My family has been wielding knives for generations, but now it's my turn to wield a pen!

Here.

After leaving Jiang Jingcheng's study, Jiang Xiaobai looked thoughtful.

Outside the study, Zhang Xinnian and Tang Ningshuang were still waiting. When they saw Jiang Xiaobai come out, the two of them came up.

"Your Highness!"

Zhang Xinnian looked at the young man from Zhejiang with a hint of curiosity: "Is there something you need from the Marquis?"

Yes, judging from Jiang Xiaobai's expression, something was clearly wrong.

Jiang Xiaobai shook his head without explaining, and led the way towards his residence.

Yes, all he's thinking about now is making money.

An army of 800,000—that's the root of the Jiang family!

The army is currently facing a severe shortage of funds, which is no small matter.

Especially at this crucial juncture when he is about to marry into the Prime Minister's family, a mishap could easily be used against him by those with ulterior motives.

That's right, the Marquis of Zhenbei's mansion was short of money, the northern border army's pay was insufficient, and he had married into the Prime Minister's mansion.

These events, when discussed together, can change in an instant.

Therefore, this matter must be resolved as soon as possible!

Jiang Xiaobai walked along, lost in thought.

A moment later, Jiang Xiaobai suddenly stopped and looked at Zhang Xinnian and Tang Ningshuang: "I have a question for you."

"Please ask, Your Highness!"

Zhang Xinnian nodded.

"When you two go out on weekdays..."

Jiang Xiaobai asked, "What kind of things would you be interested in buying?"

"Your Highness, it has to be food!"

Zhang Xinnian hardly hesitated.

"What the heck?"

Jiang Xiaobai was stunned for a moment and didn't react immediately.

"Oh, just street food or something!"

Zhang Xinnian said earnestly, "For example, roasted meat, sesame flatbread, and those freshly steamed meat buns."

"..."

Jiang Xiaobai looked at Zhang Xinnian and coughed lightly: "Oh, sorry, I got sidetracked."

Zhang Xinnian looked completely bewildered.

What's wrong with your thinking?

Jiang Xiaobai didn't explain, and his gaze fell on Tang Ningshuang again: "Where is Miss Tang?"

"My words..."

Although Tang Ningshuang was somewhat puzzled, she still answered, "Sword!"

"Anything else?"

"That's all."

Tang Ningshuang shook her head.

"..."

Jiang Xiaobai smiled helplessly.

Okay, it seems I did ask the wrong people.

One whose mind is always on food.

A man whose mind is full of swords.

What can you possibly find out by asking that?

Just then, Tang Ningshuang paused slightly in her voice: "They also buy wine."

"liquor?"

Jiang Xiaobai raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, I would like to drink it!"

Tang Ningshuang nodded: "But most of them are for my father."

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Zhang Xinnian nodded in agreement, "I also love drinking alcohol, and I'll buy it too!"

"Moreover, most of the brothers in the army also love to drink, but they can't afford to drink anything too good on a regular basis."

Wine?

Jiang Xiaobai slowed down.

That's a good option.

Yes, alcohol has always been a form of hard currency, regardless of the era.

Scholars drink, and so do warriors.

Wealthy families appreciate elegance, while ordinary people can also enjoy a drink or two.

His Green Bamboo Brew at Tianji Tower was quite good, with a great taste and a rich aroma.

However, its disadvantages are also obvious: the prescription is relatively low.

Moreover, according to what Mo Li said that day, the brewing of Green Bamboo Wine is not easy and the cost should not be low.

If we were to sell on a large scale, it might not be possible to expand the market.

But what if we use modern methods to make wine?

Distillation, purification, and then flavoring.

This approach might not be impossible, and it's quick and profitable!

As long as the flavor is strong and fresh enough, it will be memorable.

Then we won't have to worry about not being able to break through.

Thinking of this, a smile slowly appeared on Jiang Xiaobai's face.

Soon, the three returned to their lodgings.

After entering the room, Jiang Xiaobai went straight to the table and sat down.

He then picked up a brush, dipped it in ink, and began to write.

He finally stopped after writing six pages.

Two of the pages are illustrations, but they are so poorly drawn that they are incomprehensible.

Jiang Xiaobai then blew on the ink, tidied up the paper, and handed it to Zhang Xinnian.

"For the New Year, send these to Tianji Tower and give them to Mo Li or Chang Ying, it doesn't matter."

"good!"

