"Head shopkeeper, don't laugh at me. I don't have much experience, and I can only think of a few quick ways to make money. If it wasn't for head shopkeeper's extraordinary abilities, how could an idea be of any use? "
Qin Yining held a light blue wide sleeve in one hand and a teapot in the other. She poured the green tea into the carp lotus teacup and then brought it to Master Zhong.
Master Zhong received it with both hands, overwhelmed by the favor, and repeatedly expressed his thanks.
Qin Yining smiled. She picked up the fan like a cat catching a butterfly and waved it twice. The hair hanging down her temples naughtily stuck to her pink cheeks and was carelessly tucked behind her ears.
"Our Zhao Yun Agency's properties are all recorded in the Imperial House. The Emperor and Empress act without any rules. After several inquiries, I can now conclude that the Emperor does have the intention of plundering the Zhao Yun Agency. That day, he destroyed the Duke Ding fu so happily. One of the reasons was because the Emperor wanted to take the Zhao Yun Agency into the internal treasury. But because of his face, my father's identity, and the previous rumors, the Emperor can't make a move now. But I think that he won't give up on this idea. While the situation is still stable, we should quickly make money."
Hearing the tune, Shopkeeper Zhong immediately nodded and said, "I understand the meaning of the owner. You can rest assured that the extra money we earned will be accounted for in the accounts of Zhao Yun Bureau. No one will find out about this money. We have made a lot of money using short-term loans. If it is spread, it will attract the hatred of our peers. This matter has to be kept secret. "
"That's good." Qin Yining smiled and waved her silk fan from time to time. She looked past the half-open window lattice and looked at the little girls who were sitting on the steps of the corridor opposite and playing with "scratchers". Their hair had yet to grow.
The innocent and cheerful laughter of the girls was very infectious, and the smile on her face couldn't help but deepen.
"When I was young, my adoptive mother also coaxed me to play this game. She would take a few apricot stones and sew them into a small sandbag. The first time, she would grab one, the second time, two, and three … When she had grabbed a handful, she would throw the apricot stones up and catch them with the back of her hand. At that time, my hands were small, so I couldn't catch as many as my adoptive mother. I even secretly thought that when I grew up, I would definitely surpass my adoptive mother. Unfortunately, she passed away before I grew up."
Master Zhong sighed. "Boss's adoptive mother must be a very gentle and kind person."
"Yes, she is a very good person, but in this world, good people always have a hard life. Born in troubled times, there are so many people who have lost their homes. But look, even when Da Zhou's soldiers were at the gates, Jingdou was still indulging in a life of luxury.
"His Majesty is a muddleheaded man. He doesn't have any other skills, but he is an expert at harming loyal and good people. He doesn't see that the people outside are in dire straits, but he keeps an eye on which officials steal his limelight. With such an emperor, the corrupt officials can be at ease and run amok."
Qin Yining shook his head and said, "Don't look at how peaceful it is right now. If the peace talks succeed, only a portion of the people's glory and wealth will be preserved. The common people will still suffer."
When Master Zhong heard this, he couldn't help but sigh.
He was very knowledgeable and experienced. Even though he didn't personally live a hard life like Qin Yining, after years of war, it was true that nine out of ten houses were empty and starving people were everywhere. In addition, there was very little rain this summer, and many places were already showing signs of drought. The common people's lives were even more difficult.
"Unfortunately, my abilities are meager." Qin Yining shook his head and laughed. "Right now, I don't have the ability to 'help the world'. Sometimes, I even want to beg the heavens to open their eyes and quickly take away the fatuous ruler and the demon empress. "
"Ai! Isn't that right? Rather than hoping that the fatuous ruler will be enlightened, it's better to hope that he will reincarnate sooner! I reckon that the common people outside are also thinking the same thing. However, we can't say this out loud. It's better to be careful. Not long ago, three storytellers were arrested, and it was said that the contents of their stories were rebellious. "
"He did it himself, yet he doesn't allow others to talk about it. His Majesty wants the common people to be fools." Qin Yining shook his head and sighed. "Today, I was feeling emotional, so I came here to nag you. Now that time is still good, let's make some money. In the future, no matter what we do, we will have some capital. We won't have to struggle to make ends meet. "
"Boss, don't worry. This old man doesn't have any other skills, but I do have a brain. "
Qin Yining nodded. She stood up and said, "Of course I trust Head Shopkeeper's ability. Since it's still early, I plan to go outside the city for a walk. "
"I'll send you off."
"Please wait."
… …
Qin Yining exchanged some pleasantries with Master Zhong, then bid farewell and left the Zhong Family. When he reached the main entrance, Ji Yun helped him put on a snow-white veil hat.
Bing Tang had been waiting at the entrance with the date red horse that Huzi had given her for a long time. When White Cloud saw Qin Yining come out, it immediately raised its neck and snorted.
Qin Yining chuckled and went forward to untie White Cloud's reins. He gently stroked the silvery white mane on its neck and said with a smile, "Did you get impatient from waiting?"
White Cloud intimately rubbed against her cheek.
Ji Yun smiled and led her yellow horse over. "Miss, you're even gentler to a horse than to our Wang Ye. If Wang Ye saw this, he might get jealous. The next time you see Wang Ye, you should at least smile a little more."
Qin Yining blushed and said angrily, "You silly girl, did Pang Zhixi specially arrange for you to be by my side and nag all day long?"
