Chapter 108
Legendary Qinggong? In the darkness, Zhan Feiyu's eyes shone like stars, emitting a brilliant light.
"Don't move around," Yin Wuyan said, looking down at the excited young girl. The moment his toes touched the ground, his slender figure leaped over the high wall and into the courtyard.
Zhan Feiyu's eyes darted around, and she lowered her voice, "Big brother, are we going to the study or the bedroom?"
"The bedroom." Yin Wuyan held the little girl in his arms and walked quickly towards the inner courtyard.
A moment later, Scholar Zhang was completely incapacitated by acupoint pressure and fell into a deep sleep.
Zhan Feiyu stamped her foot on the ground and then felt along the bedposts and carvings. "Could there be a secret room?"
Before Yin Wuyan could answer, Zhan Feiyu walked to the wall and tapped it with her fingers.
"The courtyard is outside the wall, there won't be a secret room." Yin Wuyan glanced at the bedroom and then walked towards the small study connected to it.
Zhan Feiyu tiptoed after him, "Four thousand taels of silver notes, will Scholar Zhang have deposited them at the bank?"
Tong Xu had left in a hurry, and Scholar Zhang hadn't had time to give him the silver notes. However, keeping them at the private school was also risky, as Scholar Zhang had openly demanded money that morning.
The small study was not very large. Behind the desk was a full row of bookshelves. The right side faced the window, and the left side had a display cabinet. Yin Wuyan squatted down and felt around under the desk.
In the silence, a clear "ding" sound was heard, and Zhan Feiyu's eyes widened.
A drawer popped out from a hidden compartment under the desk. Inside was a small iron box with a specially made copper lock. The bottom of the iron box was secured to the wall with a chain, and nothing inside could be removed without unlocking it.
Zhan Feiyu squatted down, "Do we need to pick the lock?"
A silver needle appeared between Yin Wuyan's fingers. He fiddled with the keyhole for a while. Under Zhan Feiyu's expectant gaze, the copper lock clicked open.
"Scholar Zhang is quite wealthy." Zhan Feiyu flipped through the land deeds and property deeds in her hands. Besides the large three-courtyard mansion of the Zhang family's private school, there were also deeds for two shops and fifty mu of fertile land.
Zhan Feiyu picked up the silver notes and quickly counted them. Besides the four thousand taels taken from her that morning, there were two five-hundred tael notes and ten hundred tael notes, totaling six thousand taels.
This was only the hidden silver. It was likely that Scholar Zhang also had funds for daily use, not to mention the antiques and calligraphy and paintings he collected. Calculated this way, Scholar Zhang's net worth was at least ten thousand taels.
With a click, Yin Wuyan locked the copper lock again and pushed the hidden compartment back in. "Put away all the silver notes."
Zhan Feiyu smiled like a mischievous kitten caught with its paw in the cookie jar and divided the silver notes into two piles. "Then I've also earned two thousand taels."
"It's all yours." Yin Wuyan did not accept the four thousand taels of silver notes that Zhan Feiyu handed over. He was not short of money, and it was possible he would not be able to interact with the young girl for a long time, so it was better to leave her with more money for emergencies.
"Isn't this too much?" Zhan Feiyu hesitated for a moment, then her eyes lit up. "Big brother, do you have any subordinates who were injured and can no longer serve in the Imperial Dragon Guard? I can use these silver notes to open a shop."
Yin Wuyan, who had just carried Zhan Feiyu into the courtyard, paused when he heard this. His dark eyes looked at the little girl in his arms with suspicion.
"I promise they are just ordinary recipes, and at most, we'll just make some money." She quickly stated her intentions, her eyes wide and her smile innocent.
Besides the movable type printing and gunpowder recipes, she also had a cement recipe, but it required repeated experimentation.
Of course, the recipe Zhan Feiyu intended to use to make money was for ordinary soap. However, she didn't have anyone to help her open a shop, and even if she did, she couldn't protect the recipe.
"You can't use people from the Imperial Dragon Guard. After you officially become my disciple, I'll have Scholar Gu find some people for you." Yin Wuyan carried Zhan Feiyu over the wall. A moment later, the sound of horseshoes could be heard, heading towards Jinlin Village.
...
In early June, news of movable type printing spread throughout the Daqing Dynasty. Disciples from humble families knelt and kowtowed towards the capital, shouting "Long live His Majesty!"
Although they could no longer copy books to earn money, books that used to cost hundreds of coins or even a few taels of silver now only cost twenty to thirty coins. Disciples from humble families no longer had to worry about not being able to afford books.
Tong Tongzhi, in a display of righteous indignation, handed over the Sun family's account books to the yamen. Besides tax evasion, the Sun family had also occupied over a hundred mu of fertile land, forced the original owner to ruin for a spice recipe, and Sun family members had caused injury and death by riding horses recklessly in the marketplace...
