Tang Xinyi knelt on the ground, and when he heard this, his face was filled with surprise and surprise. His mind flashed quickly, is there any great person in Taiyuan? He actually made the prince so angry, and he did not neglect anyone when he went to Taiyuan this time...

Before Tang Xinyi could figure out the reason, he fell to the ground firmly and confessed humbly: "It is my fault. I am stupid and don't know what I did wrong. Please tell me

, Your Highness." "Did you run into... a child in the city?"

Tang Xinyi thought about it, and then he vaguely remembered: "Your Highness is talking about this?" He was even more surprised. Tang Xinyi's surprise was beyond words. Qin Yi saw it, and looked at him with a cold face without saying a word or smiling. Tang Xinyi's

hands and feet were cold, and sweat kept coming out of his back. He once again knelt his head respectfully on the ground and said, "I was anxious to find Your Highness at that time, so I was negligent. It was my fault. If I had been involved in a death, it would have damaged Your Highness's reputation."

"Tang Xinyi, you often followed me out of the border to chase the Tatars. You should know how difficult it is for the people living in the border areas. I guard the border in Datong to protect the peace of the people. I don't want to see anyone from the East Palace doing things that take human lives in the mainland. Otherwise, I will treat you the same way I treat the Tatars."

Now the other servants in the room could not stand anymore. They all knelt down with a thud, not even bothering to pick a flat place. Tang Xinyi kowtowed three times, his face almost touching the ground, and said, "It is I who deserves death. I will accept the punishment now." After

all, Tang Xinyi was a meritorious official. After Qin Yi finished beating him, he did not continue to humiliate Tang Xinyi. Qin Yi turned back to look through the military reports. He scanned two official reports handed over by his subordinates, and then said lightly, "Get up."

Tang Xinyi thanked him and slowly stood up from the ground. Others outside the room also stood up one after another. Tang Xinyi waited for a while with his body bent. The prince did not speak, so he did not dare to make his own decision. Sure enough, after Qin Yi reviewed several military reports, he suddenly asked out of nowhere: "Who else did you meet in Taiyuan?"

Tang Xinyi carefully tried to figure out Qin Yi's intentions. Was the prince testing him to see if he had formed a clique for personal gain? Tang Xinyi carefully chose his words and replied: "I only met the Marquis of Changxing. I bumped into the Marquis of Changxing's daughter on the street that day, so it would be bad if I didn't say anything."

Qin Yi sneered after hearing this: "It's good that you know. What did the Marquis of Changxing say?"

Huh? Tang Xinyi was getting more and more confused. What was going on? What did the prince want to hear? Although Tang Xinyi had been in the harem for many years and could not figure out his master's intentions, he could only guess and say, "Marquis Changxing said it was okay and asked me to say hello to Your Highness."

Qin Yi put down his pen vigorously, raised his head and glanced at Tang Xinyi coldly. These servants kept talking over and over but couldn't get to the point, so Qin Yi could only ask again: "You said you bumped into the girl from the Marquis of Changxin's mansion, what happened?"

"It's the same thing as that child." Tang Xinyi thought that the prince didn't understand the connection, and hurriedly explained, "It was because I was riding too fast, and a child suddenly ran out in the middle of the road. I couldn't stop, so I had to turn the horse around. The young lady from their family was quick and directly pulled the child away. This girl from the Marquis of Changxing is interesting. When I was leaving, the young lady dared to glare at me."

"Huh." Qin Yi laughed and asked, "Why, can't I glare at her?"

Chu Jinyao even dared to glare at him, so how could Tang Xinyi dare to object?

Tang Xinyi could tell that his master's tone was not right. He sweated profusely and lowered his head quickly, almost bending to the ground: "Of course he glared at me. I am wrong and I deserve to be punished."

Qin Yi saw that Tang Xinyi was reasonable, and finally raised his hand and let Tang Xinyi go down to receive the punishment. "Okay, you go down. Go and receive the military stick yourself. If I find out that you are colluding with each other and working together to commit fraud..." Qin Yi did not continue the next words, but Tang Xinyi already understood.

"I dare not. I kneel down to greet His Highness,

may Your Highness live long." Xiao Linzi was shocked when he heard this. What did Tang Xinyi do to make the Crown Prince so angry? According to the rules of the palace, the beatings were either real or fake. Given Tang Xinyi's status, no eunuch dared to really hit him. They just pretended to hit him and let him go. But then again, no master in the palace dared to order anyone to embarrass Eunuch Tang, except the Crown Prince.

Even if Eunuch Tang had learned internal martial arts, it would be hard for him to endure the twenty military sticks.

