CHAPTER 467: CHAPTER 467: A SHORT SEPARATION IS BETTER THAN A NEW MARRIAGE

Due to the opening of supply channels, the variety of goods and series has also increased.

Pei’s Trading House has transformed from making a thousand taels a day to making two thousand taels a day, with a net profit reaching eighteen hundred taels.

Moreover, the daily income is continuously growing.

Of course, this price does fluctuate; as more people start selling these goods, the income will decrease.

But as long as Shu’er keeps developing external channels, more buyers will emerge.

Once those places are well-stocked, Pei’s Trading House can simply open branches there.

When Zisu calculated the books, he merely opened his mouth slightly.

This... after being startled so many times, one gets used to it.

After all, Pei’s has already made a name for itself in Jingzhou City, subtly becoming the leading force.

Everyone finds that Pei’s is absolutely compelling.

No matter which industry Pei’s touches, it can overturn that industry and quickly become the leader.

Now, although the waters in Jingzhou aren’t entirely stirred up, it’s quite chaotic.

At this point, Prefect Xie stepped in.

He promulgated a series of tax and restriction measures.

Previously, whenever a policy came out, the merchants of Jingzhou would hold a meeting to resist Prefect Xie.

Now, because Shu’er muddied the waters, these once united Jingzhou merchants have become divided, and the opinions on the policies are no longer unified.

And since everyone is busy competing with Shu’er, there’s no energy to resist Prefect Xie.

So, even though Prefect Xie’s policy was difficult to implement at first,

gradually, under Shu’er’s disruption, it was rolled out.

Actually, these measures are good, but the merchants were previously unwilling to listen to Prefect Xie, fearing it was a ploy.

If it weren’t for Prefect Xie, and it was another official, these merchants would definitely be in legal trouble.

Of course, this is only true initially; the subsequent restrictions weren’t as beneficial to them.

However, the market certainly became more regulated, and substandard products were restricted.

After these matters were handled, it was just in time for the tenth day’s delivery.

Xuan Liu delivered another five thousand taels in silver notes, which, along with what Pei’s Trading House earned in the last three days, was enough to buy those goods.

Shu’er checked the inventory, ensured no one was passing off inferior goods, and promptly paid.

And Shu’er, with these goods, returned to the Deserted Mountain.

The fact that she went back was only known to Pei’s internal staff; the merchants of Jingzhou were unaware.

Jingzhou merchants weren’t easy to deal with; if they knew she returned, who knows how they’d retaliate against Pei’s Trading House.

Before leaving, Shu’er took some flour, rice, and white sugar from her stock and placed them in the cellar, then left with the team.

On the way back, she also visited Pei’s Trading House in Su County.

The business was still booming, but Su County, after all, was a small place.

Compared to Jingzhou, it indeed lagged far behind, with less traffic and consumption.

Shu’er first arranged for the supplies for the Gulan Military Camp to be transported to the camp, while the other portion was sent back to the Deserted Mountain.

Following the people to Gulan Military Camp, Shu’er discreetly added some covert supplies from her stock to the camp.

Before even reaching the Gulan Military Camp, people from the camp saw many carriages from afar, following the cement road, loaded with goods heading towards the camp.

The guards immediately reported to Tang Zan, who greeted Shu’er with a gentle smile.

Also arriving were many Commanders.

Tang Zan didn’t want Shu’er’s efforts to go unnoticed; he wanted everyone to see how much Shu’er had contributed to the camp.

Even as Shu’er approached, the end of the column of horses was still out of sight, making it unclear how much material there was.

This delivery surpassed even what Dayan provided in abundance.

The generals were stunned, wondering why there were so many supplies.

The Emperor of Dayan wasn’t so generous with the Gulan Military Camp.

No, to be precise, the Emperor of Dayan was on the verge of starving the Gulan Military Camp.

In the camp, were it not for Shu’er’s earlier donation of grain, many people would have died of hunger by now.

After enduring days of depleted ammunition and grain, repeated, unsuccessful pleas to the Emperor,

Shu’er came with so much food!

Including cotton cloth, gauze, salt, along with many quilts and more.

Once again, hope was in sight.

They wished they could lift Shu’er high up in gratitude.

