CHAPTER 96: CHAPTER 96: IT’S NOT ME!

Li Qingmu was unaware that Xiang Yin was undergoing an internal battle between heaven and earth; he was invited by Qi Jingyu to have a cup of tea together.

Long Yue pulled him outside. The Princely Heir was talking to her husband, so it was best not to stay nearby.

"Your wife is quite impressive!"

Before leaving, Xiang Yin overheard the Young Prince praising Long Yue, which made him even more sorrowful. It seemed he indeed was only suitable to be a lackey, running errands for others...

"You all are amazing!"

Xiang Yin felt despondent but not hopeless. Praising others during such times might ease his own heart.

"You first had me send people to keep an eye on the Zhou Mansion and the Li family, then follow them secretly once they left, gathering evidence without their awareness. After that, you deliberately had me find someone to inform the village chief, asking him to rescue that child, which led to finding and confiscating that family’s contracts and illicit money. You even had me spend money hiring the surrounding populace to storm the courtroom and watch the case hearing, so that Mr. Zhang did not dare to distort the truth..."

"These are just minor tactics, nothing special."

Long Yue shook her head; these methods weren’t sophisticated. Her long-term planning and strategic setup were what barely reversed the disadvantage, yet even so, it required the Young Prince to intervene to put Zhou Zhiqin behind bars.

This inexplicably put her in a position of owing him a favor, which was a slight flaw.

Owing a favor has to be repaid in the future, whether intentional or not, it’s a favor. Long Yue was a bit worried about her husband’s future.

She hadn’t met Prince Lingjiang, so it was hard to say, but this Young Prince was clearly not simple to deal with. How could his parents be lacking if they raised such a mischievous yet smart child?

As Long Yue pondered these matters, Li Qingmu had finished his discussion with the Young Prince and came out.

"Yue’er, shall we go back?"

"Alright!"

Xiang Yin wanted to ask what they had talked about, but seeing that Long Yue hadn’t asked, he felt it wasn’t appropriate for him to ask.

Upon leaving the teahouse, Xiang Yin couldn’t contain his curiosity and asked, "What are you planning next?"

This was a way to probe; perhaps he could glean some useful information.

But Li Qingmu simply smiled and said, "Going to your house!"

"..." He felt that he probably didn’t get along with these two. Otherwise, why would they cling to his house when they already had their own?

Noticing Xiang Yin’s frustration, Long Yue chuckled and said, "We also have some matters to discuss with your father."

"My father?"

Xiang Yin was dumbfounded, felt they were fooling him. But looking back, Li Qingmu nodded at him very seriously.

What are you up to?

"We have a business proposal to discuss with your father."

"Oh?"

Xiang Yin was taken aback. His father had always encouraged him to study, hoping he would become an official someday, so he rarely got involved in business matters. Now that Li Qingmu wanted to discuss business with his father, it truly wasn’t something he could interfere with.

Half an hour later, Long Yue met Father Xiang.

This was a very amiable middle-aged man with a slightly protruding belly and a greasy shine on his cheeks, but not overly so. His face was filled with smiles, making him look very genial.

Xiang Yin had never told his family about the incident during the autumn hunting trip because it had traumatized him, leaving a shadow in his heart. He even feared seeing Li Qingmu.

Later, however, he learned that Li Qingmu had saved him and, after contemplating the situation, realized that what he did was indeed the right thing. He opened his heart and shared the story with his parents.

As a result, the Xiang Family regarded Li Qingmu as the savior of their eldest son and treated him with great politeness.

Father Xiang, even more so, was very enthusiastic towards Li Qingmu and quickly invited him inside to talk.

"Mr. Xiang, we have a business proposal we’d like to discuss with you," Long Yue got straight to the point after going inside.

Father Xiang was taken aback, somewhat curious, and asked, "What business? Is it in the embroidery trade?"

Having known that Li Qingmu was the young master of the Qin Family, he thought it might be some related cooperation, but Long Yue shook her head and produced a stack of papers: "Mr. Xiang, I heard from Young Master Xiang that your family owns a thousand acres of fertile land? We would like to partner with you in the medicinal herb business. What do you think?"

"Hmm... medicinal herbs?"

Father Xiang pondered, as his family’s thousand acres of fertile land were all used for grain cultivation, producing a substantial amount annually. They had a shop specifically selling rice and grain, which had been operating well. Now, suggesting a switch to medicinal herbs?

There is always curiosity and fear toward the unknown. Father Xiang considered for a long time before asking, "Some medicinal herbs are quite expensive, while others are cheap. Does Mrs. Li intend to focus on growing certain types of herbs?"

As a shrewd businessman, Father Xiang immediately thought about whether Long Yue was planning to profit or to pursue altruism. If it was for profit, he might join; for altruism... one might usually incur a loss.

Father Xiang was sharp, and Long Yue enjoyed collaborating with sharp-minded people.

"All kinds, primarily valuable medicinal herbs!"

Ordinary people couldn’t afford valuable medicinal herbs, but wealthy individuals could! Some wealthy people even enjoyed cultivating expensive medicinal herbs as ornamental plants in their homes...

"Do you know how to grow medicinal herbs? This isn’t as simple as growing rice or fruits! There’s a lot to learn, and if things go wrong, all previous efforts might be in vain..."

Young lady, there’s risk involved in this!

Long Yue was well aware of his concerns, so she handed over a document without further ado.

Father Xiang took the document, glanced at it, and was first surprised, then shocked!

Was it really so detailed?

He looked up, astonished, at Long Yue: "Mrs. Li, where did you get this information?"

"I learned it from my master, and some of it is from my own research and studies. Rest assured, it’s all been tried and tested, no problem!"

When Long Yue claimed it had been practiced, she meant that in her past life she had genuinely done it all, so her confidence was genuine. However, Li Qingmu thought she was probably trying to persuade Father Xiang to join in.

"But... your husband is a scholar and will eventually become an official. Engaging in commerce... this might not be appropriate!"

In the ranks of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, a person with a degree engaging in commerce would certainly face criticism that could affect their future official career. This was precisely why he never wanted his eldest son to handle business matters, so he felt he needed to remind them.

Li Qingmu innocently said, "Uncle Xiang, it’s not me, it’s my wife. This has nothing to do with me!"

"Uh..."

Father Xiang was embarrassed. Had he been worrying for nothing?

He looked at this couple, suddenly slapped his forehead, and had a moment of revelation: "Ah, how could I forget that A Yin can’t engage in commerce, but he can let his wife manage it, right? Can anyone interfere with what a woman does?"

In these times, while there were great constraints on women, there were also fewer restrictions. For example, certain things that outsiders found less respectable could be handled by the wife, such as managing business operations.

The officials in the Capital City, with their meager yearly stipends barely sufficient to cover expenses, still had to support a large family, servants, and slaves. What could they do?

They either engaged in business or took bribes, or they would fall into poverty.

Father Xiang suddenly viewed this couple as the saviors of his family, noticeably altering the way he looked at them.