A crown princess who doesn't do infrastructure construction isn't a good doctor.

After Jinwen and Lanfeng went downstairs, Gao Yu went to the window and watched their figures disappear into the bookstore entrance, feeling slightly melancholy.

"Masako, why only have them come forward?"

It wasn't that he didn't trust Jinwen and Lanfeng; it was just that they had never had the opportunity to demonstrate their talents when they were at the Prince An's residence. Moreover, when a shop changes hands, the handover of work is usually handled by a manager who has already appeared before the shopkeeper, in case they don't recognize the person. But this time, Qin Suiyou wanted to take over the management directly, but he not only didn't go to the Yun family to borrow a manager, but he also didn't show up himself. Instead, he only sent two servants. The process would probably be quite difficult.

"If they can't even take over a bookstore, they don't need to eat."

Gao Yu: ...So cold-hearted.

Gao Yu began to understand the solemn expressions on Jinwen and Lanfeng's faces earlier. In fact, what they were afraid of was not missing this meal. After all, Qin Suiyou had always treated them very well, and not giving them food would be a huge punishment. They didn't want to fail on their first time being entrusted with an important task, and they also didn't want to disappoint Qin Suiyou.

Seeing that Gao Yu seemed to understand, Lu Xi leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Don't listen to him. He just doesn't want to move. He just went for a walk inside, which used up most of his exercise for the day."

Completely oblivious to Lu Xi's whispering, Gao Yu thought: "...You're so brazen about talking behind people's backs? You're really brave!"

After Lu Xi finished speaking openly, he suddenly felt a thorn in his side as an undeniable gaze fell upon him.

However, the gaze did not come from Qin Suiyou, whom he had spoken ill of, but from Shuo Han, who had fallen silent after saying that the bookstore was selling fake books.

Lu Xi didn't dare to ask any questions and just hid behind Gao Yu again. However, Gao Yu was unreliable. Seeing that Shuo Han's sharp gaze was about to reach her, she immediately moved to the seat where Lan Feng had been sitting, leaving Lu Xi there feeling awkward and not daring to move. She seemed to feel that she was a little embarrassed, so she raised a cup of tea to half-cover her face as a cover.

After Gao Yu changed seats, Shuo Han withdrew his gaze and continued to sit upright without saying a word.

After sitting for a short while, everyone felt bored. Unaware of being watched, Lu Xi got up and walked around the private room. With her sharp eyes, she spotted a chess set and said, "Let's play Gomoku."

Gao Yu asked in confusion, "How do you play Gomoku?"

He was with a master who wasn't interested in refined pursuits, and besides Go, all he knew was Chinese chess.

Perhaps because no one had used it for a long time, and it went unnoticed in the corner, the chess box and chessboard were covered with a layer of dust. Lu Xi patted them off before putting them on the table.

"Gomoku is simple, Youyou. Let's play a game and demonstrate it for them, but only once. After we finish, you have to be last in line, otherwise we'll all have to play with you."

Qin Suiyou's skills were so good that Lu Xi didn't want him to participate, but he still felt that he should do something out of courtesy, so he reluctantly put him last in the order.

"Those who want to come, please line up."

……

About 25 minutes passed, and everyone had played at least three or four rounds.

Gomoku is indeed simple. At first, Qin Suiyou and Lu Xi went through the process briefly, and the others who had never played it before understood it.

After several rounds of play, Shuohan had the lowest win rate, winning only one game, and was eliminated in the next game when he encountered Luxi.

Next is Gao Yu. Lu Xi took advantage of his inexperience and tricked him several times, and then became smug. Luckily, Gao Yu has a good temper, otherwise the two of them would have definitely had a fight in the private room.

The current stalemate is unexpected for Beitang Yan, who is indeed capable of leading troops into battle. At this moment, he and Qin Suiyou's pieces have already occupied two-thirds of the chessboard.

Who do you think will win this round?

Gao Yu glanced at Lu Xi, who was leaning closer, and said, "I don't know."