After a series of confirmed crimes, the Sun family was sealed off. Tong Xu, on behalf of his aunt, Madam Sun, brought out all of her dowry. In addition to providing porridge and medicine, he also purchased five hundred sets of stationery, which could be claimed by scholars in private schools and government schools. This was Madam Sun's atonement for the Sun family.
Outside the official road, a farm.
"The Tong family has abandoned the Sun family, which has helped to salvage some of their reputation." Gu Qingzhou said loudly, smiling at Zhan Feiyu, who was sitting beside him. "Now that Prefect Zhang has solidified his position, but Tong Tongzhi has managed to retain his official post. He won't dare to make a move openly, but when you take the imperial examination in Nanxuan Prefecture in the future, you might be targeted."
The county examination was divided into three parts. The county test was outside Shangsi County, and the prefectural test was in Nanxuan Prefecture, which was Tong Fu's territory. Even with Prefect Zhang's protection, hidden schemes were unavoidable.
"Why don't I become your disciple?" Zhan Feiyu asked with a smile. Her young age and smiling eyes did not appear fawning.
Finally having gained an advantage, Gu Qingzhou leisurely sipped his tea, "The little brat finally knows to be afraid, humph, wasn't she very stubborn before?"
"Teacher." Zhan Feiyu shamelessly leaned over and picked up the teapot to pour tea for Gu Qingzhou. "A disciple serves their teacher. If you have any instructions in the future, just say the word, and I will go through fire and water for you without hesitation!"
Gu Yuan, standing beside them, stared dumbfounded at the familiar Zhan Feiyu. Where did she look like a scholar with this fawning demeanor?
Gu Qingzhou smiled and said, "What do you plan to do for your discipleship gift? Without at least ten thousand taels of silver, I won't even look at you."
Uh... Zhan Feiyu looked at Gu Qingzhou, who was "opening his mouth wide," with disbelief and complained with a bitter face, "Teacher, aren't you too harsh? My entire net worth is not even ten thousand taels!"
Ten thousand taels? Gu Yuan was also stunned. He looked at Gu Qingzhou with a blank gaze. Had the adult gone mad? And even if they sold Zhan Feiyu, she couldn't come up with ten thousand taels!
Gritting her teeth, Zhan Feiyu extended her chubby paw and waved it. "Five thousand taels, no more!"
"Eight thousand!" Gu Qingzhou unceremoniously raised the price by three thousand. It seemed Yin Wuyan was truly generous to the little brat.
"Six thousand, Teacher, you have to leave me with some money to get by, right?" Zhan Feiyu felt the pinch. She had played the role of a thief, not only returning two thousand taels but also having to pay four thousand taels!
Gu Qingzhou sighed, "Fine, six thousand it is. Who told you you're poor? If this were in the capital, people would be crying and begging to become my disciple for sixty thousand taels. You're getting off cheap, you little brat."
Zhan Feiyu looked speechlessly at Gu Qingzhou, who was getting the better deal and still complaining. She thought that all scholars should see that this was the contemporary great scholar they admired and revered!
"Teacher, silver notes are just sitting there. Why don't we let them make money?" Zhan Feiyu's eyes rolled as she dragged a chair in front of Gu Qingzhou, and the master and disciple began to whisper about opening a shop to make money.
Who am I? Where am I? Gu Yuan looked at the master and disciple, who exuded the smell of copper, in disbelief. An incense stick ago, Zhan Feiyu had spoken about opening a shop with great enthusiasm, and Gu Qingzhou had nodded from time to time, clearly also interested.
An incense stick later, the master and disciple were arguing again. Zhan Feiyu was speaking animatedly, while Gu Qingzhou countered sharply. They were directly bickering over the shop's profit sharing, becoming more mercenary and vulgar than greedy merchants.
Another incense stick later, the result was out.
The two walked to the desk. Zhan Feiyu ground the ink, and Gu Qingzhou held the brush. With a few strokes, two contracts were written. The master and disciple then solemnly signed and stamped their fingerprints.
"Teacher, I am definitely the most filial disciple in the world. I'm providing recipes, money, and managing the shop. With all this hard work, I only get thirty percent of the profits." Zhan Feiyu, with a child's cunning, shook her head, looking like she had suffered a great loss.
Gu Qingzhou flicked her forehead with his finger and said irritably, "Your teacher also only gets three percent. Who told you to turn your back on me?"
Zhan Feiyu, who had argued logically to secure three percent of the profits for Yin Wuyan, grinned.
"Xiao Yuan, there's also ten percent of the profits for you." Gu Qingzhou said, looking at the stunned Gu Yuan and smiling. Compared to the little brat, Gu Yuan was so honest it was heartbreaking.
"Me?" Gu Yuan was truly dumbfounded. He looked at the smiling Zhan Feiyu, his face awkwardly blushing. He had always disliked Zhan Feiyu, and although he didn't dare to say anything openly, he had often glared at her in secret.
"Everyone who sees gets a share." Zhan Feiyu waved her hand indifferently. "When our shops are all over the country, Brother Gu Yuan, you'll be counting money until your hands cramp."