Although Zhang Xinnian was puzzled, he nodded, took the paper, and turned to leave.

After Zhang Xinnian left, Jiang Xiaobai sat there, stretched, and looked at Tang Ningshuang.

"Miss Tang, I need to trouble you with something."

Tang Ningshuang looked at him: "What?"

Jiang Xiaobai said, "Go outside and buy back all the wine you can find."

"what?"

Tang Ningshuang paused for a moment, a rare look of surprise on her face: "All the wine?"

"right!"

Jiang Xiaobai nodded: "Whether it's expensive or cheap, as long as it sells well in the capital, buy some of it."

Although Tang Ningshuang was puzzled, she hesitated for a moment before agreeing and turning to leave. However, a moment later, she returned and held out her hand: "Silver!"

I'll make it up to you later!

Jiang Xiaobai spoke up.

"Alright then!"

Tang Ningshuang nodded, turned and left.

As the room quieted down, Jiang Xiaobai leaned back in his chair and sighed softly.

He used to think that with such a large and prestigious mansion as the Marquis of Zhenbei, there shouldn't be a shortage of money.

In retrospect, as impressive as it may seem, maintaining an army is indeed very expensive.

An army of 800,000.

Every day when I open my eyes, all I see is money, and none of it is a small amount.

The imperial court was reluctant to allocate too much money, perhaps due to limitations, which was intended to support the development of the Zhenbei Marquis's mansion!

As evening approached, more than a dozen jars of wine were already laid out in the courtyard.

Tang Ningshuang stood to the side, watching Jiang Xiaobai pour and taste the wine one by one, full of doubt.

But as Tang Ningshuang watched, she noticed that Jiang Xiaobai's smile was getting brighter and brighter.

Is it because the wine tastes good?

Just as Tang Ningshuang was thinking of this, she saw Jiang Xiaobai put down his wine cup, smile, and say, "Heh, they're all pretty average, aren't they?"

Yes, the wine here is even more ordinary than he expected.

To put it nicely, it's gentle; to put it bluntly, it's bland.

It's no exaggeration to say that if Tianjilou's Green Bamboo Brew were brought out, it could defeat a whole bunch of people.

Not to mention what he's going to produce next.

Tang Ningshuang frowned.

It doesn't taste good, so why is this guy laughing so happily?

But... is it really that bad?

You should know that there are several types of wine inside that she personally really likes.

Just as she was thinking this, footsteps came from outside the courtyard, and Zhang Xinnian walked in.

Behind Zhang Xinnian were several people from Tianji Tower.

Those people were carrying a lot of things.

Wood, copper pipes, an iron stove, and some items that Jiang Xiaobai wrote down on paper.

"So fast?"

Upon seeing this, Jiang Xiaobai smiled.

The efficiency of Tianji Tower is truly terrifying.

Jiang Xiaobai immediately looked at the people from Tianji Tower and said, "Set up the prepared items here!"

"yes!"

Several craftsmen from Tianji Tower responded and quickly got to work in the courtyard.

Tang Ningshuang looked at the devices being laid out one by one, her brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

What is this thing?

What is Jiang Xiaobai going to do?

Puzzled, Zhang Xinnian glanced at the craftsman, then came to Jiang Xiaobai's side and carefully took out a package from his pocket.

"Your Highness, the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion inexplicably gave me some silver, saying they were bringing it back for you!"

"That's absolutely out of the blue!"

Jiang Xiaobai shook his head. It was written in his letter. He immediately asked, "How much?"

Zhang Xinnian swallowed hard, glanced around, and said in a trembling voice, "Eight million taels!"

"What, eight million?"

Jiang Xiaobai's expression immediately changed, his face filled with disbelief.

Yes, that's no small amount!

Although it may not seem like much to an army of 800,000, they should be able to hold out for several months without any problem.

It has to be said that the Heavenly Mystery Tower really gave him a pleasant surprise.

"Yes, it was Young Master Mo Li who made the decision."

Zhang Xinnian nodded: "She said... any further discussion would require a decision from the stewards of Tianji Workshop."

"Okay, that's fine!"

Jiang Xiaobai took a deep breath and nodded slightly: "Eight million is already quite a lot."

"Take it to my dad!"

"yes!"

Zhang Xinnian nodded respectfully, then turned and left.

As Jiang Xiaobai watched Zhang Xinnian's retreating figure, the image of Mo Li appeared in his mind.

It seems he owes a huge favor!