After several rounds, Beitang Yan and Qin Suiyou played four games, each winning and losing.

Lu Xi patted the pastry crumbs off her hands and said confidently, "I think Beitang Yan will definitely win."

Gao Yu, who was already used to Lu Xi's rude behavior of calling the Crown Prince by his name in private, frowned and asked in confusion, "Why?"

He thought Lu Xi would firmly stand on Qin Suiyou's side.

"Because Youyou will definitely give in to him."

"Ok?"

Poke Gao Yu's head, which was full of questions, and said in a tone of someone who had been there, "You'll understand when you're in a relationship."

However, Gao Yu still asked with a blank look, "What does it mean to be in a relationship?"

Turning Gao Yu's head to look at the chess game that was about to end, Lu Xi said, "You'll understand when you find someone you love."

As Lu Xi had guessed, Bei Tangyan did indeed win. However, Bei Tangyan was not happy about winning. Instead, he said to Qin Suiyou, "Let's play another round, and you can win this time."

Gao Yu, who had just realized what had happened, felt her eyes widen like copper bells.

"So they did it on purpose, letting each of them win once?"

Looking at the innocent Gao Yu with "kindness," Lu Xi said, "Yes, this is a kind of romance that single people don't understand."

Gao Yu scratched the back of his head, feeling even more confused.

"Of course dogs don't understand."

Lu Xi extended his index finger and waved it from side to side in front of Gao Yu's eyes.

"The term 'single dog' refers to you, me, and... him."

He was referring to Shuo Han. He was a little confused when he was suddenly called a dog, but he didn't show it on his face.

Still a little dazed, Gao Yu asked in a daze, "Why is it that I can't understand some of what you're saying? Is it your hometown dialect?"

Lu Xi made an X with her hands and pushed them in front of Gao Yu.

"No, no, no, this isn't my hometown dialect. Those words you don't understand are words I learned from Youyou. They're too advanced for you to understand, so it's normal."

Gently pushing away Lu Xi's hand that was pressed against her face, Gao Yu said helplessly, "Not only what you say, but your behavior is also incomprehensible to me."

Lu Xi withdrew her hand and said with a smile, "It's okay, you'll understand once you spend more time with me."

Just as the two were about to continue their exchange of "I don't understand" and "You can understand," a sudden commotion came from outside the window.

"what happened?"

Qin Suiyou changed his position while playing chess, so he couldn't see the street scene outside the window. Shuo Han was quick, and before the others could even hear the noise, he was already standing by the window.

"Jinwen is being harassed."

"Ok?"

Several people suddenly gathered by the window.

Jinwen and Lanfeng didn't discuss any strategies on this trip. Their main goal was to complete the mission as soon as possible. They went straight to the point and immediately stated their identities and purpose to the shopkeeper.

After listening to Jinwen's words, the shopkeeper looked the two of them up and down. His eyes didn't show any disdain, but they made people feel inexplicably uncomfortable.

"Go inside."

They entered the inner room through a small door, where the innkeeper invited them to sit down.

"You're the servant of the former master's nephew, right? My surname is Wang."

Jin Wenlan and Feng nodded in response, "Manager Wang."

Manager Wang appeared to be a rather thin middle-aged man. Perhaps because he had been working in the bookstore for a long time, he didn't have a strong commercial aura. However, his eyes were sharp, and being stared at would make one inexplicably uneasy. This was exactly how Lan Feng felt. However, a glance at the calm and composed Jin Wen made him feel much more at ease.

Withdrawing his sharp gaze, Manager Wang said, "Why does the new owner want to take back control? Is it because he thinks we old folks aren't doing a good job and wants to discard us after we've served our purpose?"

"Of course not."

Jinwen was not intimidated by Manager Wang's sharp words and continued calmly, "The bookstore is now owned by the Lord. A few days ago, the Lord reviewed the account books and learned about the current situation of the bookstore. After much consideration, he decided to renovate the bookstore and transfer the management to the Lord, which is also to facilitate the communication of decisions from top to bottom."

