Zhou Beichen's brows finally relaxed. He seemed very satisfied with his children, but his tone was still cold and stern.
"Alright, get up now. Remember, even if you're not by my side, you can't yell like that. It's disrespectful to be so noisy."
This one sentence made the little guys shudder at the same time and bowed obediently.
"I know I was wrong. Thank you for your guidance, Father."
"Okay, that's enough. Come here and sit down in order. Your sister will be here soon."
After Zhou Beichen made his announcement, the little guys looked at each other, finally relaxed, and quietly went back to their seats.
They could quarrel and make noise in front of the concubines, but as soon as Zhou Beichen came, they would be scared and behave themselves with just one word, not daring to move at all.
To be honest, the little ones looked so well-behaved that it gave Zhou Beichen a headache. He didn't understand why he had the same attitude towards every child, but why were all of them afraid of him except Zhou Zhaonuan?
Or maybe these are what normal children should look like, and his daughter is a weirdo.
"Daddy, I brought it to you, look."
A burst of shouting broke the silence again. Facing Zhou Zhaonuan who rushed in, Zhou Beichen once again sulked.
"Why are you running? You're making such a fuss, how can you be so disrespectful? Look at you, I understand. You've led your brothers and sisters astray."
Zhou Zhaonuan came in holding a few account books, followed by several palace maids, each carrying a few boxes.
They were stunned when they heard the scolding voice. On the other side, Zhou Zeyu and others thought that their sister was scared and that Zhou Zhaonuan would admit her mistake and apologize in the next second just like they did just now.
Unexpectedly, after Zhou Zhaonuan reacted, he strode over and placed the account book heavily on the table with a muffled sound.
Zhou Beichen: “…”
He gritted his teeth. The little girl had really gone out of control and dared to throw him down. Just as he was about to explode, Zhou Zhaonuan picked up an account book and forced it into Zhou Beichen's hand, urging him on.
"Okay, Daddy, please do something serious. Don't try to scare me by losing your temper. I won't fall for that."
After being yelled at like that, Zhou Beichen actually started to look at the account book seriously. Zhou Zeyu and the others sighed in their hearts and really gave their sister a thumbs up with starry eyes. The sister was too domineering. When would they be able to have the same awareness as the sister, and stun their father and make him very obedient? Then they would win.
But... they didn't dare.
Almost instantly, the little guys lowered their heads in unison. Forget it, they could only be scolded by their father, so they didn't dare to refute him.
Just be someone’s son and stop being a father.
After finishing one book, Zhou Beichen felt surprisingly relieved. He really didn't expect that Zuihonglou in a small county town could earn 250,000 taels of silver a month. In addition to this, there were some names on the last book, which looked like women's names. He thought about it and thought that these people might be the women in the brothel who were under the age of majority or the women who were unwilling to be prostitutes. Zhou Beichen was a little confused. He raised his eyes and glanced at Zhou Zhaonuan.
"What did you bring these women back for?"
When he said this, Zhou Zhaonuan's eyes lit up immediately.
"What else can I do? Bring them back, give them food and a place to live, and let them be self-reliant while also earning money for me, for...for Daddy, and for the national treasury."
Zhou Beichen smacked his lips. He felt that when his daughter mentioned the word "making money", she seemed to be flying.
He couldn't help but flick her flawless white forehead and said with a smile.
"I think you are a little money-grubber. Providing them with food, a home, and making money for me are all small matters. The most important thing is to make money for you."
As soon as these words came out, Zhou Zhaonuan became unhappy. The little girl puffed up her cheeks and pouted to refute.
"That's not the case. I'm doing this for their own good. People, whether male or female, must have their own value, right? Daddy, you don't know that Liu Qingqing, I got to know her in depth, and I found out that she used to be a first-class embroiderer. If her family hadn't fallen into poverty, she would never have ended up in Zuihonglou. I've already made up my mind to open an embroidery workshop in the capital first, and then teach those girls well. In this way, we can open the business in a few months. It's just, Daddy..."
At this point, Zhou Zhaonuan's face suddenly turned worried, and she stretched out her small hands under Zhou Beichen's eyes. "Daddy, this is like this, Nuannuan needs your help. You should know that all the silver I collected from the brothel was put into the national treasury for you. Now that your daughter needs the silver, you must let me use it for free."
Zhou Beichen said without even thinking, "Okay, go get it yourself."
Concubine Liang was slightly surprised by Zhou Beichen's generosity towards Zhou Zhaonuan, but she didn't say anything in the end. Her heart was focused on what Zhou Beichen had just said. Also, were her parents really coming?
It has been almost ten years since we last saw each other, and she seems to have...already forgotten what her parents look like.
"Okay, then, Dad, I'll do it with great fanfare tomorrow."
Zhou Beichen nodded happily. He actually enjoyed his daughter's various little thoughts, but too often he said one thing and meant another.
After a short while, the palace maids brought in the meals one by one. Shen Nian'an pushed the bowl of noodles in front of Zhou Zhaonuan and lovingly handed the chopsticks to her daughter, full of love.
"Okay, Nuannuan, let's talk about opening a shop later. Now, you have to fill your stomach first so that you have the strength to work."
"That's natural."
As soon as Zhou Beichen picked up his chopsticks, everyone started eating. However, everyone was momentarily surprised by the sudden sound that came from inside.
"Sir, Sir, I finally found you. You are here."
Everyone looked up and saw a woman in a blue pleated skirt running from the gate with an anxious look on her face.
Zhou Zeyun: “…”
A dark line flashed across his forehead. Why did this guy get here?
"Sir, His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan..."
The woman ran with her head down, and the moment she raised her head, she saw the person sitting on the high seat, standing there in a daze.
She fell to her knees with a plop, her tone revealing a hint of fear.
"Your Majesty, long live the Emperor!"
Zhou Beichen slammed the table on the ground, "Why are you here? Why are you looking for King Yan for no reason?"
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