With her head down, Jiang Shuwan was diligently calculating data and drawing design plans for a large ship at her desk.

In autumn, the capital city was mostly sunny, and even without the sun, it rarely rained. However, the northern regions experienced several unusually heavy rains. The transported sugar was soaked by the rain, and despite the efforts of the escorting personnel, the losses were still severe.

In this day and age, transporting goods and materials is inherently very costly.

For example, during previous wars, ten cartloads of grain would be transported to their destination, but only half of them would remain, and the material, financial, and human resources consumed were enormous.

Previously, Jiang Shuwan's deliveries were mostly glassware, perfumes, and other similar items, which were much lighter and easier to handle than other goods, except that they were fragile.

Since she was earning a lot of money, she didn't care about the costs of transporting goods.

Nowadays, white sugar is transported in full weight, often by the kilogram, which requires a huge amount of manpower and resources. Coupled with this rain, the losses are truly enormous.

Jiang Shuwan then thought of establishing a fleet for water transport. Fortunately, there was a canal in the north, although it was winding and the road was no simpler than land transport.

But since it's water transport, the savings in manpower, material resources, and time alone amount to a staggering sum.

Water transport is definitely the most cost-effective mode of transportation, but shipbuilding is a problem. Due to the current level of technology, the shipbuilding industry is quite underdeveloped. In the end, Jiang Shuwan picked through a group of skilled workers in various shipbuilding and repair fields and found that they knew more than she did.

Left with no other choice, she had to do the calculations and design herself.

She had been busy for more than half a month, and basically only the final drawings were left to be completed.

With her head down, Jiang Shuwan diligently began to write on the paper. She planned to finish the blueprints today and then send them to the Northern Shipyard.

Shipbuilding is an expensive undertaking; she'll probably have to spend the money she barely has a chance to put in her pocket again.

That's how entrepreneurship is: you earn a lot, but you also spend a lot.

"Why!"

Thinking about it, Jiang Shuwan sighed.

On the other side, Li Chengyun, sitting by the window, kept staring at her. Sometimes he would look at Jiang Shuwan, and sometimes he would look at the pen in Jiang Shuwan's hand.

Jiang Shuwan's calligraphy was so bad that most people would have a hard time recognizing it without a magnifying glass.

But recently, the pen she's been using for drawing isn't a calligraphy brush at all, but something called a "goose quill pen." He saw Qingxing catch a goose in the yard, then pluck a feather from its tail and make it into this pen.

He went back and made a quill pen himself. At first, he found it very difficult to use, but he soon discovered that the quill pen was not only easy to make, but also very economical with ink.

Most importantly, and also most terrifyingly, quill pens are extremely easy to learn.

He had previously tested this on a guard. The guard clearly couldn't write, but as long as he had a quill pen, he could write a decent number of characters in just three to five days.

This was absolutely the most shocking and unbelievable thing for him, aside from the horseshoe.

Although Jiang Shuwan had previously created glass and perfume, these things are, in essence, insignificant; whether they exist or not, the world remains the same.

However, horseshoes were extremely useful in the Wehrmacht.

He had always been disliked, and the three generals' mansions had always been aloof and arrogant. But ever since the horseshoes came into existence, the three young generals and the old general of the three generals' mansions all had to nod when they saw him.

It is easy to imagine how important the horseshoe was.

Therefore, Jiang Shuwan's "quill pen" will be another deadly weapon.

They were killing members of aristocratic families.

I wonder if Jiang Shuwan herself knows that the new pen she made because of her terrible handwriting is such a horrible thing...

As he thought about it, Li Chengyun's gaze toward Jiang Shuwan grew even more intense.

He discovered that the closer he got to Jiang Shuwan, the more she resembled an abyss, containing magnificent treasures he had never seen before.

"Miss, the old lady wants to see you."

At the table, Qingxing placed the milk tea on Jiang Shuwan's table and said softly.

As the girl spoke, she glanced at Li Chengyun next to her. Jiang Shuwan was busy and didn't notice her gaze. The girl picked up her milk tea, drank it, and walked out.

Why did the old lady suddenly call me? Could it be that she's unwell?

Since autumn arrived, the old lady's health has been deteriorating day by day. At first, she thought it was just autumn fatigue.

Later, seeing that the old lady's health was deteriorating, they invited the imperial physician to come again. The physician examined her several times but could not make any diagnosis, only telling her to take good care of herself.

After nearly half a month of recuperation, her condition showed no improvement, and she couldn't help but worry.

"No, it's because Aunt Chang said that the new rice from the farm has arrived this year. Aunt Chang cooked a big pot of it, and the old lady is thinking of you and wants you to come and have some with her."

"New rice for porridge? I'd love to try it."

Jiang Shuwan strode out as she spoke. When she arrived at the old lady's room, she saw a pot of white rice porridge and a dozen or so small dishes neatly arranged on the table.

"The old lady still loves me the most."

Jiang Shuwan acted coquettishly in front of the old lady for a while, then ate her porridge with gusto. The old lady also ate her porridge slowly, and sometimes she would talk to her for a few words. As they talked, the topic would veer off to other things.

"I heard that the Fourth Prince has come again. I am currently unwell, and your wife spends all her time in the Buddhist hall. After all, the Fourth Prince is a member of the royal family, so you must be extremely careful when entertaining him..."

Holding the bowl of porridge, the old lady said softly.

But after she finished speaking, there was no response from the other side.

“Wan, little girl…”

When I looked up, Wan Yatou had already fallen asleep against the back of the chair.

Qingxing quickly apologized awkwardly, "Please forgive me, Madam. Miss has been too busy lately and is quite tired. I'll wake her up right away..."

"Stop calling her. I know she's very tired. Aunt Chang, please help her to my bed to sleep for a while."

"Grandma, this isn't appropriate," Qingxing said anxiously, scratching her head.

“What’s wrong with it? Does she look down on me, this old woman?”

The old lady waved her hand dismissively, and Chang Mama immediately led several old women to help Jiang Shuwan into the inner bedroom. She slept for half an hour. When Jiang Shuwan woke up, the old lady was drinking her medicine. The old lady was fine and simply told her to go back.

As soon as Jiang Shuwan left, Liu Yunyan peeked out from the corner of the old lady's courtyard, lifting the curtain.

Granny Xia asked her, "Miss, what does the old lady mean by this? The Fourth Prince has a male acquaintance who runs to the county princess's courtyard every day without any restraint. Recently, there have been rumors in the capital that her relationship with the Fourth Prince is unusual. Why isn't the old lady worried at all now that she knows about it?"

"How would I know? I tried my best to sow discord between Jiang Shuwan and the old lady. I finally managed to persuade her to call Jiang Shuwan over for questioning, but the old lady changed her tune as soon as she opened her mouth. Listen to her words, there isn't a trace of blame in them!"