Chapter 10 No Longer Need to Call Themselves Slaves
Yunxi couldn't say much about the future retaliation against the Shi family at the moment. She asked Gu Nanxiao to find saltpeter according to the prescription so she could make ice on the spot to show him.
Seeing a basin of water slowly freeze into ice was far more impactful than I had heard; it turned out this was the core secret of the Shi family's ice shop.
After a moment of silence, Gu Nanxiao said to Yunxi, "I have several shops in good locations. I'll use one of them to run an ice shop, and I'll give you 30% of the profits."
Gu Nanxiao would give her a share of the profits, which was within Yunxi's expectations. Although the two had only known each other for a few days, Yunxi had already dismissed the false rumors about him from the outside world.
Yunxi felt that although Gu Nanxiao was unruly and domineering, he was quite upright in his actions. She also guessed that he wouldn't be as ruthless as the Shi family.
Simply receiving dividends wasn't Yunxi's goal. After all, she wouldn't be staying in this world for long; when she left, she would only exchange a portion of the silver for gold.
She couldn't take any of the farmland, mansions, jade artifacts, or jewelry with her. Since she couldn't take them with her, they were naturally meaningless to her.
Yunxi slowly shook her head, showing no sign of being moved, and said in a calm and even voice:
"Not only will I not take a single penny, but I will also turn all the shops under your management into money-making treasure troves. I only hope that you will make it public that my sworn sister is the true owner of the prescription."
Gu Nanxiao guessed Yunxi's plan; she wanted to use her influence to challenge the Shi family. Indeed, only the Yong Prince's Mansion could contend with the current Grand Secretary in such a large-scale power struggle.
Even in a contest, the Prince's Mansion would still have the biggest advantage. There are naturally other factions in the court capable of challenging the Grand Secretary, but obtaining this formula would be impossible for them.
What family could resist the temptation of real gold and silver? Every large family is like a tripod, with three legs: power, wealth, and outstanding descendants.
Through power, one can acquire more wealth; through abundant wealth, one can cultivate numerous outstanding descendants; and through a large number of outstanding sons, the entire family can gain more power.
Those clans that gradually declined did so because one of the three legs was missing, thus breaking the balance and ending the virtuous cycle. Even the most prosperous families would eventually decline.
As for the Yongwang Mansion, although it was not as numerous as a prominent aristocratic family as the royal family, Gu Nanxiao himself kept many secret guards under his command.
As clever as he was, he had long realized that the Emperor harbored a hidden desire to kill his father. Despite his father's repeated attempts to conceal his abilities and his forbearance, the Emperor never gave up his ambition to eliminate the Prince Yong's family.
Over the years, if it weren't for the Empress Dowager protecting them, the Yong Prince's Mansion would probably have been destroyed long ago. But living under someone else's wing is not the way a true man should live.
Therefore, he must prepare early so that he has a fighting chance if something unexpected happens.
Yunxi's prescription was undoubtedly a windfall. With such a large amount of wealth, his plans could be implemented more quickly and effectively.
What truly shocked Gu Nanxiao today was Yunxi's attitude. Such a formula, capable of propelling a powerful family to its peak, was handed to him by Yunxi without a second thought.
Her expression suggested that what she was offering wasn't anything valuable, and when the topic of profit sharing came up, Yunxi's completely calm demeanor was something that couldn't be faked, demonstrating her determination to avenge her sworn sister.
Gu Nanxiao turned Yunxi to face him, and after a moment of eye contact, he said to her earnestly, "I grant your request."
"As for the profit sharing, although you are unwilling to accept it, I will not refuse to give it to you. If you think 30% is too little, I will give you 50%."
Yunxi shook her head decisively again, replying firmly, "I said I wouldn't take a single penny. I only wish to gain your trust, young master, and entrust the management of your shop to me."
Gu Nanxiao did not continue to argue about the profit-sharing issue. He had already made up his mind that when the ice shop distributed profits, he would simply take the dividends to Yunxi's courtyard.
Although Yunxi was the woman in his backyard, he couldn't take advantage of her without feeling at ease.
Gu Nanxiao had no doubts about Yunxi's offer to put all the shops under her management. Although it wasn't out of trust in Yunxi's abilities, he would still agree.
Although Gu Nanxiao's dozen or so shops were all quite profitable, they were still incomparable to the ice shop.
So as long as the ice shop can open, even if all the other shops don't make money or even lose money, the overall income will still be quite considerable.
Regardless of whether Yunxi had the ability to manage the shop, Gu Nanxiao took it all as her request to manage the shop and regarded it as one of the rewards.
Having made up his mind, he smiled and nodded, saying, "Alright, I will let you take over my dozen or so shops as soon as possible. In that case, my little manager, you no longer need to call yourself a slave."
He thought Yunxi would be apprehensive, but to his surprise, she immediately and decisively agreed: "Thank you, young master."
Gu Nanxiao's lips curled up slightly, and his pair of peach blossom eyes, which had a touch of heroic spirit, were filled with emotions that were hard to understand.
He had long known that although this little girl kept calling herself a slave, she never considered him her master for a single moment, nor did she ever feel inferior to him.
For some reason, from the first moment Gu Nanxiao saw Yunxi, he noticed that this girl possessed an innate, unapproachable aura. It was as if she was born to stand on a cloud, deserving of the utmost respect and worship from others.
This is extremely inconsistent with her background of growing up in a rural village. It seems that Mo Yu should be asked to investigate Yunxi's past.
Looking at Yunxi's bright smile, Gu Nanxiao felt that she was unusually happy to have freed her from calling herself a slave. Although it was just a simple change in address, it made Gu Nanxiao feel that Yunxi seemed much closer to him.
As the heir of the Yun family, how could Yunxi be so overjoyed by such a trivial matter? The reason she showed obvious delight was simply to give Gu Nanxiao a positive response.
Just like when Gu Nanxiao mentioned profit sharing earlier, she showed an indifferent expression, which was also an implication to Gu Nanxiao that this was not what she wanted.
However, talking to a product of a deeply ingrained feudal society about equality for all and respect for women will only invite ridicule and will not yield the desired results.
Therefore, Yunxi could only proceed gradually, subtly influencing Gu Nanxiao or through exchanges of benefits, to gradually guide him to give her the respect and freedom she truly desired.
Gu Nanxiao held the person in his arms, tracing her charming eyebrows and eyes with his gaze. After a moment, his burning gaze fixed on her slightly parted red lips, and he lowered his head to prepare to kiss those luscious lips.
Unexpectedly, just as he made that move, Yunxi suddenly turned around, walked to the dressing table, sat down, and said while applying her makeup:
"Young master, please take me out for a look around. I'd like to see the shops you own."
Looking at Yunxi's bright smile in the bronze mirror, Gu Nanxiao suppressed the strange feeling he had just had. How could such a selfless girl, who only wanted to do things for him, resist his affection?
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