Madam Qi sighed and said, "The Guan family isn't known for being extravagant. How could someone as arrogant as Miss Guan emerge? One thousand taels is no small sum. How dare she?"

Madam Zhan smiled and saw through everything but didn't say it out loud.

"Mom." Qi Yun came over.

Mrs. Qi smiled when she saw her daughter’s gentle and kind appearance.

Miss Guan is not good-looking and is a bit fat. She hates beautiful women the most and always makes sarcastic remarks when she encounters someone important.

"Madam Zhan, why don't we go next door to look at the silk? I heard that a batch of high-quality silk was shipped from Loulan."

"Okay, let's go check it out."

Mrs. Zhan had the same idea and wanted to make some clothes for her granddaughter.

"Walk."

Madam Qi and Madam Zhan went out side by side.

Qi Yun slowed down her pace as she left the shop. After a moment's thought, she returned to the shop and walked to the counter. "Boss, do you still have the jewelry that the young lady just bought?"

“No more.”

"Are there any similar materials left?"

The shopkeeper shook his head.

"When will it be available?"

"It's hard to say. The set we have in our store is made of crystals purchased from another country. We had them designed and polished by someone, and there's only one set."

Qi Yun's eyes were filled with disappointment. After thanking him, he left the shop.

The immortal is drunk.

Ye Qianning got off the carriage and walked towards Xianrenzui with Gu Chi. When she reached the door, she paused slightly and subconsciously looked up.

Beside the window on the fourth floor, there was a figure leaning against it. He had a tall and straight figure and a handsome face. He looked at her with some surprise.

"What's wrong?" Gu Chi turned around.

Ye Qianning retracted his gaze: "It's okay."

After entering the restaurant, the waiter led them to the third floor.

"Qian Ning, do you have something to ask your second uncle?" Gu Chi noticed.

Ye Qianning sat down: "Second uncle saw it."

Gu Chi smiled and nodded. Businessmen are very observant. He knew it when the little girl invited him to dinner.

"I'd like to ask my second uncle's caravan to help me promote a kind of tea called coffee when they travel around." She went straight to the point.

"Of course, it's okay, but what kind of tea is this coffee?" Gu Chi had never heard of it.

"I'll have someone send some to Second Uncle later. You can try it first. Coffee is the best drink for a businessman like Second Uncle. It's refreshing."

"good."

"Where did you get the diamonds on that set of jewelry in Second Uncle's shop?"

"I got them from a black market on the border. The ones I bought weren't top-quality products, just scraps that could only be polished and shaped into earrings and bracelets."

"What's the price of the finest items?"

"It's a sky-high price. These scraps are hard to come by."

It was also the first time that Gu Chi saw a crystal-like material, so he bought some out of curiosity.

When Ye Qianning was on her way to Bermuda, she passed by a mountain range and accidentally discovered a diamond mine. She went to investigate and found that it was not a big mine. She thought of ordering people to mine it later, but she forgot about it in her busyness.

If she hadn't seen the jewelry today, she wouldn't have remembered it.

"If you like it, I'll ask someone to buy some high-quality ones and ship them back." Seeing her thinking, Gu Chi thought she was more concerned.

Ye Qianning came back to his senses and shook his head: "I discovered a diamond mine when I was out in the field before, but it hadn't been mined at the time. I was curious when I saw the jewelry in the store today, so I remembered it."

"Diamond mine?"

Gu Chi was stunned.

Are there diamond mines?

He couldn't help but think of the coal mine...

"The diamond veins are probably not very large, but if we can collect them, polish them, and sell them, we'll definitely become wealthy."

Gu Chi couldn't deny that no matter how small the area was, if he could really produce something even the size of a fist, he could make a lot of money by polishing it.

"Indeed, there are a few pieces circulating on the black market, and their origins are unknown. I've occasionally heard rumors that these pieces fell from the sky and were accidentally picked up by someone. I'm not sure if this is true or not, but there are no rumors of mineral veins."

She understood what Gu Chi meant.

Ye Qianning looked at the diamond carefully when she saw it, and it was made of the same material as the diamond she had discovered.

"I wonder if it's from the mineral vein you mentioned. I'll write a letter and ask someone to investigate further."

"It came from the same place and should not have been mined. There is a natural poisonous miasma around Fanzhou Mountain and there are no special antidote pills. Ordinary people can't get in. At that time, my father and I were in a hurry to rush to Bermuda, so we chose to go to Fanzhou Mountain." Ye Qianning dispelled Gu Chi's suspicion.

"If it's not mined, then is the rumor that it was found true?"

"Nine out of ten chances, Fanzhou Mountain is very high, with one side being quite steep. Some birds build their nests on the cliffs and like to decorate them with shiny things. The wind and rain may have damaged the nests, and the diamonds may have fallen and rolled to the edge of the miasma. It's not surprising that someone picked them up."

Gu Chi listened carefully and nodded, seeming to understand.

