After the Qingming Festival, although the matter of the wine house had not been completely settled, Shi Jingyu still decided to go to Fujian with Shen Muqing.

  Shen Zhen didn't feel at ease and wanted to accompany them to Fujian. Shen Muqing, considering his old age, tried to persuade him, and finally agreed to let Pang Debao accompany them to Fujian, so Shen Zhen gave up the idea of going together.

  After the business of Yiwu Tea House was handed over to Pang Debao, he joined hands with Kyoto Xipu and launched a series of festive tea leaves. The turnover of Yiwu Tea House rose linearly - although profits did not increase, Yiwu Tea House finally stood firm in Kyoto's lower society, everyone knew that Yiwu Tea House's tea was beautiful and cheap, and the situation finally opened up.

  Shen Muqing finally decided to take Pang Debao to Fujian, and there was another very important reason. Xie Ping had agreed to supply large tea leaves for a tea shop, and the two parties needed to sign a contract.

  Pang De Bao personally selected a few clever and agile young servants from the Ding family, and also hired a group of unassuming escorts from outside the escort agency.

  Shen Mu Qing saw that he was a seasoned traveler who did things with restraint, and only then did she put her mind at ease, calmly selecting clothes with Shi Jing Yu to bring to Fujian.

  At this moment, the number of guests in Shen's house suddenly increased.

  First, Mr. Men and Yuan Yu arrived, followed by Liu Yuhao and Hu Xin, and even Zhang Ran came - the two were locked in the study room for an entire afternoon, and when they left, Zhang Ran's expression was solemn.

  These trends made Shen Muqing feel vaguely uneasy.

  "She thought for a moment and said: 'Let's leave in a few days.'"

  Shi Jingyu was born into an old political family and naturally saw the unusualness in it.

  "She nodded: 'Want to go ask Mr. Min about it?'"

  During Qingming Festival, Jinxiu accompanied Mrs. Min to offer incense to the Li family, and Shen Muqing told Shi Jingyu about the relationship between the two families.

  Shen Mu Qing shook his head: "If it's something important, Mr. Min wouldn't tell me directly."

  Shi Jingyu's face was full of helplessness: "This is the trouble with being a woman. Otherwise, our opening a wine shop wouldn't be so difficult!"

  Lower your head in humility with a clear and calm mind.

  They spent nearly a month understanding the situation of Kyoto's wine building, which made Shi Jingyu very disappointed.

  The wine house not only has fierce competition, but also the investment far exceeds Shi Jingyu's imagination. These are all ways to overcome, what makes her helpless is that she can't find a suitable shopkeeper - excellent ones, the master will think of every way to keep people, ordinary ones, are not enough to take on the responsibility of opening up new territory.

  Shi Jingyu set her mind on Pang Debao: "...let him help find a shopkeeper."

  Shen Mu Qing smiled and responded. Turning around, she said to Pang De Bao: "You absolutely cannot help her introduce the shopkeeper. Not only can't you help her introduce the shopkeeper, but also when she asks, you have to say that the shopkeepers she found are not suitable."

  Pang De pondered for a moment and understood the reason behind it.

  He looked at Shen Muqing's calm and clear eyes for the first time with admiration: "I understand!"

  Although, Shen Muqing couldn't help but explain: "The times have changed and the Grand Lord is now a relic of the past. The Old Master is also in a precarious position - being detained in the capital, receiving the salary of a high-ranking official, yet not being assigned any duties. Our Shen family can barely keep our heads down, how can we possibly open a wine shop with great fanfare? I'm openly stopping her, fearing that she might think that our Shen family is intentionally pushing her away during her difficult times. It's better to let her retreat voluntarily."

  Pang De Bao smiled slightly: "I will definitely make this thing impossible."

  "Only her personality is used to being busy, let alone that she doesn't make much money now, worrying about sitting idle and empty, even if she's just doing nothing, I'm afraid it's also not habitual." She said, consulting with Pang Debao, "In the past period of time, I followed her to various wine houses and found that old brands like Dashunzhuang and Liuquan Zhai have a good business in wild game, which has become one of the characteristics of the wine house. I think, rather than opening a big wine house, it's better to specialize in supplying wild vegetables for these big wine houses - Jingyu sister has been operating in Nanjing for so many years, and she must have some connections. Doing business is primarily for profit, whether it's big or small, what kind of business, it doesn't matter."

  Pang Debao nodded without stopping: "The lady is right. Business has no high or low, only profit. Many big businesses look good on the surface, but in reality, they don't even make as much money as selling incense at night."

  Shen Mu Qing listened to what he said and found it interesting, she couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh.

  Later, things went as Shen Muqing had wished - otherwise, Shi Jingxu wouldn't have suggested going to Fujian with her so easily.

  Just as Shen Muqing was observing the changes in her family, the Emperor suddenly visited Shen Jian in disguise.

  At this point, Shen Mu Qing could no longer sit still.

  As soon as the emperor left, she rushed into Shen Zhen's study.

  Shen Zhen looked at his daughter's worried face, dismissed the servants in the house, and told her: "Yuan Meng Khan has ascended to heaven. The new Khan has not yet gathered the 13 tribes of Yuan Meng, with a total of 300,000 troops, to besiege Xuanzhou."

  Shen Mu Qing was taken aback: "Could it be that Liang Yuan has suffered another defeat and abandoned the city?"

  "How could this be?" Shen Zhen smiled and said: "At this time, I would rather die in battle than retreat one step. Otherwise, the eternal guilt of this crime will be his to bear."

  "Then the emperor came..."

  "His Majesty wants to take the imperial chariot and go on an expedition himself." Shen Jian said with a self-mocking smile, "The scholars of the Imperial Academy are all opposed to it, while Duke Wang strongly supports it. His Majesty is indecisive, so he came to ask me."

