After casually drinking some water at the tea shop, the brother and sister were somewhat restless as they resumed their journey. Before long, they spotted Wang Qinian and his group with the carriage ready to receive them. Given Wang Qinian's position and his somewhat subdued expression, he naturally didn't dare to be verbose.

"Why would His Majesty be here?" Fan Ruoruo leaned against the carriage wall, fanning her slightly sweaty face with a handkerchief, looking utterly charming.

Fan Xian replied with a wry smile, "Our Emperor has always kept a low profile. I had long suspected that a man couldn't possibly stay cooped up in the Palace, surrounded by the scent of palace resentment and rouge, for years on end. It's only natural that he would often come out for a change of scenery, and ending up at the Liujing Riverbank is also very plausible. It's just that I thought it would be funny if Lord Gong Dian called him Master Huang."

Fan Ruoruo giggled, saying, "How could everything be like the stories you tell, Brother? If that were the case, you should've opened a storytelling shop long ago."

Speaking of storytelling shops, Fan Xian immediately thought of a tofu shop, frowning as he asked, "Ruoruo, what do you plan to do in the future?" Fan Ruoruo's expression dimmed. In this day and age, after a woman married, she would be devoted to her husband and children, embroidering and managing the backyard. With Ruoruo's knowledge and abilities, she would likely feel unwilling if she were to spend her life that way.

However, they couldn't make too many plans yet, so they had to leave things as they were for the time being.

After entering the capital, the carriage headed straight for Twenty-Eight Mile Slope. This Twenty-Eight Mile Slope wasn't actually a large mountain slope, but a well-known place name south of the capital. It was said that hundreds of years ago, when the capital was not as vast as it is today, Twenty-Eight Mile Slope was the last stretch of hillside before entering the city. It was a full twenty-eight miles from the last post station on the official road in the southwest direction. Whenever carriages and horses arrived here, after traveling the last twenty-eight miles, the horses were exhausted and the people were tired, making them view this last small hillside as even taller than the Dadong Mountain on the seashore. The name Twenty-Eight Mile Slope came from this.

Today, Twenty-Eight Mile Slope had long been incorporated into the city walls, becoming a street, but the name was still preserved. Qing Yu Tang was located here. The carriage stopped some distance away, and Fan Xian and his sister got out and walked along the street. They saw a row of neatly arranged small storefronts, all made of cheap wood shipped from Lingnan, painted with clear varnish, with visible wood grains. If you glanced at them, it felt like countless one-eyed monsters were glaring at you.

Fan Xian was startled and asked curiously, "Why is everyone using this kind of wood?" He used to see this kind of thing in small restaurants in his previous life – the original wood feeling, cheap and refreshing.

Wang Qinian shook his head; he wasn't cut out for business. Fan Ruoruo explained, "This is Qing Yu Tang. Each storefront is where a senior manager teaches his apprentices. Seventeen managers, seventeen rooms." Fan Xian counted and found that there were more than twenty such small rooms along the street, so he asked his sister why. Fan Ruoruo said impatiently, "So many years have passed. Some managers get old and retire, or pass away."

The group chatted as they walked to the front, where there was a rather beautiful mansion with a large courtyard. Looking at the overhanging eaves over the courtyard wall, the inside should have been divided into many courtyards. Fan Xian's heart stirred, feeling somewhat familiar. After thinking about it, he realized that it was a similar style to the Taiping Villa he had seen on the Liujing Riverbank.

The places where these managers lived were a bit strange; the words "Qing Yu Tang" were not written on the gate. At this time, a guard from the Fan residence had already stepped forward to deliver a name card. The gatekeeper, upon seeing the name on the card, immediately knew that the visitor was the recently famous Young Master Fan from the capital, and quickly invited him in respectfully. Because Manager Qi Ye was currently helping the Fan family manage the Danbo Bookstore, even the formality of notifying him was waived.

Just as he was about to enter the mansion, the official from the court responsible for supervising Qing Yu Tang suddenly came across, preparing to question and examine the visitor's identity. Wang Qinian, however, glanced coldly at the other party, disdaining to even come forward himself, and had a junior member of his group deal with it, following Fan Xian into the hall.

The person supervising Qing Yu Tang was also from the Supervisory Council, so he immediately realized that he had done something superfluous.

...

...

Entering the hall, taking seats, serving tea.

Sitting in the chief seat was a man around forty years old, with gentle eyebrows and eyes, seemingly having become cautious and timid under the pressure of these years. But Fan Xian knew that this man was the chief manager of Qing Yu Tang, known as Ye Da, who had been in charge of the most important business of the Ye family in the past. He was certainly not as dull and useless as he appeared to be, so he smiled slightly and said, "I always thought the chief manager was venerable and experienced, but now that I see you, I realize that the chief manager is so young."

Chief Manager Ye had no idea what this Young Master Fan had come to Qing Yu Tang for today. Although more than ten years had passed, the Ye family was no longer a taboo, but having been virtually under house arrest in the capital for more than ten years, his temperament was no longer as lively and bold as it once was. Even his body had become hunched, and his spirit had faded a lot. He responded with a wry smile, "I'm already an old man. Young Master Fan is joking, joking."

