Manager Li couldn't guarantee whether He Jin's sister would be able to enter the palace.

However, the fact that a butcher could discern a glimpse of the emperor's efforts to balance the hearts of the people in various prefectures and counties from the emperor's selection of concubines piqued his interest.

In his eyes, He Jin, an uneducated man, must have something extraordinary about him to be able to see this.

In this era, anyone with money and power has a habit of investing in and befriending people from humble backgrounds who are quite capable.

After all, Fan Kuai was also a butcher back then, and he still achieved great success.

Therefore, Manager Li couldn't help but have the idea of ​​befriending and investing with He Jin.

In his view, if what He Jin said was true, and his sister entered the palace, he might also gain a lot of benefits.

Even if He Jin's sister ultimately fails to enter the palace, He Jin's insight and his determination to sell his house to support his sister's journey to Luoyang will surely make him a name for himself in the future.

Thinking of this, Manager Li's face immediately showed a friendly expression: "Brother He's words are truly insightful, making me feel ashamed."

How about this? You can keep your house. I'm willing to give Brother He 300,000 coins as travel expenses for you and your sister to travel to Luoyang, as a way of atoning for my earlier offense!

"That won't do. I, He Jin, am not going to take your money for nothing. Do as you say!"

He Jin directly shook his head and refused Manager Li's overtures.

Manager Li quickly replied, "Oh, Brother He, what are you saying? Just consider it making friends!"

"I'm not going to take your money for nothing. You can buy the house if you want, or I'll find someone else!"

Just kidding, I'm about to become a member of the royal family, how could I possibly have too much to do with merchants from places like this?

"Well, since that's the case, then so be it, Brother He. But please remember, Brother He, I'm just keeping this house safe for you. If you need it, you can take it back at any time."

Seeing He Jin's persistence, Manager Li sighed, but still tried his best to build a relationship with He Jin.

"Well, since Manager Li has said so, it would be rude of me to refuse. Let's do as you say!"

Seeing that the other party had gone this far, He Jin could no longer insist and had no choice but to accept Manager Li's favor.

"Haha~, that's good!"

Seeing this, Manager Li smiled and took out several slips of paper from his pocket, handing them to He Jin: "Brother He, this is the money I have deposited in the Royal Bank. You only need to use these slips to exchange for cash at any branch of the Royal Bank, or to purchase goods!"

"Alright, thank you very much, Manager Li!"

He Jin took the receipt, looked at the amount on it, and then put it in his pocket with satisfaction.

With the continuous development of the Great Han Bank and the Royal Bank, nowadays both merchants and large families deposit some of their spare money in these two banks.

Driven by the Royal Trading Company, these notes, similar to paper money in later times, became the primary means of exchange for merchants and various families.

After all, some large transactions require far too many copper and silver coins, necessitating not only carriage transport but also the hiring of numerous guards.

These tickets, however, perfectly solved these problems. They were both convenient and quick, and people naturally sought after them.

After seeing Manager Li off, He Jin happily went to the backyard and found He Huan.

"Come on, little sister, come with me. I'll take you to the Royal Silk Shop and the Rouge Shop to buy you some clothes and other necessities so you can dress up a bit!"

"Brother, things there are much more expensive than usual. A single piece of clothing costs tens of thousands of coins. Where do you get so much money?"

Upon hearing that He Jin was going to take her to the Royal Shop to buy things, He Huan couldn't help but frown and ask.

He Jin chuckled: "Don't worry about that, anyway, I'm rich now!"

"No, I won't go if I don't know where the money comes from. Brother, we're about to head to Luoyang, you can't..."

Before He Huan could finish speaking, He Jin interrupted her: "My sister, I'm not stupid. How could I possibly do anything wrong at this time and ruin your future? This money came from selling this house."

"What? You sold this house?"

He Huan exclaimed in surprise, looking at He Jin with disbelief: "Brother, this is our family's ancestral home. If you sell it, where will you live in the future?"

He Jin smiled and said, "Look at what you're saying! Since you're about to enter the palace, of course I'll stay in Luoyang!"

He Huan's face turned anxious: "But..."

He Jin said solemnly, "There are no buts. Our He family has been butchers for generations, and it's hard for us to ever rise above our circumstances. This selection of concubines is our family's only chance to rise, and we might even become a prominent family..."

For these things, even if I were to go bankrupt, it would be worth it.

"Brother..."

Hearing He Jin's words, He Huan was deeply moved, and her eyes reddened.

"Alright, let's go. This time, I'll make sure you look your best, so the world can see the splendor of the He family's daughter!"

As he spoke, He Jin was about to lead He Huan outside.

"Brother, please wait a moment!"

"What's wrong?"

Hearing his sister's call, He Jin, who had just turned around, asked in a puzzled tone.

He Huan said solemnly, "Brother, I feel that this matter is somewhat inappropriate. Think about it, the reason why Her Majesty the Empress issued an edict to select women from the common people to enter the palace is..."

One reason was to demonstrate the closeness between the royal family and the common people, and the other was probably because they admired the thrifty and hardworking nature of these women from the common people.

If we spend a lot of money on clothes and cosmetics now, it will inevitably give people the impression of being extravagant and wasteful.

Between you and your younger sister, we should just wear ordinary clothes, as long as they are clean and tidy.

Upon hearing this, He Jin suddenly realized, "Oh dear, my sister is so insightful! I almost ruined a great undertaking!"

He Huan smiled and said, "It's not my fault, brother. After all, entering the palace is a big deal, and most people would make careful preparations. What they don't know is that doing so might actually make them look bad."

He Jin: "What my sister says is true, but now that the house has been sold, what should we do with the money?"

He Huan smiled and said, "Brother, why don't you donate this money to the government to set up a school or a clinic, so that we can gain a good reputation!"

"Hmm, a good idea!" He Jin's eyes lit up: "His Majesty has ordered all counties to build schools and medical clinics. If we do this, it might have a miraculous effect!"

"My sister is so clever and quick-witted; she'll surely win His Majesty's favor in the future. Our He family will all depend on you..."