"Is Second Uncle interested in cooperating?" Ye Qianning asked.

Gu Chi seemed a little stunned and a little surprised: "Cooperation?"

"The land outside the borders does not belong to the four countries. If we discover it but don't mine it, wouldn't it be a waste of natural resources?"

Gu Chi ignored the idea of ​​cooperation for a moment when he heard this. He nodded and felt that Ye Qianning's words made sense: "Things outside the border are ownerless and can be mined, but mining will definitely require a large number of people. Is the poisonous miasma you just mentioned really a problem?"

"Take a detoxification pill every three days, and you'll be able to get through the poisonous miasma. You'll be fine once you get to the mountain."

Gu Chi nodded: "That's good."

"So, second uncle, do you want to cooperate?" Ye Qianning asked again with his head tilted.

Hearing about cooperation again, Gu Chi was shocked again: "What kind of cooperation is Qian Ning talking about?"

"My people will be responsible for mining, and Second Uncle's people will be responsible for polishing and selling. As for the profit sharing, after deducting labor costs, the profits will be split 40% and 60%. What do you think, Second Uncle?"

40% to 60%?

Gu Chi was shocked. A score of 46 was like a piece of cake...

"Second uncle?"

"Qian Ning, if you want to mine, your second uncle's shop will help you sell it, and you don't have to share the profits." Gu Chi declined.

In his heart, he really didn't expect Ye Qianning to be so generous. Diamonds were sold at extremely high prices on the black market and were rare. The scraps he bought cost him thousands of taels. The price of high-quality diamonds was sky-high.

A high-quality diamond is probably worth several months' profit for the Gu family. If a lot of diamonds are mined, the 40% profit income is probably more than what the Gu family could earn even during its heyday.

How dare he ask for it.

"If Second Uncle doesn't agree, I'll find another channel, and the profit will also be 40%."

Ye Qianning knew Gu Chi's character, so she didn't dare to say 50-50 or something like that. According to estimates, at least several tons of raw stones could be mined, polished and sold to the four countries. A 40% profit would be enough to make the Gu family the richest family in Beili.

Gu Chi opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.

"I think it's better for our family to earn the money than to let outsiders get it. If my second uncle really doesn't agree, I'll have to find someone else." Ye Qianning said with a slight sigh.

It took Gu Chi a while to recover: "Do you know how much forty percent is?"

"Know."

"I know you still..."

"Second uncle, don't refuse. We own 60% of the shares." Ye Qianning interrupted with a smile.

Gu Chi was still a little confused.

From a business perspective, she provides the manpower and he is only responsible for finding craftsmen to polish it and sell it in the shop.

This ratio is more than 10%.

Ye Qianning actually gave him 40%...

"Uncle, think about it carefully. If diamonds are to be sold in Beili, they must go through the imperial merchants. Otherwise, the taxes paid by private merchants are quite high. Second uncle's shop is ready, so why not do it?" Ye Qianning saw that the other party was a little relaxed and immediately said, "I don't want to pay taxes to the Beili treasury. If Second uncle doesn't agree, I can only consider Xiyan."

Gu Chi was silent for a while: "I agree to cooperate, but 40% profit is too high, 10% is enough."

"One percent is not enough."

"Then..." Gu Chi gritted his teeth: "Twenty percent, twenty percent should be fine."

Ye Qianning shook his head.

Gu Chi was in a dilemma, as a 10% profit from the business was more than all the Gu family's current income.

"Twenty percent, that's twenty percent."

Ye Qianning wanted to laugh in her heart, but it was precisely because of this that she knew she had not chosen the wrong person.

"Thirty percent." She said lightly.

"Twenty percent."

"Only 30%."

“…”

If you don’t know, you might think they are fighting for some interests.

One really wants to give, the other really doesn't want it.

A brief moment of silence—

"30%."

"good."

"kindness."

“…”

"puff."

Ye Qianning couldn't help but look at each other.

"...Haha, hey." Gu Chi couldn't help laughing out loud, and he felt a lot more relaxed in his heart.

The servant brought the food, all of which were Xianrenzui’s signature dishes.

Ye Qianning picked up the chopsticks: "Second uncle, eat."

Gu Chi had been patrolling the shop all morning and was indeed a little hungry. Picking up his chopsticks, he first added a piece of meat to Ye Qianning's plate and said, "Eat more."

"Thank you, second uncle."

Gu Chi smiled gently and started eating.

The food tasted better than usual, not knowing whether it was because I was in a good mood or because Xianrenzui had changed the chef.

He raised his eyes slightly and saw the little man opposite him eating bite by bite. The scene was very quiet and beautiful.

He suddenly felt that raising a son and raising a daughter were really different. His boy was seven years old and was very naughty all day long and was often beaten.

Ye Qianning was chubby and very cute when she was a child. She seemed to be very attached to Xiang Minghou. Xiang Minghou could often be seen walking around the street with his daughter in his arms, smiling like a fool.

