The majestic imperial palace was already too far away to be seen, but Zhuang Li was still leaning against the car window, looking in the direction of the palace.
7480 complained, "The gods in this world have such weird personalities. They even lost their temper over such a small matter."
"He's not a weird person, he's just scared." Zhuang Li sighed. "Suppose you were a beggar with nothing, and one day you were walking down the street and suddenly found a priceless treasure, would you feel at ease?"
7480 put himself in this situation and shook his head: "Not sure."
"No one can feel at ease. I might even have to sleep with one eye open at night, wondering if a robber will come to steal it, and then wondering if the owner will come to claim it. I always feel that this thing is not worthy of being owned by someone like me. This is how Feng Ming feels right now."
Zhuang Li closed his eyes, his tone tinged with pity: "His experiences of great suffering have left him unable to settle down. He wants to get closer, but is afraid to do so. If he can't get it, he will never lose it."
"Then just reassure him. Wouldn't he be even more uneasy if you played dumb with him?" 7480 was full of confusion.
"You don't understand. A sense of security isn't given by others, it's given by oneself. I'm activating his heart's desire for happiness." Zhuang Li opened his eyes and looked towards the Imperial City again, sighing, "Those notes aren't riddles; they're amulets to dispel his inner demons. He'll need them when the moment comes."
7480 waved his hands repeatedly: "Forget it, forget it, I really don't understand, do whatever you want."
At the same time, Feng Ming brushed off the note with an indifferent look on his face and strode towards the martial arts arena. His frantic heart needed to be vented.
He could guess why Zhuang Li was finding all sorts of excuses to get close to him. He wanted two things: wealth and glory, or overwhelming power.
Besides these two things, what else could he offer? Aren't all the people around him there for these two things? Why was something that seemed so natural to him before now unbearable?
Why can others do it but Zhuang Li can’t?
Feng Ming didn't know what he wanted from Zhuang Li, but he felt clearly that when Zhuang Li also played tricks on him, his long-numbed heart would actually hurt.
Tearing pain!
Feng Ming took off his outer garment and took turns sparring with the Dragon Guard's masters until they were sweating profusely and exhausted. However, this catharsis didn't make him feel any better; instead, it made him even more depressed and anxious. He had a constant feeling that if he didn't go back, something terrible would happen.
Unable to bear it any longer, he immediately threw away the weapon in his hand and hurried towards the bedroom. As soon as he entered the main hall, he found a eunuch cleaning the desk, and the note left by Zhuang Li was gone.
"Where are my things?" The sudden feeling of uneasiness and panic made him look ferocious.
He walked over quickly and checked everything on and under the table.
The eunuch reacted quickly, plopped down on his knees, pointed at a book and said, "Your Majesty, I've put it in here for you."
Feng Ming hurriedly opened the book, found the note, read it, and then slowly exhaled.
He said he didn't want to play anymore and didn't care, but he couldn't control his heart. He couldn't deceive anyone, he just cared, he just wanted to know what the boy had written in those notes.
If he can't find the answer, he won't be able to calm down for a moment.
Feng Ming took out the other three slips of paper, placed them side by side, studied them over and over again, pondered them over and over again, and checked every dictionary, encyclopedia, and ancient book, almost becoming obsessed.
The eunuch knelt on the ground for a long time, not daring to move, until the voice of the prime minister's audience report came from outside the hall, and the emperor had to put away the note and walk out, then he struggled to prop up his already numb legs.
Another eunuch came over to support him, counted on his fingers, and sighed softly: "In a few days, I wonder how many more people will die in this court."
The two looked at each other, and then their faces turned pale.
In a few days, it will be the anniversary of the death of all the people in the Cheng'en Mansion. The late emperor was so cruel back then, killing over 300 people in the Cheng'en Mansion in one fell swoop to force the emperor's return. That day was the day the emperor fled the capital, but it was also the day he fell into hell.
On this day, the emperor would sometimes become depressed or even crazy, and anyone who approached him would be in danger of their life.
Thinking of the tragic scene of blood flowing like a river in the palace last year, several eunuchs actually had the idea of growing wings and escaping from the palace.
---
Feng Yi and Zhuang Li, who were driven out of the palace just two days after entering, became the laughingstock of the entire capital. But neither of them cared about what others said.
Feng Yiba had no choice but to go to school and spent the whole day drinking and having fun with a bunch of bad friends, having a very happy time.
The parts Zhuang Li had ordered had been delivered one after another. He had them transported to a large house outside the city, where they were assembled into eight spinning machines and five flying shuttle looms. He then taught Zhuang Xiaohui the operating principles.
"This is your factory. You hire thirteen women to help you spin yarn and weave cloth, and the finished products are sent directly to your store for sale. You don't need to look for sources of goods everywhere. You can produce and sell them yourself. This is called integrated production and sales, which can greatly save operating costs." Zhuang Li explained briefly.
Zhuang Xiaohui stared at the thirteen machines in amazement, her voice trembling. "Brother, these machines are amazing! Ordinary spinning machines only have one or two spindles, but these machines have sixteen, and they're so easy to operate. One person can spin enough yarn for sixteen people, and eight machines can spin enough yarn for one hundred and twenty-eight people. How fast is that?"
Zhuang Xiaohui counted on her fingers and sighed, "Brother, these eight spinning machines alone are equivalent to a medium-sized workshop!"