"The shop hasn't even opened yet, and you're already thinking and talking big." Gu Qingzhou pinched Zhan Feiyu's cheek. The little brat had quite the ambition.
"Teacher, you have a classmate relationship with His Majesty. I'll entrust the shop's plaque to you." Zhan Feiyu tilted her head back, a calculating glint in her smiling eyes. With His Majesty's calligraphy, the soap business would definitely be in high demand.
Gu Qingzhou raised an eyebrow. In terms of boldness, she dared to claim the first place, and no one else dared to claim the second.
"Although movable type printing wasn't invented by me, I did inform the court about it. It's just asking His Majesty for a piece of calligraphy, so by all accounts, I'm the one losing out." Zhan Feiyu grumbled.
Gu Qingzhou narrowed her eyes and looked at the complaining little girl with a dangerous gaze. "With me as your teacher, you're still not satisfied?"
"How could I be?" Her survival instincts soaring, Zhan Feiyu stood up straight, her small chubby face stern. "Teacher, how can you be so self-deprecating? Calligraphy is just a bonus."
Gu Qingzhou, not falling for it at all, pointed at the profit-sharing contract on the desk and said with a smile, "Don't play games. How about we renegotiate the contract? As a teacher, I should at least get a fifty percent share."
Uh...
Zhan Feiyu smiled obsequiously. "Teacher, talking about money hurts our feelings. I've brought two essays for your guidance."
Gu Yuan watched as the master and disciple sat down again and began discussing Zhan Feiyu's writings. One spoke, and the other listened. Gu Qingzhou taught diligently, and Zhan Feiyu listened attentively.
If it weren't for the two contracts with fingerprints on the table, Gu Yuan would have almost believed the previous scene was an illusion.
So, the reason the adult hadn't taken any disciples in the capital wasn't that those scholars lacked talent, but that they couldn't open shops and make money like Zhan Feiyu?
...
After sunset, Zhan Feiyu returned to Jinlin Village by carriage.
"Xiao Yu, drink some water quickly." Li Shi took the book box from her hand and handed her a wrung-out cloth. "Fifth Aunt sent over some watermelons this afternoon. The old patriarch and the others want to see you."
After wiping her sweat and drinking a cup of water, Zhan Feiyu, finally feeling a bit cooler, asked in confusion, "Mother, what does great-grandfather want?"
After Zhan Feiyu had returned four thousand taels of silver notes to Scholar Zhang, Tong Xu had not returned since Tong Gongzi's marriage proposal was thus voided.
Wan Yunhao and Qin Ye, upon learning the news of movable type printing, had also galloped back to Nanxuan Prefecture. After all, the Qin family operated the largest bookstore in Nanxuan Prefecture, and the new printing technology had the greatest impact on Qin's business.
"It seems to be about the business of Taifu Restaurant." Li Shi had only heard a few words from Fifth Aunt. She still had over a hundred taels of silver given by Zhan Feiyu. With no shortage of money, Li Shi focused on managing the vegetable patch and taking care of Zhan Feiyu's daily life, and had no interest in making money.
Zhan Feiyu looked at the sun outside. "Mother, I'll go to great-grandfather's house first, and I'll eat when I get back."
After listening to her teacher's lectures for two hours in the afternoon, Zhan Feiyu's head was still feeling groggy and uncomfortable. It was a good opportunity to go out for a stroll and relax her mind.
The old patriarch, the village head, and several elders were sitting in the courtyard, enjoying the cool breeze. They hadn't expected Zhan Feiyu to arrive so quickly.
"Xiao Yu, you haven't had dinner yet, have you?" The village head quickly said. Zhan Feiyu went to the county school to study every day, so she usually returned around this time.
"I ate watermelon before coming, so I'm not hungry yet." Zhan Feiyu greeted everyone one by one before sitting down on a stool. "Great-grandfather, what do you need me for?"
"Let Wencheng tell you." The old patriarch looked at Zhan Wencheng beside him. They were old, and the hope of the Zhan clan rested on the younger generation.
Zhan Wencheng had now opened a shop selling oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar at home. The prices were fair, and most of the villagers bought their goods here.
"Xiao Yu, I've already reached an agreement with Master Xie. From now on, all the chickens and ducks in the village will be sent to the restaurant." Zhan Wencheng looked much more mature now. He quickly explained the contract to Zhan Feiyu, as Master Xie was willing to let the villagers earn money out of consideration for Xiao Yu.
Zhan Feiyu understood but was a little confused. There was no need to tell her about business matters.
"Xiao Yu, we have discussed it, and we won't let Wencheng handle this business." The old patriarch continued, looking at the confused Zhan Feiyu and smiling. "Chickens, ducks, dried goods from the mountains, and wild game will all be purchased uniformly by the clan and then sold to Taifu Restaurant. As for the profits, they will be tallied once a year. Half of the money will be used to buy clan land, and the other half will be distributed to each household. As for the income from the clan land, once enough is saved, the village will build a private school, and the money earned will be used to support the education of the village children." m..oΓg
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