Shangyang County.
The moment the imperial edict was received, the Lin family courtyard fell silent, as if even breathing had stopped.
Lin Rushan, the father, held the bright yellow silk cloth, his hands trembling uncontrollably, his eyes wide open, his lips quivering, but he couldn't utter a single word.
Madam Lu collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down her face, murmuring, "Yun'er... my Yun'er..."
No matter how wealthy her daughter was, in her eyes it was all earned through suffering. How could others know the bitterness in her heart? She felt a pang of heartache for her.
The Lin brothers, Feng and Yan, stood to the side, looking at each other in disbelief.
Lin Feng pinched his thigh hard, hissing in pain, before he was certain he wasn't dreaming.
He stammered, "Father, Mother, our family... has become royalty?"
Lin Yan was the youngest, but the most composed. Yet, he couldn't hold back any longer. His eyes reddened, and his voice trembled slightly: "My second sister gave birth to twins, and the Emperor even bestowed upon my father the title of Earl of Loyalty and Diligence... This, this..." He couldn't find the right words to describe his feelings at that moment.
The last time he had an audience with the Emperor was a few months ago. He thought that with the Emperor's brother-in-law's help, he would have no problem getting a minor official position in the court. But now that he had become the son of the Earl of Zhongqin, he had to rethink his future path.
This change came as fast as a tornado.
Lin's father snapped out of his daze, took a deep breath, and tried to calm his excited emotions, but his voice was still trembling: "Quick, quick, go to the ancestral hall to offer incense! Tell the ancestors this wonderful news!"
The family hurriedly packed their things, preparing to go to Beijing again.
Lin Feng packed his luggage while grinning foolishly: "Hehe, our family is now a newly rich family. Let's see who dares to look down on us now!"
Lin's mother wiped away her tears, muttering to herself, "Yun'er just gave birth, she must be weak. I have to hurry to the capital to take care of her... And those two little grandsons, I wonder who they look like..."
Shangyang County was just a small county under Zhili Province. When the imperial decree came to announce the imperial edict, the commotion was known throughout almost the entire county.
Amidst the deafening sound of gongs and drums and the grand procession, the imperial envoy and eunuch, holding a bright yellow imperial edict, loudly proclaimed it in front of the Lin family's shop, drawing crowds of people to kneel and watch, their whispers filled with amazement and envy.
Xie Yu stood by the window on the second floor of Jinxiufang, and the account book in her hand slipped to the ground with a "thud".
He stared blankly at the commotion in the distance, his ears ringing, only able to hear a few scattered words—"Imperial Consort," "Auspicious Omen," and "Loyal and Diligent Earl."
After a long pause, he forced a smile, but couldn't manage to force it.
The woman who once bargained with him with her bright and lively eyes has now become a high-ranking imperial concubine and has even given birth to twins.
How absurd and cruel is fate.
He looked down at his hands, the same hands that had once accepted the patterns she handed him and traveled thousands of miles to transport floral materials for her, but now they weren't even qualified to touch the hem of her clothes.
"Master, the old master has sent a letter, granting you permission to return to the capital." The servant carefully stepped forward and handed over a letter.
Xie Yu snapped out of his daze, his fingertips tracing the letter, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
That year, he made Yunxiang Pavilion and Jinxiufang's businesses thrive, with branches all over the country. Finally, the old man agreed to let him return to the capital.
But it was precisely at this moment—she was already standing on a cloud, while he was still in the mortal world looking up in admiration.
"Prepare the horses, we'll set off tomorrow," he ordered calmly, his voice devoid of emotion.
After the servant left, Xie Yu poured himself a cup of wine and drank it all in one gulp.
The spicy liquid slid down my throat, but it couldn't suppress the bitterness surging in my heart.
He thought he had already let go, but the moment he heard the news, his heart still felt like it was being squeezed tightly.
To love but not be loved, to desire but not be desired—this was his fate.
Well, no matter how far the capital is, it's still closer to her than Shangyang County.
Even if I can only hear news about her from afar, it's better than futilely reminiscing about the past in this small county town.
———
Meanwhile, Ninth Master Yun Tang sat in his study, surrounded by piles of account books. He stared at the latest dividend figures with an extremely strange expression.
In just two months, his 30% profit amounted to over 100,000 taels of silver! And the Emperor and Consort Lin's 70% profit was an astronomical figure.
"This...this money came too easily," Ninth Master muttered to himself, suddenly feeling a bit unreal.
He was a prince who had lived a life of luxury since childhood, but he never imagined that making money could be so easy.
Yunxiang Pavilion's distributor network has spread across most of Jiangnan and is even beginning to expand into the northwest. Merchants practically broke down the door to secure the distribution rights.
The butler cautiously asked, "Master, what should we do with this money?"
Ninth Master rubbed his temples and said with a wry smile, "Let's save it for now and buy a few more houses and shops." He paused, then suddenly remembered something, "Oh right, take ten thousand taels from my private treasury and set up soup kitchens in various places in the name of the Imperial Concubine to relieve the poor."
The butler was taken aback: "Master, why is that?"
Ninth Master narrowed his eyes and said meaningfully, "Only when the Imperial Concubine wins the hearts of the people can our business last." He looked towards the Forbidden City and sighed inwardly: Our Imperial Concubine is truly remarkable.
Now that she enjoys the Emperor's favor and is blessed with auspicious omens, even a blind man could see how much the Emperor dotes on her. She must cling tightly to this golden thigh.
He used to scheme and plot to amass wealth. Now, with more money than he can spend, he feels lost and overwhelmed.
He couldn't help but smile bitterly as he recalled the bank manager's horrified expression when he went to deposit silver yesterday.
I initially only wanted to get a share of the profits from the Lin family, but who would have thought that I would actually be holding a money tree?
A commotion came from outside the window. Ninth Master frowned and pushed open the window, only to see the steward of the manor directing the servants to move silver chests into the storeroom.
Under the sunlight, the heavy wooden crates reflected a blinding light that made his eyes hurt.
He slammed the window shut, took a deep breath, and a thought flashed through his mind: Perhaps… he should learn from the fourteenth prince and volunteer to serve the court? After all, the money would just go to waste…
——————
As Yunxiang Pavilion's business grew, coupled with profits from the textile factory and local taxes, and the imperial court's crackdown on a number of corrupt officials, silver flowed into the national treasury like water.
As Yongzheng accumulated more and more leverage, he knew that to truly control the Qing Dynasty, he had to firmly grasp military power. Thus, an unprecedented military reform plan quietly unfolded in his mind.
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