He recalled the message from the secret guard: she checked the accounts late at night and inspected the goods in the early morning.
She should have been a delicate flower sheltered in her boudoir, but she carved out a path for herself in the business world.
How many nights and how much effort did she put in to save up those 30,000 taels?
But she offered it to him without hesitation, simply because she was grateful for his support. Instantly, a feeling of pity welled up inside me.
"Silly girl," he sighed softly, his eyes softening.
She didn't understand that while the silver notes were a drop in the ocean for the national treasury, they represented a heavy sentiment for him.
He even considered issuing an imperial decree immediately, granting her the title of Imperial Merchant and ensuring her a worry-free life.
In the end, he simply stroked the letter and whispered, "Now that I have accepted your kindness, I will not let you suffer any more grievances."
If Lin Yun knew what Fourth Master was thinking, she would definitely say, "Fourth Master, you've misunderstood. This is just basic maneuvering for a transmigrator to curry favor."
"I really underestimated her," Yongzheng said in a low voice.
Su Peisheng watched his master from the side, sometimes frowning and muttering, sometimes nodding and smiling slightly, and he really couldn't bear to watch anymore.
So he mustered up his courage and asked, "Your Majesty, this silver note..."
Yongzheng put away the letter and said with a smile, "Keep it. The firearms battalion is in dire need of funds, and this 30,000 taels will solve their immediate problem."
He paused, then said, "Send more people to protect Yunxiang Pavilion. There must be no mistakes. If the situation is urgent, deal with it first and then report it."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Su Peisheng took the wooden box, bowed, and withdrew.
Su Peisheng was numb. What did I tell you? Yes, that's the feeling—crossing the line again and again.
Master, where is your backbone? Women have offered you money and property before, and you didn't react like this then.
Su Peisheng lamented incessantly for his master, but unfortunately he only dared to grumble in his heart while his legs kept moving.
Meanwhile, Yongzheng was thinking, "Thirty thousand a month, thirty-six hundred thousand a year."
Good heavens, even the emperor finds this profit too hot to handle. And this is only half the profit.
The memorials recently submitted from various regions show that in many places, people have been displaced due to natural disasters and man-made calamities, and some have even starved to death on the streets.
However, those wealthy merchants and wives of officials spent money like water, buying cosmetics and gold and silver jewelry for tens or hundreds of taels of silver at a time, as if silver were just flowing water.
Thinking of this, his brows furrowed involuntarily.
“It is in a merchant’s nature to pursue profit, but such a wide gap between the rich and the poor is not a long-term solution,” Yongzheng muttered to himself.
However, Lin's rouge shop caught his eye.
She earned money from wealthy families, and because her business was booming, it also boosted the livelihoods of flower farmers and craftsmen in the surrounding area.
What's even more remarkable is that she knows how to be grateful and is willing to give away half of the profits; this kind of heart is truly rare.
"This girl is quite capable." Yongzheng's lips curled up slightly, and the displeasure that had just risen in his heart dissipated somewhat because of Lin's magnanimous actions.
They're not just generous, they're downright heartless.
The firearms blueprints were given out without hesitation, without any concealment, and without any attempt to use them to blackmail or extort benefits.
So clean and pure that she seems unreal.
If I don't protect her, she could be devoured by someone else.
This silly girl.
The more Yongzheng thought about it, the more he felt that Lin Yun had done too much for him, yet he had not given her any reward, which made him feel uneasy.
So he stood up and walked around the room.
When Su Peisheng returned, he saw an emperor like this.
For a moment, he didn't dare to speak.
He knew that his master was facing a difficult situation, so he should just stay quiet.
In the backyard of Yunxiang Pavilion, Wang Defa took advantage of the darkness to find the contact person sent by Su Peisheng and asked in a low voice, "Ask Eunuch Su if a few of the secret guards can be transferred to the open."
The young lady's business is booming, and the number of bodyguards she has on the surface is simply not enough.
The contact hesitated for a moment before replying, "This matter requires approval from the master; I cannot make the decision myself."
A few days later, inside the Forbidden City.
Su Peisheng truthfully reported Wang Defa's request to Emperor Yongzheng. After listening, Emperor Yongzheng chuckled and said, "This girl knows how to use people."
Su Peisheng asked cautiously, "Your Majesty, what do you mean?"
Emperor Yongzheng put down the memorial in his hand and said calmly, "Approved, but the secret guards must disguise themselves and not reveal their true identities."
In addition, send two more elite soldiers to secretly protect her and ensure her safety at all times.
Su Peisheng bowed and replied, "This servant will make the arrangements immediately."
——————
Xie Yu felt like each day was an eternity during that month.
He sat in his study all day, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table, his gaze frequently drifting to the window, as if he could see the bustling scene of Yunxiang Pavilion through the many walls of the courtyard.
News kept coming in: Yunxiang Pavilion's rouge was in short supply.
The wealthy ladies were scrambling to buy the goods, and even had to give the shop assistants extra pay every day...
With each sentence he heard, his brow furrowed more deeply.
"Young master, if you continue like this, your body won't be able to take it," the servant said cautiously, holding the now-cold tea.
Xie Yu suddenly stood up, his sleeve flipping over a teacup, spilling tea all over the table.
He waved his hand impatiently: "Get out!" The servant was so frightened that he scrambled back.
He walked to the window and slammed his fist on the window frame.
He still vividly remembered the look "Master Zhao" gave him that day, which was why he dared not make any rash moves.
Watching Lin Yun make a fortune while he couldn't even get a share, he felt like a thousand ants were gnawing at his heart.
"No, we can't just sit here and wait to die!" he whispered through gritted teeth.
He turned and rushed to the desk, grabbed a brush, dipped it in ink, and held his wrist in mid-air for a long time without letting it fall.
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