Tang Xinyi faced the Crown Prince and walked out backwards. He was a servant, and it would be disrespectful if he turned his back to His Highness. After he walked away, Tang Xinyi turned around quietly and walked quickly out the door.

Tang Xinyi was about to leave when he suddenly heard the prince say, "Stop."

Tang Xinyi stopped immediately, turned around and stood respectfully, "What do you want, Your Highness?"

"You can get these twenty military sticks when you come back. Now, go to Taiyuan and do something for me."

Qi Desheng personally watched the clerk lock the warehouse, and then went to the store to inspect it again. After making sure that there were no omissions, he put his hands behind his back and walked slowly to his own house.

He was helped to change his clothes, and asked his beloved son carefully. Then he sent everyone away and went to the study to do the accounts.

He has been doing business for many years, and the ancestral property of the Qi family has multiplied several times in his hands. In his grandfather's generation, the Qi family was just a small cloth merchant selling on the street. Now, branches have been opened all over Shanxi, and there are three stores in Taiyuan alone. Qi Desheng even spent a lot of money to get connections and managed to get himself the title of an imperial merchant. Qi Desheng's talent for business far surpassed that of his grandfather and father, and now he has achieved achievements that his ancestors could not even dream of. Unfortunately, although he was very successful in the business world and was a well-known figure, he was stuck in the issue of offspring.

He was over 40 years old and had no children, not to mention a son, he didn't even have a concubine, so he couldn't find someone to marry into the family. Fortunately, the ten thousand taels of incense money he gave to the Buddha was not in vain. When Qi Desheng was 42, the fourth concubine suddenly became pregnant. Qi Desheng was overjoyed. After the child was born and confirmed to be of his own blood, he immediately promoted the fourth concubine to be his first wife. A mother is honored by her son. How could his only child be raised by a little woman?

Qi Desheng was still a little scared when he thought of this. His only child was almost taken away by God two days ago. Thanks to the quick action of the young lady in Changxing Marquis's Mansion, otherwise, he would have gone with him. That rootless eunuch was simply abominable. He actually dared to scare his only child. Baoer still has nightmares about it at night.

Qi Desheng pushed the door open while muttering to himself. After he opened the door, he sighed and said, "Why don't you turn on the lights? These servants are getting more and more unruly..."

After Qi Desheng got used to the darkness of the room and could see things with his eyes, he glanced around casually and fell against the door with a bang. His knees were weak.

"My Lord... My Lord?"

Tang Xinyi sat on the armchair in the center, his dead-like face sunk into the darkness, looking even more eerie. Qi Desheng was terrified, and he trembled as he spoke: "My Lord, why are you here? Are you here to take the tribute? Wait, I'll get it now!"

Qi Desheng was about to open the door and go out to take out the gold and silver treasures, but Tang Xinyi said, "Stop."

This sentence made Qi Desheng dare not move again. Qi Desheng looked at Tang Xinyi tremblingly, and the experienced businessman who had dominated the Shang Dynasty was about to cry in fear. Tang Xinyi said: "I don't even look down on your things. Come here, I have a few things to tell you."

"Your Excellency doesn't want money?" Qi Desheng didn't know whether to be relieved or worried. He could only smile and say, "It is my blessing to be able to do things for you! But I don't know what you are going to do?"

The next day, Chu Jinyao went to Zhao's place to report for work, and then returned to her room and sat under the window to do needlework. Now she suddenly had a lot more money in her hands, and she was filled with various fabrics such as silk, spun silk, and cloth. In the past, she had nothing on hand, and she couldn't do anything she wanted to do. But now that she suddenly became rich, Chu Jinyao was surprised and had the mind to make clothes she liked.

She used to like to play drums, but the Su family was poor, so the two sisters had to sew and mend their clothes until they were too old to wear. When they returned to Changxing Marquis's Mansion, the Chu family had money, but she didn't have any money. She relied on subsidies from the government, so where could they get extra fabrics for her to do harm? Now it's good, she has two boxes of fabrics, including silk, spun silk, and cotton. No one can criticize her for doing anything she wants.

Chu Jinyao was threading the needle and sighing. Two months ago, she probably wouldn't have dared to think that one day she would have thirty taels of silver and two boxes of fabrics. It's a pity that Qin Yi is gone, so she can't tell him these words. What's even more tragic is that, apart from Qin Yi, Chu Jinyao has no one else to share such a big house with.

Chu Jinyao was lost in thought again. The curtain was suddenly opened, and then, the voice of Platycodon was heard: "Miss, the old lady sent someone to look for you."

