Pick up a princess to be your wife

Li Xin stared at Li Mu for a long time, and suddenly, her face turned red all the way to the roots of her neck.

"Understood?" Li Mu smiled faintly.

Li Xin lay down on the bed and covered her face with the blanket.

"Once I've scraped together some money, I'll find a suitable place to move out. Staying at my brother and sister-in-law's house indefinitely isn't a solution," Li Mu said.

When his brother and sister-in-law were in a good mood, they would make a ruckus every night, which naturally made Li Mu itch with desire.

He's not a saint. What if he can't control himself one day when he's spending every day in the same room with a beautiful woman?

The next morning at court, Wang Xiulian warmly called Li Mu and the other man to get up and have breakfast.

It's clear that Wang Xiulian is in a good mood.

This morning, not only was the porridge very thick, but she also stir-fried a plate of beef.

"You two brothers should eat more meat so you'll have the strength to work today. Miss Li Xin should also eat some meat; you've just recovered from a serious illness, it's time for you to nourish your body."

While adding meat to everyone's porridge bowls, Wang Xiulian began to instruct Li Mu.

"Second Brother, you mustn't gamble today. We have three people working here, so we're not worried about not being able to pay back Master Zhou's money."

Then she said to Li Xin, "Miss Li Xin, now that you've entered our family, I won't treat you like an outsider. I have to go out to work today, so I might be back a little late. If you have some free time this evening, could you cook dinner for me?"

After breakfast, everyone except Li Xin went out.

Li Mu set up his stall at the market entrance for a while, but still didn't get any business.

They wanted to rely on their brother and sister-in-law to work and earn money to pay off their debts, which would require them to work for decades without eating or drinking.

Li Mu will have to figure out a solution to this.

Just as Li Mu was pondering, Li Ertie swaggered over.

"Brother, I've been looking for you all morning. Why didn't you come to deliver goods to my place today?" Li Ertie asked.

"I'm just afraid of running into my sister-in-law. Let's find another place to deliver goods from now on," Li Mu replied.

“You haven’t mentioned the price yet, and the payment for yesterday’s goods hasn’t been settled either,” Li Ertie said.

Li Mu wasn't in a hurry to settle the payment.

He is all alone and will need Li Ertie's help in the future.

"Brother, I have two questions for you. Who is Zhou Wanfu, the rich man?" Li Mu asked.

When the predecessor left his hometown, it was a time of peace and prosperity, and there were more than one landlord in Luyang County.

“You don’t know that? He’s the richest man in Luyang County. It’s said that a couple of years ago he was just a local ruffian, but later he apparently used his connections with the county magistrate to take over many landlords, big and small, and became the biggest landlord in the county,” Li Ertie explained.

The more chaotic the world becomes, the more wicked people there will be who devour others without spitting out their bones.

Zhou Wanfu has connections with the county magistrate; if he continues to oppress the Li family, this matter will likely be difficult to resolve.

"What about the Treasure Pavilion?" Li Mu asked.

"You don't even know the biggest antique brand in the Great Yan? Are you even a citizen of the Great Yan?"

It wasn't that Li Mu was ignorant; his predecessor was just an honest and hardworking laborer who wouldn't have bothered to inquire about anything.

"It seems I'm quite ignorant," Li Mu said.

"It is said that when the rebels stormed the capital, they killed half of the He family, the owners of Jubaoge, and plundered billions of dollars in wealth. Despite such a heavy blow, the He family's reputation has not fallen. However, the He family has fallen from a top-tier conglomerate to a second-tier one, and with the value of their antiques greatly reduced, they are not what they used to be," Li Ertie said.

"Brother Ertie is truly a genius. He knows everything happening in the world without ever leaving his house," Li Mu praised.

"Hey."

Li Ertie sighed.

“Lingnan is in complete chaos right now, and I don’t know if the rebels will capture it. I have no interest in world affairs right now; I just want to have more money in my hands so that I won’t starve to death if I escape to the southwest,” Li Ertie said.

After Li Mu and Li Ertie finished discussing the delivery, they went their separate ways.

Li Mu then went to Jubaoge.

As soon as he appeared, he was immediately recognized.

"Look, he's the young man who 'passed all three levels of the imperial examinations' yesterday."

"So young? Really?"

"I told you he would definitely come today; there's going to be a good show."

When the waiter saw Li Mu enter, he hurriedly went forward to greet him.

"Young Master Li is here again. Would you like to play a few rounds today?" the waiter asked with a fawning smile.

"Please trouble you to inform Manager He that Li Mu requests an audience," Li Mu said.

"Alright, Mr. Li, please wait a moment."

Before long, the waiter led Li Mu up to the attic.

When He Xianzhi saw Li Mu, his expression remained as cold as ever, but he was secretly delighted.

He came back after all.

If He Xianzhi could win over Li Mu, a talented individual, it would be a tremendous boost to her abilities.

"Greetings, Miss He." Li Mu nodded and bowed.

"Has Young Master Li changed his mind?" He Xianzhi asked.

She felt that given Li Mu's family background, there was absolutely no reason for him to refuse the conditions she offered.

"I've come today to discuss a business deal with Miss He," Li Mu said.

"You want to buy back antiques from me?" He Xianzhi asked.

“Jubao Pavilion is wealthy and powerful, so naturally it wouldn’t be reduced to selling antiques to make a living,” Li Mu said in a deep voice.

"Then what business do you want to discuss with me?" He Xianzhi asked.

“I can appraise a thousand antiques for you, and you will need to give me a thousand taels of silver as payment,” Li Mu said.

"You mean you're not coming to Jubaoge?" He Xianzhi immediately understood what Li Mu meant.

“Just let me know when you need me, and I’ll come anytime. My condition is that you have to pay me one thousand taels right now,” Li Mu said.

"I'll give you a thousand taels now, but what if you run away with the money?" the maid next to her said somewhat displeased.

He Xianzhi found Li Mu's proposal somewhat novel, as Jubao Pavilion had never had such a cooperative model before.

"If Miss He is unwilling, I will not force her," Li Mu said calmly.

He Xianzhi appears glamorous on the surface, and also has the background and identity of the He family.

In reality, she has acquired a lot of antiques recently, and she has to calculate the cost of a thousand taels of silver.

If it were three months ago, let alone a thousand taels, what would ten thousand taels be?

But she felt that Li Mu was no ordinary person.

He came to Jubaoge to gamble on stones yesterday, definitely not because he's a gambler, but because he's having financial difficulties.

Today he came again asking for another thousand taels, which means his difficulties are not yet resolved.

A thousand taels might be a timely act of kindness.

Moreover, she was indeed short of people, especially trusted confidants.

"Xiao Lan, give Young Master Li a thousand taels." After thinking it over, He Xianzhi decided to cooperate with Li Mu.

“Miss, he’s giving him a thousand taels without any proof? That’s not right.” Xiao Lan said, somewhat displeased.

“I trust Young Master Li’s character, so give it to him. My whole life has been either gambling or on the path to gambling. A bet of a thousand taels on Young Master Li’s character, I’m not someone who can’t afford to lose,” He Xianzhi said.