Although Lord Gu's face was handsome and unrestrained, his smile was still quite detestable in Qin Yuan's eyes.
"The water's here, hurry up and take a bath."
Qin Yuan urged him in a cold voice.
She didn't want to tell him that she hadn't yet sent the Smallpox Goddess.
We still have to wait.
Gu Jinghui walked into the clean room with a smug look on his face.
The young wife's behavior is just as described in General Jin's precious book: a woman's coy refusal after feeling shy.
The book says that if a woman is shy, it means she has fallen in love.
He must have been deeply rooted in Qin Yuan's heart.
After a quick and easy bath, Lord Gu came out to find Cui Ming and Hong Ye there. Clothes and accessories were laid out on a tray on the table, and he dressed himself.
Qin Yuan was talking to two maids nearby.
"I wonder what Madam Gu and Lord Xu said? The Xu family stopped making trouble."
Qin Yuan said, "What else could it be? Madam Gu is also a member of the Xu family. We can't let one person hurt the other. Speaking of which, we have to thank Hongye for the account book she found out. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to finish this so easily."
Gu Jinghui lowered his head to tie his purse, and upon hearing this, he smiled and said, "Hongye is your capable general, and she has made another great contribution. I always said she was capable and intelligent. With Hongye and Cuiming helping you, I can rest assured about the affairs of the manor."
Hongye smiled, pursing her lips.
Cui Ming's lips curled slightly, clearly pleased with the gesture.
Qin Yuan said, "Speaking of this, I remembered something. Today, I heard from my sixth sister-in-law that Zhen'er got lost along with her maid. They asked around along the way but no one had seen them. Perhaps she wasn't kidnapped by a kidnapper."
Gu Jinghui nodded and said, "That's right. I've always suspected that they were taken away by someone connected to the Zhao family, but I just don't have any evidence."
Qin Yuan said, "Perhaps we can still find someone."
Gu Jinghui glanced at Qin Yuan and said, "You don't know, Shi Ba has already asked all the vendors, peddlers, and beggars around the gate of the mansion, and no one saw it."
Qin Yuan said, "There might be some that slipped through the net."
Gu Jinghui thought for a moment and nodded: "Not bad."
Some of these were spies sent by the princes, and they might not be telling the truth.
Sixteen had mentioned before that the spies from the Prince Qi's residence seemed a bit off, and that there were also some unusual things happening at the Prince Qi's residence.
Because of the smallpox, it was not investigated in detail.
Gu Shiliu urged her repeatedly from outside, and a maidservant in the corridor said, "Madam, Shen Chang Le requests an audience."
Qin Yuan smiled and said, "My lord, please go quickly. This matter can't be finished in a short time, and I also need to get busy here."
As Gu Jinghui stepped out of the house, he saw Shen Changle, who was plump and well-off, standing on the porch, chatting animatedly with Gu Shiliu.
"Sixteen brothers, I'm not just boasting, but once this collection of poems is handed over to Shuhai Pavilion, they'll only have regrets. If the owner of Shuhai Pavilion had honestly accepted the sixteen brothers' business, they would be the ones enjoying the glory."
Gu Shiliu said smugly, "Back then, they stopped others from printing it, saying that the Marquis's mansion was disgraceful and that Sixth Master was just being pretentious. Ha, this time it's settled, we won't put a single one in the Book Sea Pavilion, and they'll regret it to the core."
Lord Gu suppressed a laugh and said, "Sixteen, let's go."
Shen Changle turned her face, her round and amiable face full of joy, and gave a warm but proper bow: "Greetings, Lord Marquis."
Lord Gu said gently, "Get up, Shen Chang Le, you have done a very good job."
Shen Changle's smile deepened.
Gu Shiliu couldn't help but interject, "Our Marquis always rewards merit. Once you, Sixth Master, have made a name for yourself in the capital, the Marquis will surely reward you handsomely."
Shen Changle laughed and said, "It's true what they say, birds of a feather flock together. Madam also said that if we can make this printing business successful, she will reward us handsomely. I thought to myself, I have to put in all my effort to live up to your trust."
Seeing that he was sensible and perceptive, Lord Gu sized him up for a few moments and asked, "Aren't you worried that the master is just making empty promises?"
Shen Changle said, "How could that be? The Marquis's mansion treats its servants very well. I heard that even a blind old woman received the Marquis's help to cure her eyes."
Gu Shiliu got even more excited.
"Indeed, the Marquis is the most magnanimous and benevolent. This has been the rule of the Marquis of Dingbei's mansion for many years. Otherwise, why would so many people be willing to risk their lives for him?"
Lord Gu stamped his foot and left a comment.
"Do your job well, and you won't be treated unfairly."
After saying that, he turned and walked out of the courtyard. Gu Shiliu didn't bother with pleasantries and quickly followed.
Following closely behind, Shen Changle was also led into the outer room by Hongye, where they answered each other through the beaded curtain.
Qin Yuan overheard their conversation and asked, "So, is the poetry collection selling well?"
Shen Changle laughed and said, "Indeed, it is quite good. Isn't this thanks to the two gentlemen? The evaluation among scholars is quite good. This servant sent some to the Imperial Academy for the two scholars to give to their relatives and friends. I also sent quite a few to the two gentlemen. Five hundred copies seem a bit insufficient. I wonder if we should print more."
Qin Yuan understood that it was just to see the poems of the two gentlemen; even scholars would buy a copy.
Moreover, the poetry collections of Qin Siyuan and Lin Ziqi are also well worth reading.
Even though Master Gu was just lending his hand, it was still acceptable to have the painting; it wasn't shameful.
"Then let's print some more. Sixth Master also needs to send quite a few. The old lady said that she will be holding a banquet in a few days to get rid of bad luck. At that time, Sixth Master Gu will have to give gifts to his relatives and friends."
Shen Changle squinted and smiled, "This half-sale, half-gift deal is only enough to cover the cost."
Qin Yuan smiled and said, "Do you have any ideas? It's good enough if you don't lose money on your first try."
Shen Changle lowered his voice and said, "This servant thought that printing poetry collections could help Young Master Qin and Sixth Master become famous, and also give the shop a way out. Why not take advantage of this opportunity, invite scholars from the Imperial Academy to hold a poetry gathering, and then print the collections? After a few times, the business will grow bigger and bigger, and we will also make a name for ourselves. All provinces will follow the lead of the capital, and we will not have to worry about not being able to sell to all provinces."
This plan led to the expansion of the business nationwide.
Qin Yuan nodded inwardly, she had not misjudged Shen Changle, but still said, "This method is not bad, but we must start with this collection of poems. If it becomes interesting, the rest will naturally follow."
The implication was that Shen Changle should proceed cautiously and not set his sights too high.
Shen Changle smiled and said, "Of course."
Then he talked about the business situation of other shops in recent days.
Shen Changle said, “The shops in the West Market are narrow and secluded, but selling collections of literature and the like is not a problem. Because of Master Gu’s painting this time, I thought that the shop could also sell some paintings, paints, fan paintings and other items, and also sell some writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstones. Although the income is not much, it seems to be a business for scholars, and it doesn’t take up much space.”
Qin Yuan said, "You can make these decisions yourself."
Shen Changle became even more excited and said, "This servant has already spread the news about pepper. There are some people in the market, I don't know where they came from, who are also saying that pepper prices are going to plummet. They also say that now that we have the 'Map of the World', which records the customs and people of overseas countries, it is much easier to go to sea. In the future, pepper will only get cheaper and cheaper, which is making people very anxious."
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