She Came to Heal, Stayed to Conquer

Watching Zhao Zun suddenly burst into laughter, Xiao Zhengfei asked quizzically, “Prince, is it a letter from the Princess Consort?”

Having been by his master’s side for years, he knew Zhao Zun to be a cold person, rarely smiling on his otherwise handsome face.

But since Han Lei arrived, Zhao Zun seldom wore a smile. Thus, she speculated it was a letter from Han Lei.

Zhao Zun carefully folded the letter paper and tucked it into his sleeve, a trace of indulgence sparkling in his eyes.

“This girl… really knows how to choose a patron.”

Zhao Zun turned to the two of them, his tone suddenly serious.

“Deliver orders to Zhang Shiyang, triple the manpower to speed up the production of the beehive coal stoves. Send people to Fufeng County and tell Yang Dazhu to accelerate the house construction.”

Big Fatty widened his eyes: “Isn’t Fufeng County already building houses everywhere? More construction?”

Zhao Zun caressed the letter in his sleeve, gazing in the direction of Jingzhou with a profound smile.

“It’s not enough. Soon, more people will be joining in Canzhou.”

“Yes!”

Xiao Zhengfei responded with a sound, preparing to deliver the orders,

Seeing Big Fatty bury his head again, fiddling with the bamboo in his hand, Xiao Zhengfei lowered his voice to ask, “Prince, is it the beggars from the Capital City?”

“Hmm!” Zhao Zun nodded, “They have already arrived in Jingzhou, so we must build a place for them to settle.”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhengfei rejoiced: “I’ll go deliver the orders right away, to speed them up.”

Canzhou’s development was already changing rapidly, and more and more people were gathering in Canzhou.

These people working in Canzhou, once they earned wages, would generate various consumption in terms of food, clothing, and housing.

Soon enough, the influx of population would boost the prosperity of various industries in Canzhou…

The Capital City was a place where nobles gathered, densely populated, always bustling with activity.

Despite today’s gloomy and oppressively hot weather, Vermilion Bird Street in the Capital City remained crowded and lively.

The sky above Vermilion Bird Street was dense with dark clouds, the stifling air seemed to solidify, and even the branches of the willow trees by the street drooped uninterestedly.

Brocade Workshop and Lin’s Cloth Store were both on this bustling Vermilion Bird Street. However, one was at the street’s beginning, and the other at the end.

Lin Yuanshan stood within Lin’s Cloth Store, clutching a sweat-soaked cloth, wiping the beads of sweat from his forehead. He frequently waved the cloth to shoo away the flies buzzing around.

As the proprietor, he seldom came to the store, usually leaving it to the shopkeeper and assistants to manage.

But now he had no choice but to come, as the business at the store had sharply declined recently. Staring at the ledgers sent to his house daily, he was too anxious to sleep.

“Mr. Qian, it’s already noon, why isn’t there a single customer?” Lin Yuanshan couldn’t help but ask, his voice anxious.

The shopkeeper was squatting behind the counter, organizing the fabrics, and upon hearing this, raised his head, helplessness etched into his wrinkled face.

“Young Master, you know it’s been like this for days! Look over there…”

Lin Yuanshan followed the shopkeeper’s gaze to see a few elegantly dressed women chatting and laughing as they walked into Brocade Workshop across the street.

In their hands, they held embroidered round fans, and the beads in their hairpins gleamed in the light.

“Going to Brocade Workshop again!”

Lin Yuanshan viciously threw the cloth on the counter, scaring a mouse lingering by the rafters into scurrying away with a squeak.

Mr. Qian sighed and cautiously suggested, “Proprietor, why don’t we also learn from Brocade Workshop and come up with some new things?”

“New things?”

Lin Yuanshan sneered, pacing to the store’s entrance, pointing in the direction of Brocade Workshop.

“Look at their grandeur! The ‘catwalk show,’ the girls in bizarre attire strutting around, even the large mirror where you can see your whole outfit! How do we imitate that?”

Just as he spoke, several young ladies dressed in modified qipao and Western outfits stepped out of Brocade Workshop, each with a delicate handbag swinging on her wrist, chatting and laughing as they passed by Lin’s Cloth Store.

“Look, more customers who bought things.”

Lin Yuanshan stared blankly at the handbags of those noblewomen, “The bags even have Brocade Workshop’s logo embroidered on them, so classy!”

Mr. Qian leaned forward and quietly said, “Proprietor, I heard that those new fabrics at Brocade Workshop are imported from overseas, like nylon and something called chiffon, lace…”

“I know!” Lin Yuanshan interrupted irritably, “I saw them at the opening ceremony days ago. Those materials are light and reflective under the sun, how can the old silks in our store compare?”

Silence enveloped Lin’s Cloth Store for a moment, only the flies buzzed around.