He seemed to understand a little now.

I really want to have a daughter.

Unfortunately, no matter how many children the Gu family has had over the generations, there are no girls.

The meal was harmonious and quiet.

Gu Chi said nothing and refused to let Ye Qianning pay.

After leaving Xianrenzui, Gu Chi said a few words to Ye Qianning at the door before getting on his horse and leaving.

After just having a meal with the little girl, Gu Chi wanted a daughter even more.

Ye Qianning was not in a hurry to go back. He turned around and went back into Xianrenzui. He went up to the third floor, walked into the first room in the private room area, and raised his hand to knock on the door.

The door opened and she stepped into the room.

"Dad, why are you drunken?" Ye Qianning walked to the table and sat down.

Gu Shuo stepped forward and said, "I asked my friends about something."

"Is this Master Zhang's business?"

"Well, the Changyang Palace gave us some information yesterday. Master Zhang's matter is related to the History Department. Those people just now said that they saw Master Zhang enter the city with their own eyes two months ago. Later, he was invited by the Minister of History, Li Wei, to the palace to be a teacher for his eldest son, Li Su. They haven't seen Master Zhang since then. Li Wei said that Master Zhang said he was not feeling well a few days after entering the palace and went out of the city to seek medical treatment." Gu Shuo poured out the information he had received.

Ye Qianning, the Minister of History, learned some information about the personnel from the information he obtained.

Li Wei had two sons. The eldest son, Li Qinghui, was 27 years old and had worked in the History Department for two years. Last year, he had his leg broken by someone riding a horse in the street. The second son was 17 years old and as stupid as a pig, but he still wanted to go to the Loushan Academy.

"Everyone seems to have inquired about Master Zhang, but there's no sign of him. I've already sent someone to the Li residence to spread the word that a thorough investigation is needed into Master Zhang's death. We should have news soon."

"Just go to any one of them."

Prince Changyang is in charge of Master Zhang's affairs, so it will be easy to deal with them when the time comes.

"The group of great scholars on Loushan are also involved." Ever since Ye Qianning went to Loushan last time, he has figured out those hypocritical guys.

"Have you been to Loushan?"

"A few days ago, I went to the back mountain and happened to run into He Yuting, who claimed to be the dean of Loushan. He was arrogant and pretentious, and he looked a bit like a great scholar."

"He just claimed it. Without the inheritance of the dean, it doesn't count. He can't be the abbot of Loushan Priesthood."

"I don't take these people seriously at all."

Gu Shuo nodded, then thought about what had just happened: "Are you really going to mine diamonds from Fanzhou Mountain? Didn't you say that the space is too small and it would be a waste of manpower?"

"Now think about it, even if there are only a few rats, they are still meat. The minimum estimate is one ton."

"What's the difference between three percent profit and giving it away for free? Why are you concerned about his face?" Gu Shuo rolled his eyes.

"Dad, you don't know, my second uncle is quite good. He gave me two thousand taels of jewelry without blinking an eye."

"I shouldn't give it to you, but at least you called me uncle."

"Dad, I hope the other members of the Gu family haven't bothered you recently."

"I came here twice, but was repelled by Gu Zhifeng both times. I don't know whether Gu Zhifeng was possessed by evil spirits or ghosts." Gu Shuo sneered.

Ye Qianning just shook his head slightly after listening.

Dad must still be unable to let go of the fact that the three branches jointly kicked him out of the Gu family. Even if Gu Zhifeng has come to terms with it and admits his mistakes, the matter cannot be forgotten just by his admission of guilt.

It's a bit difficult to untie the knot in my heart.

The same day Ye Qianning returned to the Xiang family, he received an invitation from the Queen. Three days later, the palace would hold a flower-viewing banquet.

An invitation was delivered early in the morning, but there was no one at home. The eunuch who delivered the invitation waited for most of the day, but when he could not wait any longer, he handed the invitation to the housekeeper.

Ye Qianning raised her eyes and took a look. After five days in the city, they could no longer hold back.

Emperor Beili must have known why the secret gangsters had been circling around the outskirts of the palace.

Although there were dozens of people in the dark and they were not on the same team, their purpose in surrounding them was the same, which was to protect them secretly.

I don’t know whether the people from the Northern Li Emperor got Fengling Horn from them.

"Miss, these are the invitations sent from your residence today." The housekeeper handed over two invitations.

Ye Qianning raised his hand and threw the Queen's invitation aside, then opened another one. It was a invitation from Fu Cheng, saying that he would hold a banquet in his new mansion in seven days.

The entire capital city should have received such a post.

"Go prepare the pen and ink."

Ye Qianning walked into the hall.

Throwing the invitation on the table, Fu Cheng was the Marquis of Yong'an appointed by the emperor himself. Almost the whole capital knew about it, but I don't know how many people came to congratulate him.

I don’t know what he was thinking about, but a hint of interest flashed in Ye Qianning’s eyes.