"Not only that, this flying shuttle loom is easier to operate and has a higher speed. The yarn spun by eight spinning machines can all be woven into cloth by these five looms in one day. The texture is also very delicate and smooth, and the quality is better than hand-woven cloth." Zhuang Li slowly demonstrated how to operate the flying shuttle loom.
Zhuang Xiaohui became more and more excited as she listened. "Brother, we only need to hire thirteen people to weave so much and such high-quality cloth, and the production cost is much less than a large workshop with one or two hundred people. Then we can set the price lower so that everyone can afford it!"
Zhuang Li nodded and said, "That's right. Due to our high production efficiency, our cloth can indeed be sold much cheaper than other companies. But you need to find a stable supply of cotton to avoid problems with raw material shortages in the future. Once you have accumulated enough capital, you can go to the north and buy a large piece of land and grow cotton yourself, achieving integrated production, supply and marketing, which will further save costs."
"Newly produced cotton cloth, undyed, looks neither white nor yellow, so wealthy people won't buy it. But because it's cheap, ordinary people will definitely like it. So we'll go for the mass market first, with small profits but quick turnover. When we have more money, we'll open a dyeing factory and make our own colored or printed cloth, going for the high-end market."
Zhuang Li gently patted his sister's shoulder and encouraged her, "Let's take our time. Don't rush things. I believe you can do it."
Opening a cloth mill, a dyeing factory, buying land, and growing cotton—the blueprint for the future was unfolding bit by bit before Zhuang Xiaohui's eyes, and it was already within her reach. Her brother had invented such a magical machine, and if she couldn't make this deal work, she would be the biggest fool in the world.
"Brother, I will work hard. I will open our shops all over Dayan!" Zhuang Xiaohui patted her chest and said proudly.
"Next year on my birthday, give me a mountain of gold." Zhuang Li set a small goal for his sister.
Before Zhuang Xiaohui could fully release her heroic spirit, she burst into a series of coughs. After coughing, she laughed heartily, clapped her hands with her brother, and agreed straightforwardly.
---
Yu Yuxian discovered that a cloth shop had opened opposite his shop and was doing a booming business. The shopkeeper was an unmarried woman who often showed up in public, welcoming guests and making no secret of her gender.
Li pointed at the woman who was loudly greeting the guests and said disdainfully, "I wonder which family this girl is from? She is so shameless."
Yu Yuxian felt uncomfortable, but she didn't say anything. Women were indeed not suitable for business and were prone to being at a disadvantage.
Mrs. Li continued to mutter, "Huh? Her cotton cloth is actually half the price of ours. What's the profit? I sent someone to buy this yesterday. Feel it. Doesn't it feel really good and smooth?"
Li took out a piece of cloth from the drawer and handed it to Yu Yuxian.
Yu Yuxian reached out and touched it, and it felt very comfortable.
Li scoffed, "I bet this cloth must have been woven by a skilled weaver girl with great care and effort, and the purchase price must be higher than her current selling price. Her shop is new and she has no customers, so she's losing money just to attract attention! Women are women, uneducated and worldly-wise, so they have absolutely no idea what they're doing. Selling such fine cloth for such a low price, if customers come back and find the price is higher and the cloth is inferior, they'll definitely make a fuss."
Li pointed across the street, her expression growing increasingly disdainful. "Look, the people who come into her shop are all poor souls, and poor souls love to take advantage. Who will patronize her shop if there are no more bargains to be had? Besides, she sells homespun cloth, which is not what the rich want. It's hard to make money from the poor, and it's impossible to make money from the rich. She can't rely on either, so her business won't last long. I bet you that her shop will close in less than two weeks."
Yu Yuxian said helplessly: "Mom, please stop saying that women have never seen the world and can't do business. Aren't you a woman?"
"Am I wrong? She really has never seen the world! I said she would close down in half a month. Do you dare to bet with me?" Li's face was full of disdain.
"I dare not. I also think that her business will not last long." Yu Yuxian's opinion is the same as her mother's.
But she considered herself a good person, so when the shop closed in the evening, she walked across to the other side and reminded him, "Your cloth prices are too low. I'm afraid you can't sell it this way for long."
"How I sell is none of your business. Are you jealous of my booming business?" Zhuang Xiaohui said bluntly.
"How can you be so rude?" Yu Yuxian's face flushed with anger. He scolded, "It's true that only girls and villains are difficult to raise. If you don't listen to my advice, your shop won't last long! An unmarried girl, instead of staying at home, you're out and about all day. What kind of upbringing do you have? Don't your parents care about you?"
Zhuang Xiaohui looked her up and down with strange eyes, then smiled contemptuously.
This person was clearly a woman, but every word she spoke was derogatory towards women. Her mind had long been poisoned by those so-called etiquette teachings, and she even looked down on herself.
It turned out that all her ideals and ambitions were just a cover to cover up her own selfish desires.
This person is so vulgar! So vulgar!
The more Zhuang Xiaohui thought about it, the more ironic it became. She shook her head and sighed, "Yu Yuxian, you're so pitiful. Do you even know who you are?"
This ambiguous question seems to have a deeper meaning.
Yu Yuxian's heart skipped a beat, then she began to feel guilty and angry. Why did this woman look at him with such pity? When he was dominating the officialdom, she was still sewing in her boudoir!
With a resolute spirit, Yu Yuxian chased after him and asked, "Do you know me? What did you mean by that just now?"
Zhuang Xiaohui climbed onto the carriage and looked down at her, her tone firm and contemptuous: "Yu Yuxian, you will never achieve anything in your life."
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