"Deal!" Su Jinli thrust the banknote into Lingge's pocket without hesitation, her eyes determined. "But let me be frank. If you dare print even one less page, or use inferior mulberry paper—" As she spoke, she tapped the bronze paperweight on the corner of the table with her fingertips, the crisp sound a warning to Boss Wang. "I, Su Jinli, may not know much, but I do keep track of the account books." Her voice, though soft, carried an undeniable authority.
Boss Wang nodded quickly, bending over, motioning for the servant to open the brocade box. "Look! This is a thank-you gift for you: Yangzhou's latest mother-of-pearl inlaid dressing box, complete with twelve shades of rouge!" The box, opened, was instantly flooded with brilliance. The exquisite box, like a rare treasure, radiated a captivating sheen.
Su Jinli was about to speak when she heard a loud bang outside the courtyard gate, followed by her brother, Young Marquis Su, yelling at the top of his lungs, "Sister! Sister! I beat that grandson of Lin Wenxuan!"
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a young man rushing in, carrying a gilded crescent-shaped sword (albeit a toy) taller than a man. The jade crown holding his hair was askew, and the hem of his brocade robe was smeared with mud. Yet, a triumphant smile adorned his face, as if defeating Lin Wenxuan was a matter of immense honor. "Sister, didn't you see? That boy said in the teahouse that the words you wrote were 'the lewd music of brothels,' and I pushed him under the table with the hilt of my sword!" Young Marquis Su described the scene vividly, looking like a victorious general.
Lingge's face turned pale with fear, and Boss Wang was even more terrified, shrinking his neck and trying to hide in his chair, as if the gilded crescent blade would fall on him at any second. Su Jinli, however, remained calm. She gently put down the teacup, slowly walked over to her brother, reached out to help him straighten his jade crown, and asked softly, "Are you fighting again?"
"I didn't use any force!" Young Marquis Su said stubbornly with his neck stiff, "I just slapped him on the butt with the back of the knife! Who told him to scold my sister!" His eyes were full of protection for his sister, as if he would rush up without hesitation if anyone dared to say a bad word about his sister.
As she was talking, the doorman hurriedly handed in another piece of letter. Su Jinli took it, opened it, and saw that it was a handwritten letter from Jiang Yan. "Minister Lin's silk shop took inventory today and found that 30% of the goods were inferior products. It has been ordered to close by the guild. I have also attached three pages of Lin Wenxuan's brothel consumption account book. I hope Miss will accept it." She unfolded the rice paper attached to the letter, and saw that it listed Lin Wenxuan's consumption records for the past six months in detail. From "Yicuilou" to "Xiaojinku", every consumption was recorded clearly, even the amount of silver rewarded to each girl was clearly written. Su Jinli couldn't help laughing. She pushed the account book in front of Boss Wang and said, "See? If anyone dares to say that the book I wrote is not presentable, just slam this thing on his desk."
Boss Wang looked at the densely packed accounts and was so shocked that his tongue was stuck: "My God...this Jiang Zhuangyuan is really...really cool!" He widened his eyes, as if he had seen something incredible.
Young Marquis Su also came over curiously to watch the fun. Suddenly, he pointed at one of the accounts and shouted, "Sister! Look! This kid still owed eighty taels of wine at Zuixianlou last month!"
Su Jinli's eyes lit up, and she immediately said to Lingge, "Go, bring me my copy of 'The Debtors of the Noblemen of the Capital.'" She took the account book from Lingge, turned to Lin Wenxuan's page, and carefully added a few entries. Suddenly, she looked up and said to Boss Wang with a smile, "Boss Wang, if we turned this account book into a storybook called 'The Debts of the Dandy and Romantic Man,' would it sell better than 'The Laughter of the Jianghu'?"
Boss Wang slapped his thigh and said excitedly: "Oh my Miss Su! What's wrong with your brain? If this is printed, I guarantee that all the girls and ladies in Beijing will rush to buy it!" His eyes were full of admiration and expectation for this idea, as if he had already seen the scene of the book becoming a best-seller.
The sun gradually set, its afterglow casting a golden veil over the courtyard of the Prime Minister's Mansion. Boss Wang, carrying the manuscript of "Jianghu Xiao" and Su Jinli's newly compiled "topic list," left with many thanks. Young Marquis Su, crouching in the corridor with a plate of freshly baked mung bean cakes, watched his sister write and draw in the account book. Suddenly, he asked, "Sister, does Brother Jiang Yan like you?"
Su Jinli paused for a moment while holding the pen. She slowly raised her head, looked at her brother, and said in a serious tone, "What do you know, little kid?"
"I understand!" Young Marquis Su stuffed the cake into his mouth and said vaguely, "Last time in the Imperial Garden, he helped you pick up the hairpin, and I saw his ears turned red! And at the poetry gathering last time, he clearly could draw a phoenix, but he insisted that he could only draw earthworms—"
"Go away!" Su Jinli smiled and knocked him on the head with the account book. "If you keep talking nonsense, you won't be allowed to eat pork elbow tonight."
The young man covered his head and made a playful face, but suddenly became serious: "Sister, no matter who likes you, they have to pass me first!" He patted the crescent-shaped sword beside him and said seriously, "Whoever dares to bully you, I will use this sword... uh... to give him a beating!"
Su Jinli couldn't help but smile at her brother's serious expression. The evening breeze blew through the courtyard, gently swaying the parrot cage hanging under the porch. The bird chirped crisply, "Get rich! Get rich! Get rich!" as if adding a touch of joy to the beautiful atmosphere.
She looked down at the increasingly large sum of money in the account book, and then remembered the words in Jiang Yan's letter, "I hope the young lady will accept it with pleasure." A warm current surged in her heart. Suddenly, she felt that the sunshine of this life seemed especially warm, shining on her body and warming her heart.
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