Ji Yun chuckled. "Miss clearly misses Wang Ye, so you can't blame me for nagging. Ever since you got that red bean bracelet, you haven't worn any other bracelets or bracelets. You've been hugging Er Bai all day long at home and even personally washed Er Bai's plum blossom bracelet. Isn't that because you miss Wang Ye? "
"Naughty girl, if you keep talking, I'll chase you back. I won't take you out to walk the horse." Qin Yining glared at her with a red face.
Bing Tang and Ji Yun winked at each other and laughed.
Qin Yining nimbly flipped over and leaped onto the horse. "Let's go outside the city for a while before returning to the residence. Old Madam wants to investigate the corruption of the old servants in the kitchen. If we return early, it will be troublesome."
Old Servant Liu, who was in charge of the comprador in the main kitchen, passed off shoddy goods as good ones and even secretly moved rice grains from the residence into the residence. That day, she was caught red-handed by Ji Yun, who was by Old Madam's side, and returned to Old Madam.
After Old Madam knew about it, she immediately made a fuss. For three consecutive days, she dragged the Sun Clan, Second Old Madam, and Third Old Madam to investigate the matters in the residence. Not only did she catch Old Servant Liu, but she also dug up many of Sesame Grain's messes. Qin Yining watched at home for two days and felt a headache. Today, she could only hide.
"What if Old Madam asks? Just a while ago, Old Madam said that you are not allowed to ride a horse. She thinks that you don't have the appearance of a young lady from a respectable family. "Although Ji Yun said this, she nimbly jumped onto the yellow horse.
Qin Yining lifted the veil on her veil hat and said with a smile, "If everything depends on what others say, then we don't need to live our lives. Many people have already said bad things about me behind my back. There are all kinds of unpleasant things that they said. If I cared about those, I would have hung myself long ago. If they like it, then I will. If they don't like it, then I won't. Everyone lives their own lives. Who cares about who has a headache? "
Ji Yun burst out laughing and urged the horse forward. She and Bing Tang accompanied Qin Yining on the left and right. They chose a secluded road and headed out of the city.
When they left the outer city of the capital, there was a bright and beautiful scenery in front of them. The blue sky was clear as if it had been washed, and the green grass was lush and green. Although the weather was hot and stuffy, the three of them wore veil hats on their heads to block the sun. When the horses galloped, there was wind, and the white veil on their veil hats and the gauze on their bodies fluttered in the wind. There was an indescribable feeling of coolness and refreshment.
The master and servant trio ran wildly along a small path that was shaded by trees beside the official road for a while before they dismounted and rested for a while. They then led the horses to look for a water source.
There was little rain this year, and a few streams had already dried up. The original stream path was only left with a shallow layer of muddy water and stones that had been scorching hot from the sun. After stepping on the stones and walking for a while, they finally found the mouth of a spring with gurgling water flowing out.
Qin Yining, Bing Tang, and Ji Yun first took out water bags and filled them with water. Then, they let the three horses drink water.
The three of them stood under the shade of a tree and looked at the official road not far away that was dazzling under the sun.
Bing Tang could not help but sigh worriedly, "It's not good for the drought to continue like this. I'm afraid that the farm's harvest will be affected."
"It's not just the farm. I heard that many places outside are experiencing drought. If this continues, I'm afraid that there will be a drought."
Qin Yining drank another mouthful of water and went forward to hang the water bag on the horse's saddle.
Ji Yun slowly put down the water bag and lifted the white veil on her curtain hat. With a light leap, she jumped onto a large tree and shaded her eyes with her hands as she looked in the direction of the official road.
Qin Yining asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
Ji Yun raised her left hand slightly to signal for them to keep quiet.
Qin Yining and Bing Tang immediately felt that something was amiss. They stood under the tree and followed Ji Yun's gaze. From afar, they seemed to see some smoke and dust on the road in the distance.
"There are many people! Miss, there are many, many people running in this direction! "
Qin Yining's heart skipped a beat. He quickly said, "Quickly take a closer look. Who are they? Are they soldiers or civilians? Are they riding horses? "
As Qin Yining spoke, he stretched his neck to take a closer look. However, due to the low-lying terrain, his line of sight was obstructed. After a long time, he could only see a cloud of smoke and dust getting bigger and bigger.
"They shouldn't be soldiers. Looking at their clothes, they shouldn't be … Miss, let's quickly hide. They will probably run over in a short while."
Ji Yun jumped down from the tree and pulled Qin Yining to hide behind them.
Bing Tang also quickly led his horse and followed behind them.
The three of them carefully hid their horses and returned a little. They squatted behind the bushes and secretly looked out.
At this moment, the group of people had already arrived in front of them. Upon closer inspection, it was actually a large group of civilians who were in a sorry state!
There were more than a thousand people in the group. There were men and women, old and young, and each of them carried a bundle. Their hair was messy, and their clothes were dirty. Their faces were filled with panic. They supported each other as they ran in the direction of the capital. They were so tired that they were out of breath, but their faces were still pale and they refused to stop.
There were old people who ran too slowly and fell to the ground. Before their children could help them up, they were stepped on by the people who rushed over from behind.
There were also children who ran away crying and crying loudly for their parents.
Such a panicked and chaotic scene made it seem as if there were evil spirits chasing after them!
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