The Empress Kneels in Her Palace to Admit Her Mistakes After Slaying Her Ways in the Female-Oriented

Zhou Buzhang then looked up at Shen Zhian, but his eyes didn't show much emotion. He just shifted his position and lay back down in the storybook, as if he wanted to enter that world.

This made Shen Zhian even angrier, but she, who always prided herself on being a virtuous wife and loving mother, did not just scold her. She also comforted and encouraged her.

"You're not good enough now, you really can't do it."

"Look at yourself. You used to be a formidable naval commander, someone even Zhou Mengyan would have to defer to. But look at you now!"

"Zhou Mengyan is in charge of the navy, while you're just an idle old man who's accomplished nothing."

"Your friends and colleagues are all doing very well now. They've either joined the Tongxin Alliance, have a lot of influence in Yunjing, or are making a fortune by doing business with the Tongxin Alliance. But what about you... you're idle at home and completely useless."

"So many people wanted to marry me back then, but I chose to marry you. Please, don't let me regret marrying you one day, okay?"

"You need to stand up straight!"

These words seemed to strike a nerve with Zhou Buzhang. He opened his mouth, clearly wanting to refute something, but in the end... he only opened his mouth, let out a helpless sigh, and said no more.

This sight made Shen Zhian even more disappointed in Zhou Buzhang, but a strong impulse suddenly arose in his heart.

She may have married poorly, but she lives a good life – that's true skill!

She had to shoulder the responsibility of the family and become an idol for all women, not only for the Yangtze River pass but also for the entire city of Yunjing.

Thinking this, he didn't stop working. He quickly went behind the desk, opened the drawer, saw a thick stack of silver notes inside, took them out, and immediately stuffed them into his pocket.

He turned to leave, but Zhou Buzhang, who had been sitting still, could no longer remain seated and blocked his way, saying, "What are you doing?"

"What do you need the money for?"

"And taking so much at once?"

Shen Zhian said casually, "Someone wants to borrow money. It's Grand Commander Zhou Mengyan's mistress. She wants to borrow one million taels of silver. I remember there's exactly one million taels of silver in here, right?"

"Perfect for her, it'll be a lifesaver!"

Shen Zhi'an tried to leave after speaking, but Zhou Buzhang blocked her way, saying, "Zhi'an, are you crazy?"

"That's a banknote worth one million taels of silver, not one hundred taels. You just casually took it out and lent it to someone?"

"and……"

"You know our family's current situation. The martial arts school just went bankrupt, and we're still heavily in debt. All those businesses you've been involved in have just been throwing money into the market, and we haven't seen a single penny in return..."

"Our family is completely broke!"

"I had to swallow my pride and borrow the money from my former brothers, even though they were the ones I had once shared life and death with, and now they're almost ignoring me."

"You're just going to take it out like that..."

"What should we do about those deficits?"

"Are you suggesting I become a deadbeat who refuses to pay my debts?"

"Although I'm not what I used to be, my former reputation still stands. I don't want to spend the rest of my life being talked about behind my back!"

Zhou Buzhang spoke these words with such force that his voice was hoarse; to be precise, the more he spoke, the more emotional he became.

Shen Zhian, however, didn't take it to heart, saying, "Not at all. That's because you don't understand. I once studied business strategy under a renowned teacher; how could I not know about our current predicament?"

"Investment naturally involves both successes and failures."

"Although all my previous investments failed, I accumulated countless experiences and lessons. I am no longer the novice I was when I first entered the market, and..."

"The two things I'm currently optimistic about are both extremely profitable."

"One thing is investing in an all-female workforce. This alone could bring our family back to its former glory, or even surpass it!"

"The second thing is the current financial support for Miss Ruan Fei. As long as we help Miss Ruan Fei oust Zhou Mengyan's wife, then Miss Ruan Fei will become the wife of the Grand Admiral of the Navy. This reward is equally substantial!"

"Right now, Ruan Fei is still at a very low level, making this the best opportunity to invest in her. And such opportunities don't come twice; we must seize them!"

"Make a fortune in one fell swoop and become the top merchant in Yunjing!"

After Shen Zhian once again explained her grand ideals and ambitions to Zhou Buzhang, he stopped talking nonsense, pushed past Shen Zhian, and strode out of the study.

Upon arriving at the hall, Ning Wanqin and Ruan Fei were waiting there, their faces showing some anxiety. Clearly, they didn't quite believe that she had given them a million taels of silver as a donation.

Shen Zhian couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement at the thought of what was about to happen, though he had to maintain a calm expression on his face.

He walked in very calmly.

Ruan Fei and Ning Wanqin immediately came over.

"Sister Zhi'an, is the money issue settled?"

"Unnie Chian, is this...difficult?"

……

Shen Zhian raised his head slightly and looked at the two people. His gaze was calm, but he was in no hurry to speak. Instead, he sat down first, leisurely picked up his teacup, and took a sip of tea.

Just as Ruan Fei and Ning Wanqin were about to go crazy with anxiety, Shen Zhian finally spoke: "It's done!"

As he spoke, he took out the silver note containing one million taels of silver from his pocket, placed it on the table with a nonchalant and even natural air, without lifting it too lightly.

At this moment...

Ning Wanqin and Ruan Fei were shocked!

At this moment...

Shen Zhian was ecstatic!

"Sister Zhi'an, you're really amazing! You truly deserve our recognized strong woman title. I think even Lord Gu Qingyue is slightly inferior to you!"

"Sister Zhi'an, you're amazing! One million taels of silver! I don't even dare to think about whether I can earn that much in my lifetime, and you just casually took it out... There's no one more generous than you in the entire Yunjing!"

……

Shen Zhian leisurely sipped his tea, and listening to the sincere words, a slight smile appeared on his lips. He said slowly, "You don't need to worry about the money. What you have right now is enough to send General Zhang Shi a small gift."

"but……"

"Next, we still need someone to take this money and go to see General Zhang Shi."

"The amount is enormous; we must choose trusted confidants!"

Ruan Fei immediately replied, "Sister Zhi'an, don't worry. I know this matter is of great importance and I would never dare to handle it rashly. I will definitely arrange a suitable candidate!"

Shen Zhian asked, "That's good. But... I'm just curious, who is the suitable candidate you plan to arrange?"

Ruan Fei was speechless.

Arranging a suitable candidate was a good wish, but it proved difficult in practice. Although most people in the military camp treated her politely and obeyed her orders, there were very few who were truly close to her.

None of those were suitable.

"No?" Shen Zhian asked. "That won't do. This person is extremely important, and we must be very careful."

As he spoke, Shen Zhian glanced at Ning Wanqin and said, "Actually, I think we already have the perfect candidate right now!"

……