Dad, open the door. I'll bring your mistress back for you.

Maybe it was because she was feeling calm lately or something, but Shen Chuning felt that although the weather at the end of July was much hotter than in previous years, it was far less than in her previous life.

Shen Chuning took Birui to sit in the teahouse, drinking tea leisurely.

Next to the private room where they were sitting were Shen Jingwan and the third prince, who had been very busy recently.

Xiao Yuanlang used the saltpeter from Shen Jingwan's farm to make ice, and he did make a lot of money at the beginning.

But just after he sent people to buy saltpeter in large quantities, the price of ice suddenly dropped.

Although the price has not fallen too much, the current price is one penny lower than his cost.

He had a large amount of saltpeter in stock. It was not appropriate to use it to make ice now, but it was also not appropriate to keep it there.

There's no money to be made from making ice.

Let it sit there. Since saltpeter is in short supply now, he has already bought it at a high price. As time goes by, more saltpeter will be mined and the price will naturally drop.

"Didn't you say that Shen Chuning didn't have much ice left? Why is she still selling it after so many days?" Xiao Yuanlang asked Shen Jingwan viciously.

Shen Jingwan was also anxious. She originally thought that she could take this opportunity to attack Shen Chuning, but she didn't expect things to develop to this point.

"Indeed...there are indeed not many left." Shen Jingwan replied guiltily.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuanlang's face darkened and he slammed the teacup in his hand onto the table.

He roared, "It's true that there aren't many, but how much is left? Do I have to wait until the beginning of winter for her to sell them?"

Shen Jingwan was so frightened that she shuddered and her body shook involuntarily, as if it was not the teacup but herself that was thrown on the table.

She said tremblingly, "Don't be angry, Your Highness."

Xiao Yuanlang glared at her and said impatiently, "How can I not be angry? It's been so long!"

Shen Jingwan quickly explained, "Actually, there's no need to wait until Sister sells out. It's extremely hot right now, and there's nowhere to produce ice. And the raw materials for making ice are all in your hands."

After hearing this, Xiao Yuanlang nodded thoughtfully.

Shen Jingwan continued, "You just need to buy all the ice in my sister's hand. If you want it to sell for ten taels a bucket, it will be worth ten taels. If you want it to sell for a hundred taels, it will be worth a hundred taels."

After hearing this, Xiao Yuanlang tapped his fingers lightly on the table, as if thinking about the possibilities in Shen Jingwan's words.

After a while, Xiao Yuanlang suddenly raised his head, looked at Shen Jingwan coldly, and asked, "You said Shen Chuning was almost out of ice, but now you want me to buy ice from her? I'm afraid you and she are colluding to make money from me."

Although Xiao Yuanlang also felt that Shen Jingwan's idea was feasible, this would invisibly increase his own costs, which went against his original intention.

After all, he now needs a lot of silver to build up his own power.

"Don't you like to show your loyalty? Do you have any other way to make money?" Xiao Yuanlang asked lightly with a barely perceptible smile on his face.

Shen Jingwan pondered for a moment, then answered cautiously: "There is currently no way to make money, but Wan'er knows another thing that may be useful to Your Highness."

"Oh? Tell me about it." Xiao Yuanlang raised his chin towards Shen Jingwan with interest.

A sly glint flashed in Shen Jingwan's eyes as she whispered, "Your Majesty has promised to help Concubine Qin build a new glazed tower, but the current level of craftsmen can only produce small pieces of glazed items, which is far from meeting the standards for building a glazed tower. It just so happens that Wan'er knows how to produce large pieces of glazed glass."

Concubine Qin was the eighteen-year-old concubine who entered the palace just last year and was quite favored.

Xiao Yuanlang sneered, "Are you asking me to help a nobleman build a glazed tower? Isn't this going to cause trouble for my mother? Is this what you call something useful to me?"

Shen Jingwan quickly explained: "Your Highness, please don't be so hasty to refuse."

She gently placed her hand on Xiao Yuanlang's big hand.

"How can you say you're helping a nobleman build a tower? You're clearly helping His Majesty relieve his worries."

"Although the Imperial Concubine might be unhappy if this was accomplished, you have pleased His Majesty. I believe the Imperial Concubine will understand."

"Besides, this is not just a matter of pleasing His Majesty..." Shen Jingwan suddenly stopped here, as if she had something to hide.

Xiao Yuanlang suppressed his inner disgust, tightly grasped Shen Jingwan's hand, and asked anxiously: "Wan'er, tell me quickly, what else is there to gain?"

His eyes flashed with greed and desire.

Shen Jingwan smiled shyly, gently pulled out her hand, and did not forget to gently stroke Xiao Yuanlang's palm with her nails.

"Your Highness, think about it. Wan'er is the only one who knows the method of firing large pieces of glass. As for how much silver is needed to make it, that is naturally decided by Your Highness! In this way, the extra silver will all go into your pocket." There was a hint of cunning and pride in her voice.

The more Xiao Yuanlang thought about it, the more excited he became, with greed flashing in his eyes.

This plan would not only allow him to earn a lot of money, but also help his mother test his father's bottom line towards Concubine Qin.

Xiao Yuanlang stared at Shen Jingwan coldly, his tone carrying a hint of majesty as he said, "What benefits do you want from me by telling me these things?"

He knew in his heart that this woman must have her own purpose and intention.

Shen Jingwan knew very well that she had to ask for something in order to reassure Xiao Yuanlang, but the plan couldn't be too big.

She pondered for a moment, then slowly spoke, "Before Wan'er returned to the Shen family, she was tricked by my sister into signing a contract requiring her to draw ten design drawings for Wanbaoxuan every month. If I fail to deliver on time, I will have to compensate my sister with ten thousand taels of silver. However, Wan'er simply doesn't have the energy to draw now, let alone come up with so much silver as compensation..."

Hearing this, Xiao Yuanlang frowned slightly, with a look of dissatisfaction on his face.

He snorted coldly and said, "Wanbaoxuan is originally the property of your Shen family. Can they force you to paint?"

Shen Jingwan bit her lip, looked at Xiao Yuanlang with a firm gaze, and explained: "But that contract was signed privately by my sister and I, and it was approved by the government."

After hearing this, Xiao Yuanlang was silent for a moment, then said, "Okay, I will send someone to handle this matter, you can focus on making the colored glaze."

After the two people next door left, Shen Chuning whispered to Bi Rui beside her, "If someone comes to buy a large amount of ice from us, we will sell it all at a price 10% higher than the current price."

Birui nodded obediently. Although she was full of doubts and didn't understand why someone would buy such a large amount of ice at the end of July, she still responded respectfully to Shen Chuning.

Just as Shen Chuning was about to get up and leave the room, a conversation suddenly came from outside the door.

"Is the person who just left the Dingguo General the second son of the Zhou family?"