Chu Jinyao immediately came back to her senses, she put down the sewing basket, straightened her clothes and walked out. "Why did grandma suddenly look for me? Is there something important?"

The maid who passed the message said with a smile: "Miss, you will know when you go there."

Chu Jinyao walked towards Rongning Hall with full of doubts. When she arrived, she saw a lot of things parked in the yard as soon as she entered. The maids were talking around the mahogany box. When they saw Chu Jinyao, they shouted crisply, "Grandfather, the fifth lady is here."

Aunt Gu had heard the voice a long time ago. She lifted the curtain for Chu Jinyao and said with a smile, "The fifth lady is here! Grandfather was just talking about you."

Chu Jinyao looked at the scene in Rongning Hall. It seemed that there were guests. Why would they talk about her when they were visiting? Chu Jinyao leaned over to enter the room. When she saw the person coming, she said in surprise, "Qi, the shopkeeper?"

"Hey, it's me!" Qi, the shopkeeper, stood up and saluted. Chu Jinyao also bowed in return. The old lady smiled and waved Chu Jinyao over: "Shopkeeper Qi came to visit specially and insisted on thanking you in person."

When Chu Jinyao heard that it was for this matter, he hurriedly said: "Shopkeeper is too polite. It's just a piece of cake. You don't have to keep it in mind."

"Miss, you saved my only son in my old age. To you, it's just a piece of cake, but to me, it's a great favor." Qi Desheng stood on the ground with a round smile on his face. No wonder he could make such a big business. Qi Desheng said, "Money is a worldly thing, but you saved my son. How can you pay it back with a few boxes of things? I know you are of noble status and don't need these things, but I am a low-ranking merchant and I can't give you anything else except these things. If you don't mind, please accept them."

Chu Jinyao followed Qi Desheng's gesture and looked out the window. Only then did she realize that those heavy-looking boxes outside were actually for her! Chu Jinyao was frightened. She quickly said, "No, I can't do that. I have already received things from the shopkeeper. How can I accept such an expensive gift?"

Qi Desheng said, "If you don't accept it, you are looking down on me. Although I, Qi Desheng, am a businessman, I also know how to repay a drop of kindness with a spring. What's more, you have done a great favor to our family! If you don't accept it, you will make me look like an ungrateful person."

What else could Chu Jinyao say after that? Seeing that Qi Desheng was really determined to give Chu Jinyao a gift, the old lady sighed in her heart that this man was good at doing business. He was worthy of being the shopkeeper of the Qi family and was so good at repaying favors. The old lady also said, "Since it is a kind gift from the shopkeeper Qi, you should just accept it." Since

the old lady had spoken, Chu Jinyao could only agree. She watched with fear as everyone put the boxes and baskets back and carried them one by one to her yard. Seeing that Chu Jinyao was finally willing to accept the things, Qi Desheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief, rubbed his hands, and said to the old lady, "Grandpa, I have another thing to say to the fifth lady."

Old Lady Chu was also surprised. Is this not over yet? She saw that Qi Desheng did not look like a hypocrite, so she nodded lightly and said, "Mr. Gu, take the shopkeeper Qi and the fifth lady to the main building to talk."

Madam Gu agreed and led them to the east main building. Chu Jinyao and Qi the shopkeeper sat in the back room. Although it was not appropriate for a married woman to see a man outside the family, Qi Desheng was a businessman and was over 40 years old, so he was considered Chu Jinyao's elder. Besides, the surroundings were brightly lit, and there were maids guarding a few steps away. There was also Madam Chu watching outside, so no one would gossip. Qi Desheng sat down and said, "Fifth Miss, to be honest, after you saved my son, I couldn't sleep well for several days. I kept dreaming about funerals. My wife and I discussed it and decided to come to the Marquis' Mansion again. I am sorry for disturbing you by visiting me today."

Chu Jinyao stood up, bowed and said, "How dare I."

Qi Desheng continued, "I sorted out those things from the warehouse for you, Fifth Miss . My mother is a makeup filler. Although the young lady is not engaged yet, I am telling you these things, which is really offensive. But no matter how you say it, it is reasonable. It is always good to have more money. Young lady, I am rough, please don't laugh. "

Chu Jinyao smiled: "The shopkeeper is right, I understand."

This shopkeeper Qi is also a wonderful person. Nowadays, there are indeed many literati who look down on merchants, thinking that they are full of money and even ashamed to talk about money. But Chu Jinyao is a person who has suffered, how can he not understand the importance of money. No matter what the saints say, having money is the hard truth.

