerated and that the wicked prime minister and his family would suffer a terrible death!

"Uncle Jia, could you give me some money so I can rent a few shops?" Zhou Zhizhi didn't forget that time was of the essence; she needed to find shops within the morning and had to leave immediately.

"Yes, I'll go right away." Steward Jia hurriedly responded and went to the storeroom to get the silver notes, which he then handed to Zhou Zhizhi.

While waiting for Steward Jia, Zhou Zhizhi felt it necessary to seriously consider the family's financial situation. A while ago, she had indeed ordered the purchase of a batch of precious medicinal herbs to assist her in cultivating the Northern Darkness Divine Art.

But Zhou Zhizhi really didn't expect that the money would be emptied so quickly. Although the mansion had hundreds of taels of gold and thousands of taels of silver, it sounded like a lot of wealth.

However, the Imperial Preceptor's mansion was quite large, and there were still monthly wages for servants and daily purchases to cover expenses. Now that the old emperor was terminally ill and controlled by the Eastern Depot, it was even less likely that he would reward her as often as before. She had always maintained a neutral stance in the court, so after many court officials who wanted to win her over were rebuffed, they gradually stopped sending her money and gifts to try and win her over.

Relying solely on the Imperial Preceptor's salary is clearly insufficient to support her in confronting the Prime Minister, or in retiring after achieving her goals and escaping Xiao Xiyou to find a secluded paradise surrounded by handsome men and live a leisurely life.

It seems that besides getting Xiao Xiyou a few profitable shops, I also need to make money as soon as possible!

"Grand Preceptor, here are three thousand taels of silver notes." Steward Jia quickly took out the silver notes and presented them with both hands.

"Wu Er, keep this safe," Zhou Zhizhi instructed after glancing at the silver notes.

Wu Er hurriedly took the silver note, carefully stuffed it into the front of his clothes, and followed Zhou Zhizhi out of the gate of the Imperial Preceptor's Mansion.

Wu Er first took Zhou Zhizhi to Zouma Street, the most bustling street in the capital.

This is the main road leading to the palace, and it is also the route that the emperor must take when he goes on tours and that civil and military officials must take to court. The road is wide, the public security is good, and there are many vendors. It is the street with the highest passenger flow in the capital.

"Steamed buns, steamed buns, piping hot steamed buns."

"Sir, would you like a bowl of soy milk? Freshly ground, it's delicious!"

Zhou Zhizhi and Wu Da arrived at Zouma Street in the morning. At that time, the cries of breakfast vendors were rising and falling on the street, and the aroma of various foods was mixed together, making one's mouth water just by smelling it.

Zhou Zhizhi and Wu Er are both foodies and never miss out on delicious food.

"Miss, the steamed buns here are very delicious. You haven't tried them yet, have you? Why don't we buy some to try?" In order to reveal his identity when they were out, Wu Er would always call Zhou Zhizhi "Miss".

Zhou Zhizhi couldn't help but laugh at Wu Er's gluttonous look. This guy wanted to eat but insisted on making excuses to let her have a taste. However, she was indeed a little hungry at the moment. She had rushed out of the manor without having breakfast in the morning, so now she could buy a few steamed buns and eat them on the way.

“Let’s go buy it,” Zhou Zhizhi agreed to Wu Er’s suggestion.

Upon receiving the order, Wu Er eagerly ran off to buy steamed buns.

While waiting for Wu Er, Zhou Zhizhi casually looked around and found a nice shop that was available for rent.

It is located at the entrance of Zouma Street, where there is a lot of foot traffic. She secretly thought to herself that although Zouma Street is very lively, there are not many decent restaurants in her observation. Opening a restaurant here should not be bad.

Just as she was thinking, Wu Er walked back quickly, holding several steaming hot buns in his hand.

He handed one to Zhou Zhizhi, and then picked one up and began to taste it himself.

"Miss, you must try this! This bun is really delicious!" Wu Er ate with great relish and happily recommended the delicacy to Zhou Zhizhi.

Zhou Zhizhi also took a bite, and indeed, these steamed buns were very delicious. She took a bite, and the dough was soft, the filling was fresh, and the taste was excellent.

"Yes, it's really delicious." Zhou Zhizhi nodded with a smile, then looked at the shop. "Wu Er, come with me to that shop and find out more about it."

Zhou Zhizhi and Wu Er walked into the shop that was up for rent. It was a small tavern that was already in operation. The interior was simply furnished, but the space was spacious and bright, suitable for running a restaurant.

Because it was early morning, there weren't many guests in the hotel, only a few scattered people. The guest rooms were on the second floor, and people were coming down to check out.

"Are you two here for drinks or to stay at the inn?" The waiter greeted them warmly.

"No, we came here to inquire after seeing the 'For Rent' sign at the entrance," Wu Er answered the waiter directly. Then he said to the waiter, "Where is your manager? Call him out."

Upon hearing that they were there to rent out their property, the waiter quickly invited the two men to the reception room on the second floor, prepared tea for them, and brought it over.

"Please wait here a moment while I go and inform them," the waiter said respectfully.

Zhou Zhizhi picked up the teacup, took a sip, and nodded.

A short while later, a slightly overweight middle-aged man entered.

"I am the owner of this shop. My surname is Liu. May I ask how I address you two? Are you looking to rent out your property?" the man said with a smile to Zhou Zhizhi and Wu Er.

"This is my Miss Zhou, she's looking to rent out her property." Wu Er quickly stood behind Zhou Zhizhi when he saw the newcomer.

"I wonder why Manager Liu wants to rent out this shop? Although there are fewer people drinking downstairs this morning, the guest rooms upstairs are all full, so it doesn't seem like the business is doing poorly." Zhou Zhizhi got straight to the point and asked about the reason for renting out the shop.

It's common to see shops for rent due to poor management, but if the business is doing well and the shop is located on Zouma Street, it won't be easily rented out unless there are some major problems.

"To be honest, Miss Zhou, my restaurant is usually very popular. I had to reluctantly give it up for personal reasons."

Manager Liu appeared distressed and quickly explained the reason.