Fan Xian chuckled and said, "Let's get straight to the point. The first thing is that the Danbo Bookstore's business is excellent. I want to thank Manager Qi Ye and also see what Qing Yu Tang looks like."

Chief Manager Ye replied with a smile, "Young Master Fan paid our people to work, so naturally we have to let you earn money. If we lost money in business, Qing Yu Tang would probably have collapsed in the capital long ago." Speaking of making money, a sense of confidence naturally flowed between Chief Manager Ye's eyebrows and eyes, radiating brilliance all over his body.

Fan Xian secretly praised in his heart, thinking that this was how the people his mother had trained back then should be. He cupped his hands and said politely, "Actually, I'm here today with something I specifically want to trouble the chief manager with."

Chief Manager Ye's heart tightened. If it was just for business, the other party's status was so high that he wouldn't have come in person. Could it be that the other party was thinking of something? Chief Manager Ye had to think about the lives and safety of so many managers, staff, and relatives in Qing Yu Tang in the capital, and he didn't dare to listen to what the other party was thinking, so he refused with difficulty, "The court has clear regulations that Qing Yu Tang people are not allowed to leave the capital. If Young Master Fan's ambition is too high, Qing Yu Tang really can't help."

Fan Xian laughed and said, "Of course I know this. I'm here today just to ask Chief Manager Ye to be someone's teacher. As far as I know, over the years, some officials from the Ministry of Revenue and staff from the Imperial Treasury have been studying business under Qing Yu Tang. I've been comfortable working with Manager Qi Ye, so I'd like to introduce a student."

Chief Manager Ye asked curiously, "I wonder who it is?"

Fan Xian smiled slightly and said nothing. Chief Manager Ye understood and said softly, "The distinguished guest has come from afar. Why not have my wife take Miss Fan to stroll around the back garden?" He smiled and looked at Fan Ruoruo, saying, "Although our courtyard is not outstanding, it was personally designed by the head of the family back then and is quite worth seeing."

Fan Ruoruo had long understood, smiled slightly, and went to the back garden with the manager's wife. Wang Qinian and the others were also waved out by Fan Xian. Seeing him so cautious, Chief Manager Ye couldn't help but feel afraid, wondering who exactly was coming to learn business.

"Fan Sizhe, my second younger brother." Fan Xian took a sip of tea and said softly, "You should have heard of him."

Chief Manager Ye was shocked, thinking that although the two Fan brothers were currently on good terms, the property of the Count of Sinan was still there. How could a son of a powerful family be willing to learn the lowly path of business? Could it be that this Young Master Fan wanted to use this matter to prevent Fan Sizhe from inheriting the title… But this clumsy trick was too absurd and infeasible.

Fan Xian didn't expect Chief Manager Ye to think so much, and said softly, "My second brother is naturally fond of business, but he's currently relying on the genetic inheritance and hobby in his bones. If he wants to really do something in the future, his ability is still somewhat insufficient, so I hope he can have the honor of studying under the chief manager."

Chief Manager Ye quickly shook his head. As cautious as he was, he would never dare to get involved in these matters, and declined, saying, "Vice Minister Fan is in charge of the world's money and grain. His business is bigger than anyone else's. How dare we teach the Second Young Master Fan in Qing Yu Tang?"

Fan Xian was a little disappointed, but not anxious. He thought that according to his plan, this teacher was always going to be inevitable. He sat quietly in the chair, slowly mobilized the true energy at Snow Mountain, all four meridians connected, closed his eyes and pondered for a while, confirming that he didn't hear anyone eavesdropping with his keen ears, and then lowered his voice and said, "There is one more thing. I wonder if the chief manager dares to listen. If you dare to listen, then I dare to speak."

Seeing him so mysterious, Chief Manager Ye smiled helplessly, knowing that even if he didn't listen, the other party would definitely speak. Sure enough, Fan Xian said with a smile, "I am now the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices."

Hearing him say this without beginning or end, Chief Manager Ye was a little puzzled, but he still congratulated him respectfully, knowing that this young master was about to marry a noblewoman from the palace. Unexpectedly, Fan Xian then said, "My fiancée is the Lin family's daughter." He knew that the dignified Chief Manager Ye, although he had been sitting in the capital for fifteen years, must have had many channels to know certain secrets many years ago.

Sure enough, Chief Manager Ye's expression changed drastically, staring fixedly at Fan Xian's eyes, and said coldly, "What exactly does Young Master Fan want to say?"

Fan Xian replied indifferently, "Within two years at the latest, I may be able to take control of the Imperial Treasury… But I know that my ability is insufficient, and my father's Ministry of Revenue is ultimately the wealth of the country, while I have to manage the wealth of the palace, so I can't get too much help, and I…" He looked back at Chief Manager Ye's emotionless eyes and said, word by word, "I need help, I need… your help."