  "Ask you?"

  Shen Zhen's eyes flashed with a hint of complacency: "Being an official is actually about being a person! Zhang Yan's character isn't up to par, so naturally he can't do his job as an official. He can't even control the six boards, let alone the three courts. The Emperor has no choice but to ask me to step forward and persuade the officials to agree to him leading the expedition personally."

  "Could it be that His Majesty wants you to re-enter the imperial court?" Shen Muqing was left speechless.

  Shen Zhen smiled and nodded, with a hint of satisfaction in his expression.

  "Did you promise?" Shen Muqing anxiously pulled at Shen Zhen's sleeve and asked urgently.

  "How could I have agreed?" Shen Xian smiled slyly: "Not only did I not agree, but also recommended Wang Shengyun to be the peacemaker."

  Shen Mu Qing was speechless with his mouth agape.

  Shen Zhen saw this and smiled as he gently rubbed his daughter's nose, saying: "I'm completely listening to you."

  Shen Mu Qing's face was full of confusion.

  Shen Zhen let out a sigh: "In these years of idleness at home, I've thought a lot. As you said, being able to retire completely like this is already lucky. Why must I go and stir up that muddy water again?" He burst out laughing, "I've been competing with Wang Shengyun all my life, he's never conceded to me. This time, I'll just be a generous person, let everyone know how I treat him Wang Shengyun, and how he treats me. Let's see if he has anything to say when he sees me."

  Who doesn't know that Shen Zhen and Wang Shengyun fought for a lifetime in the Great Zhou Dynasty?

  And it's also recommended to recommend Wang Shengyun, so as to leave a fair and selfless impression on the emperor!

  After all, it's still unforgettable to think of Wang Shengyun's calculations.

  Thin ice

  The old master smiled wryly and let out a sigh of relief: "It's good that you understand, sir. To be honest, handling cases is exhausting, you should take a rest too."

  Shen Zhen smiled and shook his head as he gazed at his daughter: "You're just a child, yet you can see through all these struggles for fame and fortune. I'm not as good as you!"

  "Look what the old master said." Shen Muqing pouted, "I just didn't get caught up in it, an onlooker is clear-headed after all. Speaking of which, I think the old master is much better than that Wang sir."

  Shen Zhen responded with an interested "oh".

  Shen Mu Qing smiled and said: "You were the first assistant before Lord Wang. In a way, you won, didn't you?"

  Shen Zhen thought for a moment and nodded.

  Shen Muqing continued, "Among the thirteen sons of Lord Wang, the oldest is nearly fifty years old, and the youngest is also over twenty. Yet, until now, not one of them has become a top scholar in the imperial examination. Our eldest son is diligent and intelligent. If you were to devote some effort to his education, he would certainly surpass all thirteen of Lord Wang's sons combined. As the saying goes, 'Late in life, look to your children.' As long as our eldest son makes something of himself, the Shen family's reputation will not decline. What can Lord Wang use to compare with you?"

  Shen Muqing spoke left and right, but it was just to thoroughly dispel Shen Zhen's idea of serving as an official.

  Shen Zhen couldn't help but laugh loudly: "You're just afraid I'll take office again, aren't you?"

  Shen Muqing pulled at Shen Zhen's sleeve and pouted: "Wasn't what I said right?"

  "Right, right, right." Shen Zhen smiled and said, "What you said is not only correct, but also well said. I, Shen Zhen, and Wang Shengyun have been rivals for a lifetime. In terms of family background, both our families are generations of officials. In terms of personal achievements, I was appointed as the first assistant before him. Now, let's see how the younger generation does." His face finally had a hint of solemnity, "Right and wrong, success and failure, can only be evaluated by later generations. Mu Qing, what you said is right. As long as Dashu has achieved something, I, Shen Zhen, will have no regrets in this life in the eyes of the world."

  Shen Mu Qing nodded calmly: "Yes, why must we repeat the mistakes of the past."

  Shen Zhen smiled and nodded.

  Shen Muqing finally felt at ease and chatted with Shen Zhen for a few more sentences before getting up to bid farewell.

  Shen Zhen suddenly stopped her: "Mu Qing, wait a minute. I have something to tell you!" His expression was very hesitant and uncertain.

  Shen Mu Qing was startled.

  Has something else happened?

  Shen Zhen remained silent for a long time, then took out a red lacquer inlaid gold box from behind the painting case.

  "Mu Qing, I received another letter from Zeng Ju two days ago," Shen Jian said cautiously, "He's still talking about the same old thing, wanting to be a matchmaker for you and Xiao Sa..."

  Deep and serene, with a clear and solemn expression.

  It's about time for Xiao Xiao to receive her own letter. Why is Zeng Ju still acting as a matchmaker for them?

  Shen Zhen saw, somewhat wistfully said: "Mu Qing, I didn't refuse. This matter, you think carefully... or else, don't go to Fujian for now, and meet with Xiao Sa, there are some things that need to be clarified face-to-face. Whether it succeeds or not, just say a word, don't drag it out like this. Speaking of which, he's also in his early twenties this year. He's not anxious, but his family elders should be anxious."

  Shen Muqing didn't make a sound.

  She returned to Tingyu Xuan with a dazed expression.

  Life seems to have come to a crossroads, she is difficult to choose, at a loss.

  But in just four or five days, I've lost a whole circle of fat.

  Shen Zhen saw it, shook his head, and wrote a letter to Zeng Ju, tactfully indicating that Xiao Sa's family background was too low, and if he could achieve merits, they would reconsider the marriage later.

  Although that's the case, he couldn't help but sigh to Chen Niang: "...she has been divorced before, if she says 'no concubine, just marriage' again, I'm afraid her reputation will be ruined."