Why does their General’s Wife, a virtuous soul, possess so many resources?

Shu’er smiled and said, "Here are also some donations of grain and salt from the merchants of Jingzhou."

Originally, those merchants were unwilling to donate, but Prefect Xie forced them to.

He sensed the imminent storm, and Xiao Shen also brought people to donate supplies.

So that’s why there are so many supplies.

Everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief, saying, how could Pei Shu’er possibly come up with that much money.

It turns out that most of the supplies came from merchants in Jingzhou.

That place, compared to the Gulan Military Camp, is far more prosperous.

If Pei Shu’er were still the young lady of the Minister’s Mansion, even if she took out so much money, although it would still be shocking, at least there would be a channel.

But now, Pei Shu’er is a criminal, all her property has been confiscated, and she can still come up with so much money; it’s terrifying.

These supplies were immediately moved to the cellar, and those that needed to go to the warehouse went to the warehouse, and all were properly registered.

When they received the registry, everyone was shocked.

The amount donated was far more than they had imagined.

Moreover, the quality was top-notch.

There was a growing discomfort in everyone’s hearts; what Pei Shu’er donated, and what other merchants donated, all had detailed lists and were separate.

They only then realized that the majority of these supplies were donated by Pei Shu’er, while the other merchants from Jingzhou donated so little.

Saying it was a donation was embarrassing on their behalf; it was like they casually gave something just to send them off.

Pei Shu’er accounted for almost 80% of the supplies.

There was something odd in the way everyone looked at Pei Shu’er.

Tang Zan didn’t say anything, he just let them hang there.

His Pei Shu’er went through so much effort to gather these supplies; these people couldn’t just comfortably accept it like that.

At least, tonight, he had to make them think seriously.

Especially now that more people joined, and life got better, some commanders began to get complacent.

It was dinner time, Tang Zan took Pei Shu’er to the canteen for a meal, then went back to the room with her.

Once in the room, the two of them almost immediately started kissing, intensely.

They say a little separation makes for a better reunion.

Tang Zan also held Pei Shu’er tightly, kissing her from her forehead all the way down.

"He pecked her lips several times."

"How about it, did you miss me?"

Pei Shu’er glanced at Tang Zan, raised her eyebrow involuntarily.

"No, I didn’t."

A hint of danger flashed in Tang Zan’s eyes, the magnetism in his voice as enchanting as a siren.

"Really? Because I missed you."

And then, in the following two hours, Pei Shu’er experienced just how much Tang Zan missed her.

At the same time, she was coaxed by Tang Zan into admitting she missed him too, which finally seemed to satisfy him.

Pei Shu’er was on the verge of tears, Tang Zan really held grudges.

The two of them snuggled under the covers, Pei Shu’er played with Tang Zan’s long, slender fingers, covered in scars, one by one.

"Did you find the salt lake?"

Speaking of this, Pei Shu’er clearly sensed Tang Zan getting excited again.

"I found it, truly, my wife is amazing. Watch how well I reward you."

She coughed lightly, then said, "No need, I’ve been rewarded enough already."

Tang Zan chuckled lowly, his chest vibrating lightly.

"How could it be enough, the wife’s belly isn’t showing any signs, clearly the reward isn’t sufficient."

Pei Shu’er felt embarrassed, she knew she was fine, Tang Zan was fine, and indeed, their intimacy was quite frequent.

Each time lasted quite long as well.

Yet, they never had a child, and they had been married for half a year now.

In the eyes of the older generation, they were nearing three years.

Three years without offspring... such a fault was quite serious in ancient times.

Tang Zan held Pei Shu’er’s hand and steered the conversation back to normal.

"The quality of that salt lake is quite good. Following your method, I’ve preliminarily extracted edible salt."

"My wife is indeed capable; just this alone has saved our military camp a lot of money."

If not for Tang Zan gently stroking her back, perhaps they would be talking more seriously.

Pei Shu’er felt a little proud.

"Not just that, we might even make money."

Tang Zan laughed lightly again, and soon Pei Shu’er paid the price for her pride.

Pei Shu’er pushed Tang Zan: "Can you restrain yourself a bit, save energy, got it?"

Tang Zan laughed and said, "I don’t get it, I only know the wife is truly delicious."