Manager Wang opened his eyes and looked at Jinwen, staring at him for a while before saying, "Since you've seen the bookstore's accounts, you should know the situation. Although the bookstore's income isn't large, it has sustained us for many years. The livelihoods of all the employees depend on this place. If we rashly try to make any changes, not only will we lose our old customers, but if it fails, we might even have to close down. The new owner can still live a peaceful life as the heir apparent, but what about the employees? Where will they find a living?"

Seeing that Manager Wang was getting more and more agitated, Jinwen remained unmoved, only raising his hand and making a downward pressing motion, indicating that Manager Wang should calm down for a while.

Lan Feng, standing to the side, was completely stunned. If he hadn't seen the obviously problematic ledger with his own eyes, he would have thought that Manager Wang was a kind person who was worried about the livelihood of his employees.

Seeing that Manager Wang had calmed down, Jinwen said, "Manager Wang has put in a lot of effort. I will go back and report to Zhengjun, and I will definitely be able to give you a 'good' job again. As for the other employees, Zhengjun is kind and generous. Those who are loyal to their master will naturally have a job to support themselves. On the contrary, it is better to get rid of them as soon as possible, so as not to have to support ungrateful wretches in a good shop. Besides, it is uncertain what the future of the bookstore will be like, and you don't need to worry about what will happen after that. You just need to do your job well."

Upon hearing Jinwen's words, Manager Wang's gaze instantly turned fierce, like two knives, as if he wanted to stab Jinwen with two holes.

Despite his undisguised gaze, Manager Wang still spoke in a normal tone.

"What are you saying? I'm just thinking about the new owner. After all, Southwest Bookstore may not be big, but it's in a good location. If it closes down, it'll be a waste of effort. It's better to stay put."

Jinwen smiled slightly, meeting Manager Wang's dimples in unison, showing no sign of being outdone.

"I won't beat around the bush with you. No matter how much you say, it won't change the Lord's decision. It's better to save your breath. Otherwise, if we accidentally say too much when we report back, we'll end up having to go to the government to be judged for what crime it is to deceive the superiors and falsify accounts, since we just didn't have the authority to make decisions."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Jinwen lowered his eyes and sighed. Then he asked Lanfeng to hand him a piece of paper, and then read the contents of the paper aloud with a regretful tone.

"On the third day of the second month of the thirtieth year of Tianshun, 428 taels were spent to purchase a quantity of fine Xuan paper and wolf hair brushes. By the twentieth day of the twelfth month, 669 taels and 8 mace had been received, with a profit of 241 taels and 8 mace."

"On the first day of the fourth month of the thirty-first year of the Tianshun era, three hundred were sent out..."

"enough!"

Jinwen was interrupted after reading only two passages. He stopped with some regret, took back the paper, and handed it to Lanfeng.

Looking at Manager Wang, who was already breathing heavily and whose chest was heaving violently, Jinwen said, "What? You also think it's outrageous, don't you? Aren't you ashamed?"

Seeing that Manager Wang did not answer, Jinwen continued, "A middle-class bookstore on West Main Street took in more than four hundred taels of goods during the year of the imperial examination, but it was not sold out until the end of the year, and the profit was only more than two hundred taels. May I ask if Manager Wang misappropriated the owner's money to help those scholars?"

Manager Wang sneered and said in a gloomy tone, "I don't deserve such a good reputation."

If Manager Wang's sneer was sinister and sinister, then Jinwen was simply a beautiful person whose smile was pleasing to the eye.

Jinwen smiled and said, "Then could Manager Wang share how you managed to make a profit of only two hundred taels in a whole year?"

Manager Wang completely ignored the question and said in a deep voice, "You just want to say that I embezzled money, then produce the evidence."

Jinwen, seemingly lacking evidence, gently changed the subject, saying, "We don't want to push things too far. It's just a matter of handing over authority. We definitely won't cause you any trouble after that."