"Since you understand, it's easy. I'm giving you these properties to express my gratitude to you. I'm giving you some money to keep you going. But as the saying goes, if you live off your savings, you'll run out of money. Even if you have a mountain of gold and silver, you won't be able to spend it. So, I have a new shop under my name, and I'd like you to invest in it."

Chu Jinyao was shocked when she heard this. She was stunned and asked, "Are you joking, shopkeeper?"

"You are joking! I really want you to invest. Although the monthly income is not much, it can at least give you some pocket money. You don't have to worry about the money. When I came to the mansion, I had already divided the thank-you gift for you into two halves. I brought one half to the old lady and the other half to you as a share. I wrote a contract and brought it here." As he said that, Qi Desheng took out a stack of papers from his sleeve, "Look, it's all here."

Chu Jinyao looked at Qi Desheng dimly, almost thinking that the shopkeeper Qi had gone crazy. These merchants are very particular, and some of them say things like fulfilling a vow, so Chu Jinyao can understand that Qi Desheng gave her a generous thank-you gift. But who would give away their own money to do a favor? Not to mention that she was just an outsider who saved the son of the shopkeeper Qi by chance, even if his own brother did it, he would not do such a thing.

Chu Jinyao was full of complaints, but she could only smile and said, "The shopkeeper is joking."

Chu Jinyao felt that Manager Qi said this on purpose just to show his gratitude. It would be a joke if she really agreed. Seeing that Chu Jinyao didn't take it seriously, Qi Desheng said quickly: "Girl, who among businessmen would joke about such things? Don't take it lightly, I really want to give you shares. The new store also does brocade business, and the cash flow looks good on the books, and the shopkeeper and accountant have everything. It's just that I can't run it in a new way, and I'm gradually overshadowed by other businesses, so I asked you to come and run the store for me. I heard that you are dexterous and used to fiddling with these fabrics, and it just so happens that you don't have any income that can generate interest, so this is killing two birds with one stone, isn't it? Both parties benefit!"

It sounds right at first, but Chu Jinyao always feels that there is no such good thing in the world. Without her having to contribute any manpower or money, someone rushed to give her a share of the profits of Jinxiu Manor? Chu Jinyao didn't believe that there was such a fool in the world. Qi Desheng saw that Chu Jinyao still didn't believe it, and was so anxious that he almost jumped up. Chu Jinyao looked at the shopkeeper Qi with a serious look, and he didn't seem to be joking, so he had to stand up and said, "I dare not act on my own, I will go ask the elders."

Qi Desheng quickly agreed. Chu Jinyao went out and told this to Mrs. Chu, who was also surprised after hearing it. Is Qi Desheng crazy? Who is so generous to use his own store to do favors?

Qi Desheng explained to the old lady with both words and gestures, and took out the contract for her to review. The old lady read it over and over again, making sure that Qi Desheng was not playing tricks. It seemed that he really wanted Chu Jinyao to invest in the company, and he wanted to give it away for free. Old Madam Chu was a little unsure, so she tried to test him: "Shopkeeper Qi is so warm and welcoming, I am very touched. I just don't know, what other plans do you have?"

"No plans, I just want to repay the fifth lady." Shopkeeper Qi was afraid that the old lady would think he had other plans, so he raised his hand and swore, "Old Madam and Miss, rest assured, I swear on the reputation of our Qi Cloth Shop that if I want to use this incident to set a trap for the fifth lady, I deserve to be spit on by everyone and fail to protect the foundation of my ancestors."

Merchants value reputation, and this is already a heavy oath. The old lady and Chu Jinyao looked at each other, both feeling confused. Old Madam Chu had no choice but to say, "Since Shopkeeper Qi is determined to do so, I will accept it first. When Shopkeeper Qi changes his mind, he can come to me."

"Qi is a businessman, how could he do such a thing!" Qi Desheng looked at the contract in the old lady's hand and said, "Qi is sincerely grateful to the fifth lady and wants to do his best to make her live a better life. I dare not say anything else, but at least, don't let her suffer financial grievances."

When the old lady heard this, she understood that Qi Desheng was hinting that these were for Chu Jinyao. Old Madam Chu was inevitably a little unhappy to be thought of this way, but then she thought it was normal for businessmen to be defensive. So Madam Chu put a stack of deeds in Chu Jinyao's palm and said, "These are sent to you by Qi Desheng, you should accept them first. Qi Desheng is so grateful, you can't let him down."

Chu Jinyao held these things in her hands and felt her palms burning. The last time she went out, she saw the cloth shop of Qi's family and dreamed about when she could have a silk shop. As a result, it came true?

