You were taken hostage, why pursue the Enemy's Empress?

Luo Ming looked at Hua Chao, his face full of confusion. "Didn't you say that all of this doesn't cost any money? How come you're the one paying now?"

Hua Chao retorted, "Do you know why it doesn't cost any money?"

"Why?"

"Because I own 49% of Qian Kingdom's paper mill!"

"..."

"Do you know how much I paid for that 49%?"

"How much?"

"Seven thousand two!"

Luo Ming was shocked. "Sis! Are you crazy? You bought that broken paper mill for 7,000 two and only own 49%? What kind of potion did that kid give you to make you degrade yourself like this?"

Hua Chao was unhappy. "I just wanted to make money with him. How is that degrading myself?"

Luo Ming was going crazy. "Sis! Both the paper mill and bookstore are about to go bankrupt. Even if Ying Wuji is a god, he can't help you make money!"

Hua Chao shook her head. "He said we can make money, so we will. I trust him!"

"But he's lying to you!"

"No, he's not!"

"Sis, trust me. With the current state of the paper mill and bookstore, no one can help you make back your 9,000 two investment!"

Hua Chao was silent for a moment before asking in a low voice, "You said you were doing this for my own good?"

Luo Ming nodded. "Yes!"

Hua Chao asked again, "And you want me to go back to the Minister's Mansion for my own good too?"

Luo Ming gritted his teeth. "Of course!"

Hua Chao shook her head and sighed softly. "Then come with me!"

She walked towards the storefront, and Luo Ming followed her.

Then, he saw piles and piles of "Strange Tales of Mountains and Seas."

Hua Chao's voice was low. "This is our three-day result. Each book has 300 chapters, and I can make 100 chapters per book. Luo Ming, you rely on managing your family's business to make a living, so you should know what this means!"

"300 chapters per book and you can make 100 chapters? How is that possible?"

Luo Ming was shocked. "Impossible! You can't even afford to hire a copyist for 200 chapters. And how can you copy a thousand books in a day?"

Hua Chao pointed to the door. "We're going to open soon. What's the point of lying to you now?"

Luo Ming said nothing.

Although it was still hard to believe, she had no reason to lie to herself.

If it was really 300 chapters per book, there would be countless people rushing to buy them. Other bookstores would have no room to survive. And with the upcoming Hundred Families' Literary Society, Shangmo Bookstore's books would definitely sell well. That would mean a net profit of several thousand two per month. How many businesses in Jiangcheng could match that?

If they could expand, the profits would only be more terrifying.

But how did they do it?

Hua Chao had already guessed his reaction, because she was even more shocked than Luo Ming when she learned about the benefits behind it. She even played a word game, mentioning the profit brought by each book instead of the profit of one book.

She sighed softly. "Luo Ming! I know you want to do what's best for me, but do you really know what's best for me?"

"Sis..."

Hua Chao shook her head. "You think I'll be cheated here, and you think I'll be better off at the Minister's Mansion. But in reality, I'm living a comfortable life here, making money and happy. But you, who constantly think about the Minister's Mansion, who else will treat me like family?"

Luo Ming was speechless.Hua Chao's expression was a bit unbearable: "I have never been greedy for the power of the Minister's Mansion. The only fantasy I had about Luo Yan was erased by his self-righteous music poem. If you really care about me, then let me go. You don't need to think about me all the time in the future. Go home!"

Luo Ming's eyes turned red, but he didn't continue to pester her. He bowed deeply to Hua Chao and left through the back door.

Hua Chao rubbed her eyes, feeling extremely sour.

After a while, Ying Wuji entered the shop: "Sister Hua Chao! That little brother of yours is quite graceful. He even saluted me before leaving."

"Uh-huh!"

Hua Chao tried to appear indifferent, but her voice was still choked up.

Ying Wuji clicked his tongue: "He seems to be good to you."

Hua Chao smiled and pursed her lips: "He's just straightforward. He always thinks that what he likes is good, and others will like it too. But overall, he has a good heart. When Luo Yan went on a long journey that year, he was almost disabled by two legitimate sons. He hid with me for a month before his injuries healed. Later, he managed the family business well and gained the recognition of two famous teachers. He thought he could protect me by staying in the Minister's Mansion, so he tried every means to bring me back."

Ying Wuji smiled: "He does seem a bit foolish! Being locked up in the Minister's Mansion and having to watch people's faces, how can it compare to being a wealthy woman outside?"

Hua Chao covered her mouth and smiled lightly: "That's true!"

"Don't worry! Follow me and just wait for the money to roll in! Let's go back to the room and study the playbooks. Leave the business in the shop to the staff!"

"Can we trust the staff?"

"Don't worry! I've already taught them how to attract customers. They just need to follow the script!"

"Okay!"

Hua Chao agreed, feeling anxious every day before seeing the goods. But she never mentioned withdrawing capital to Ying Wuji because he discussed the playbooks with her every day, and every suggestion he made was like a treasure to her.

The two of them exchanged a glance and went to the study in the backyard.

A staff member opened the door as instructed.

"We're here, we're here!"

"This dog bookstore finally opened!"

"I'm so angry!"

They watched the staff member, waiting to see how he would perform.

But the staff member didn't show any unnatural expression. He just took a deep breath and spoke with a strong voice, like a big bell.

"Da Li's Crimson City, Da Li's Crimson City, Shangmo Bookstore has closed down! The damn boss, the damn boss Wuji Ge, ate, drank, gambled, and owed ten thousand taels of silver. He ran away with his little wife.

We have no choice but to take the books and use them to pay our wages. The original price was eight hundred wen for each book of the Hundred Classics, but now they're only two hundred wen!

And there are three thousand copies of the Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, each priced at three hundred wen. It's like giving them away for free!

Damn boss Wuji Ge, you're not human, give us back our hard-earned money!"

Everyone: "..."

This art form was too advanced and confused everyone.

But they understood what he said and were greatly shocked.

"It seems like they said there are Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio inside?"

"It seems so, and there are three thousand copies!"

"You can't buy this book normally. The copyists have signed contracts with the bookstores, so you can't find a cheaper copyist."

"Is it really only three hundred wen?""Never mind! Just go in and see for yourself!"

Inner courtyard.

Study room.

Hua Chao's hand trembled as she held the brush, and the ink splattered all over the table. The voice of the servant was too loud, and she could hear it clearly from here.

She laughed uncontrollably, "Did you teach them all of this?"

Ying Wuji nodded, "Yeah!"

"This is just too much..."

"Just tell me if it works!"

"It really does!"

Hua Chao couldn't stop laughing, as the story of the bookstore closing down, the boss owing money, and running away with his young wife, was so exciting that it would probably be spread throughout the entire city of Jiang tomorrow.

She propped up her cheek and smiled, "Brother Black Chicken?"

Ying Wuji, "Yeah?"

Hua Chao covered her mouth and laughed, "Brother Black Chicken ran away with his young wife. How did you come up with such a thing?"

Ying Wuji looked at her smiling face and blurted out, "Brother Black Chicken did run away with someone, although she's not his young wife yet."

Hua Chao, "..."

She was silent for a moment, then blushed and spat lightly.

Pah!