Yi Qing summoned them simply because they had offended her before. She would never cooperate with people who had no bottom line just for a bit of silver.
"What happened before was truly our fault. As the saying goes, 'When the granaries are full, people will know propriety; when people have enough to eat and wear, they will know honor and disgrace.' We're just storytellers. We might not even know where our next meal is coming from. We're just common folks trying to make a living. Besides, we couldn't resist those powerful and noble people." Tao Sanwen said neither overbearingly nor humbly.
Yi Qing was amused by him. "You're just trying to make a living. There's enough silver here for you to live on for a long time. Why did you come to cooperate with me?"
"Actually, I was being greedy for that bit of money because I've been saving up to open a storytelling teahouse. But to do business in the capital, besides having money, you also need connections, especially for our line of work that just makes people laugh."
Yi Qing thought it made sense. "So, how do you propose we cooperate?"
Tao Sanwen immediately took out the cooperation plan and bowed to hand it over.
Yi Qing motioned for Ruo Hong to get it for her. She took it and had a look. It was well - done. It seemed he had spent a lot of effort on it.
"Lady Xiao's idea of having several storytellers perform on the same stage this time is quite novel. In the future, the storytelling teahouse can do the same. By then, the storytellers will have a stable income and won't have to sacrifice their dignity just for a meal." Tao Sanwen explained.
Yi Qing read it carefully. Her conclusion was that the handwriting was good. "Have you chosen a location for the storytelling teahouse?"
Tao Sanwen was stunned and didn't quite react.
"Since this idea was yours, you should choose the location. Don't worry about the price. Just consider the most suitable place."
Only then did Tao Sanwen react. "Lady Xiao, does this mean you've agreed?"
"Why wouldn't I do a profitable business?" Yi Qing thought this idea was good. "You find the place first. Then I'll send the accountant to calculate how much it will cost. The storytellers we hire can either get a fixed monthly salary or share the profits with the teahouse, but once they make a choice, it can't be changed."
"Yes." Tao Sanwen couldn't help but feel excited. He just came to take a chance, but he didn't expect things to go so smoothly.
"I won't get involved in the management. You all must also behave yourselves and not do anything illegal. If anyone causes trouble, I won't let it go."
"Okay." Tao Sanwen nodded.
"Take this silver back."
Tao Sanwen left with a grateful look on his face.
Yi Qing looked at the plan again. "Don't complain about not having opportunities. If you want something but expect others to bring it to you, you'll never get a chance."
Ruo Hong laughed.
Yi Qing noticed that Wu Min and the bitten maid suddenly quieted down. It was probably because the mother worm was dead. As long as they were quiet, Yi Qing could slowly figure out how to treat them. Their constant madness was really scary.
That afternoon, the imperial court announced the result of the vampire bat case and publicly burned the bodies of Ping Xinian and Lin Mo. Only then did the people gathered at the general's mansion disperse.
"Why didn't the emperor announce that it was Ping Xinian?" Yi Qing was a bit confused.
"I told him that Ping Xinian had put a gu poison on the Ping family. Once Ping Xinian died, many people in the Ping family might die."
"What does that matter?"
"The Ping family has such a large fortune. Who wouldn't be envious?"
Yi Qing suddenly sat up straight and looked at Xiao Jinghan. "Do you mean that the damned emperor also has his eye on the Ping family's property?"
Xiao Jinghan gently touched the top of Yi Qing's head. "Why are you so excited?"
"I was discussing with Lord Ghost about taking a share of the Ping family's property. Ping Xinian had targeted me for so long. It's not too much for me to get a share, right?"
Xiao Jinghan didn't expect Yi Qing to have such a plan. "You can take the property in the south of the Yangtze River, but it's better not to touch the ones at sea and in the north of Shanxi."
Yi Qing was a bit indignant. She had clearly brought down the prey, so why should the damned emperor benefit?
"The emperor is counting on these things to control the flood in the south of the Yangtze River."
"If there's a flood in the south of the Yangtze River, the Ping family's property there won't be in good shape either." Yi Qing said angrily.
"The south of the Yangtze River is originally a wealthy area. If managed well, the output will surely be good. The north of Shanxi is a strategic stronghold. It's normal for the emperor to want to keep it in his own hands."
Yi Qing thought about it and decided to let it go. Even if the damned emperor didn't take it, those in the business world would surely swarm in. The person Lord Ghost was going to introduce to her probably also smelled the opportunity.
"By the way, Lord Ghost is going to introduce someone to me tomorrow. Will you go with me?" Yi Qing hugged Xiao Jinghan's arm.
"Male or female?" Xiao Jinghan asked directly.
"If it's a woman, how could I take you?" Yi Qing thought it would just be asking for trouble.
Two out of every three people she met were interested in her man. Fortunately, Xiao Jinghan wasn't interested in others. If she met someone who would be tempted and not come back, how could she live this life?
Seeing Yi Qing's petty look, Xiao Jinghan said, "Okay, but shouldn't Deng Xiao leave?"
"Oops, he suspects that Duke Mu was the one who attacked him. He plans to fully recover from his injuries before leaving. Otherwise, he won't be able to fight back if he's assassinated again." Yi Qing almost forgot about Deng Xiao.
Recently, Deng Xiao had been quite obedient. He wouldn't come out if he wasn't allowed to. The servants delivered meals to him every day. She didn't know how his injuries were.
Xiao Jinghan frowned slightly.
"What's wrong?" Yi Qing felt that Xiao Jinghan had something on his mind.
"The emperor will choose Duke Mu over Deng Xiao." Xiao Jinghan whispered.
"I know." Yi Qing let out a sigh. "Otherwise, why would Duke Mu be so bold?"
After the vampire bat incident, Ran Ran had moved back. Bao Zi had no intention of going to the academy for the time being. There had been too many things going on in the academy recently, and no one was in the mood to study. Even if they went to the academy, they would just talk about all those messy things.
It was almost noon when Lord Ghost came to call Yi Qing and the others. He was unhappy when he saw that Xiao Jinghan was also going.
"I'm not going to lose her." Lord Ghost thought Xiao Jinghan was being too protective of Yi Qing.
"My Qing'er is intelligent. She would never lose herself. It's just that Qing'er is willing to take me with her. I'm very honored." Xiao Jinghan said seriously.
Lord Ghost took a deep breath and pointed at them. "Yi Qing, we're going to discuss cooperation. What if you scare the person away with this living Yama?"
"If the person who wants to cooperate with me doesn't even have this much courage, I think I'll lose money." Yi Qing pulled Xiao Jinghan into the carriage.
Lord Ghost also wanted to get in but was blocked outside by Xiao Jinghan. He had no choice but to go to his own carriage in the front.
Sihe Restaurant was the largest restaurant in the capital. If Yi Qing guessed correctly, it was also Duke Mu's property. Not to mention anything else, just having such a large piece of land in this prosperous and expensive area was priceless. Let alone building four such large three - story restaurants with pavilions, terraces, towers, and verandas connecting them in the middle. You could even take a boat in the garden and enjoy drinks on the water.
"Sihe Restaurant is the most beautiful at night. But since it's a banquet for you today, it's set for noon." Lord Ghost gave Xiao Jinghan an annoyed look.
As the three of them were walking, a drunkard staggered over and almost bumped into Yi Qing. Xiao Jinghan quickly protected Yi Qing, and the drunkard bumped into the railing.
"Are you looking for death?" Xie Hongyi pointed at Xiao Jinghan arrogantly.