In the evening, Madam Chu specifically talked about this matter with Marquis Changxing. Marquis Changxing carefully read the deed and waited for several days, but Qi Desheng did not make any move, as if he really had no intention of spending so much money and just wanted to give money to Chu Jinyao.

The head of Qi's family, are you going to change your career and do charity?

The news that Qi Desheng had sent Chu Jinyao a lot of things soon spread throughout the mansion, and in order to calm things down, the old lady specifically told Chu Jinyao not to tell anyone about the shop. Chu Jinyao was not stupid. She had no way of hiding such big boxes, but how could she tell anyone about the shop contract?

Just the mahogany boxes she carried in, with no one knowing what was inside, were enough to make people jealous. If people knew that she had a way to make money for a long time, wouldn't that be asking for trouble? Don't show off your wealth. Chu Jinyao understood this principle very well.

Under the lamp, Chu Jinyao's fingers flew nimbly, and she had tied a gold-threaded brocade in a short while. She put the new brocade on the jade pendant, and said as she put it on: "Qize, you know, there are really rich people in this world who are taking advantage of me and gave me a lot of wealth for free! Thank you for your good words, and I will really change a gold brocade for you!"

Chu Jinyao smiled as she said this, and she placed the jade pendant upright on the table. Under the lamplight, the gold thread shimmered with golden light, making the jade even more eye-catching. She looked at the jade pendant, and the smile on her face quickly faded: "I am finally able to buy you a new belt, but you are gone. I wish you were still here. You see, many people in the backyard are eyeing me now. I suddenly got a fortune, how can I not attract attention? Nanny Sun and several other maids in the yard are ready to make a move. My grandmother's attitude towards me is very strange, and Chu Jinmiao does not hide her malice at all. I am now like a three-year-old child, carrying a fortune through the market. Qi Ze, I feel very scared, and where are you?"

After Chu Jinyao finished speaking, no one responded in the room for a long time, only the candlelight flickered up and down. She chuckled sarcastically and whispered, "I should know that this jade pendant is already a dead object. You came out to help me when you saw me being neglected by the maids. Now that my life is really in danger, how can you just sit there and do nothing? Where have you been? You didn't even say goodbye to me."

She paused for a long time before saying, "If you were still here, you would definitely say that you should use your own brain to solve your own problems. You always talk nonsense. She said this in public, but secretly she wanted to solve everything for me. I have always known this. However, in addition to being watched this time and plotting for wealth, I will also encounter housekeeping problems, mother-in-law making things difficult, and my husband taking concubines in the future. But will I be the only one left to deal with all these? "

Chu Jinyao said that there would be no answer to these words. Qin Yi appeared by her side briefly, allowing her to see the vastness of the sky, and then disappeared from her world without looking back. To him, she was just a small mistake in his life, but to Chu Jinyao, Qin Yi was the only stunning glimpse in her long and pale life in the palace.

"You will definitely live well, although I still don't know where you have gone." Chu Jinyao finally put away the jade pendant and placed it carefully close to her heart. "I will live well too. You taught me so much, how can I let you down? I finally have my own shop. Although I only invested in it, I am also half a shopkeeper. I can finally take over Sister Su Hui."

"Look, my wishes have all come true. Yours will come true, too." Chu Jinyao suddenly felt that the lights in front of her were a little dim. She blinked quickly. After everything became clear again, Chu Jinyao stood up and said softly, "Good night, Qi Ze."

The night wind was blowing in Datong, torches were flying on the city walls, and the guards were strict.

"Your Highness, we have discovered the Tatars' night attack, and I think they dare not come today. It's late at night and the wind is strong, you should go back and rest first."

Qin Yi looked into the bottomless depths of the desert with a solemn face. Today, the Tatars gathered a small group of cavalry and attacked the city again at night. If he hadn't come to the city wall to patrol temporarily, they would have fallen into the trap. Qin Yi wanted to wait until late at night. The Tatars were cunning and shameless. They always attacked when people were not prepared, and ran away once they fought back. It was really annoying. But Qin Yi's body was just awakened from a long illness, and he really couldn't stand it all night . Even if Qin Yi was unwilling, he could only nod: "Okay, you guys be careful, don't let them find an opportunity."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Qin Yi walked on the city wall like a latent beast in the night. The torch beside him suddenly jumped, and Qin Yi seemed to stop.

"Your Highness, what's wrong?"

Qin Yi came back to his senses. Why did he think he heard Chu Jinyao's voice just now? Qin Yi shook his head, and the sound was blown away in the night wind as soon as he spoke: "Nothing. Maybe I really should rest."