Dad, don't be greedy! My brother climbed into the emperor's bed, and I became famous overn

That afternoon, Su Wan taught the new sales pitch to the kids who ran errands.

The little beggar leading the group nodded with a smile.

"That's easy to remember! It brings good fortune to the husband and family, and doubles the bride price! Don't worry, Sister Wan! We'll make sure you spread the word!"

"Go."

Su Wan smiled and stuffed another large meat bun into each of their hands.

"This time, I'll run around more streets. I'll go to both the south and north of the city. I'll go to the vegetable market, the well, and the place where people wash clothes at the city gate—wherever there are crowds, I'll go there and talk to them."

"Alright!"

The group of beggars scattered in a flash.

The next day, before dawn, Su Wan was stunned when she opened the shop door.

A large group of people had already gathered at the entrance of the alley.

It wasn't just women; there were also mothers-in-law carrying children, women carrying hoes who were pulled over, and even several smiling fathers leading their daughters over.

The procession wound its way from the alleyway all the way to the main street outside.

After two days, the board for accepting candidates was already full of drawings.

Those who hadn't registered stood outside the shop, refusing to leave.

Several women squatted against the wall, looking dejected, clutching the hem of their skirts in their hands, saying nothing.

Su Wan walked to the door and cleared her throat.

"Dear residents, the first round of recruitment is full. However, the workshop will be recruiting for a second round. We will post notices at the four city gates about a month from now. Please go back and wait for further information."

A collective sigh rippled through the crowd.

Some people, unwilling to give up, craned their necks and shouted, "Shopkeeper, could you please let us register our names first? Leave a record with you? At least give us priority consideration later!"

Su Wan glanced at Gu Mingyue behind her.

Gu Mingyue sat behind the counter, holding a cup of tea that had gone cold.

She nodded slightly.

"Okay. Pre-registration is allowed, but admission is not guaranteed."

Su Wan opened a new booklet.

"Just leave your name and address."

As soon as he finished speaking, the people who were waiting around rushed forward.

Su Wan suppressed a laugh and continued writing, stroke by stroke.

One booklet wasn't enough, so we got another one.

Even after everyone had registered, a number of passersby still gathered in front of the shop, looking on curiously.

The workers could only hang a wooden sign at the entrance.

[Pujitang Textile Workshop's first recruitment phase is now full.]

Gu Mingyue sat behind the counter, flipping through the roster.

Two hundred were hired, and two hundred were recruited through supplementary recruitment, for a total of four hundred people.

The names were neatly listed in the booklet.

Su Wan wrote it on behalf of the female worker, who then pressed her red handprint next to her.

The red handprints varied in depth, some full and round, others faint and shallow due to trembling.

Gu Mingyue finished reading the roster and closed it.

The booklet made a soft "snap" sound when it closed.

She turned to Su Wan and said:

"All four hundred people will be retained. Starting tomorrow, you will lead them to begin learning the theoretical knowledge."

"First, explain the operation and process to them clearly, how to wind yarn, how to spin yarn, how to check for yarn breaks, and how to change bobbins. Take it one step at a time, don't rush."

"Those who pass the final assessment will be offered a contract with Pujitang; those who fail will not be hired."

Su Wan's eyes lit up when she first heard that there would be an evaluation for retention.

"That way, they will study even harder."

"Yes, competition makes us appreciate opportunities."

Gu Mingyue continued making arrangements.

"Ten days later, the factory will be completed and the machines will be installed. At that time, we will begin actual operation on the machines."

Su Wan took a deep breath.

Ten days.

He brought four hundred people into the factory.

She suddenly realized that from this day forward, this was no longer just a business transaction involving a small shop.

"In addition," Gu Mingyue took a blank sheet of paper, picked up a pen, and wrote a few words.

"We've started large-scale cotton purchases. Do you have any sourcing channels?"

Su Wan snapped out of her reverie and nodded, saying, "Yes. I've dealt with cotton merchants all over the Jiangzhou region, as well as those from my maternal home. I know quite a few."

Gu Mingyue was very satisfied.

She put down her pen, looked into Su Wan's eyes, and said, word by word:

"We signed contracts directly with all the farmers. They received a monthly subsidy of one tael of silver, in accordance with the treatment given to farmers by Pujitang. However, the cotton they grew could only be sold to Pujitang, and the purchase price was calculated based on the market price, all of which was clearly written into the contract."

Su Wan was taken aback.

"Boss, shall we sign contracts with all the cotton farmers in Jiangzhou...?"

"Yes. Buy in bulk. As many as you have. There's no upper limit."

The four words came out of Gu Mingyue's mouth so lightly, as if she were just saying what to eat tonight.

But Su Wan knew in her heart how heavy those four words were.

Su Wan opened her mouth, "Boss, can we really eat this much?"

Gu Mingyue nodded, "The demand for cotton fabric will far exceed that for silk in the future."

Su Wan couldn't believe it.

Although she didn't know what her employer's basis for saying this, given his foresight, she was certain it would come true.

Su Wan nodded in agreement, "Okay! I'll contact them tomorrow."

……

Having settled things at the textile workshop, Gu Mingyue finally breathed a sigh of relief.

At least the first step in epidemic prevention has been taken.

Next, she has to spend the remaining half month to complete the task of spending the required 180,000 taels of silver.

Speaking of the mission, Gu Mingyue thought of her brother again.

I wonder how the project is progressing on her brother's side?

Gu Mingli stayed at the construction site for three days. The brother and sister agreed to meet at the house tonight for a mid-term review meeting.

When Gu Mingyue returned to her three-courtyard house in Su Town by carriage, it was already dusk.

Pushing open the courtyard gate, I saw that the oil lamps inside the house were already lit, but the courtyard was quiet.

Gong Huo walked ahead carrying a lantern, but as soon as he stepped into the courtyard, he suddenly stopped.

He reached back to touch the short knife at his waist.

Gu Mingyue stopped and looked in the direction Gong Huo was looking.

Two dark figures were crouching on the roof above the main entrance.

The two were dressed in black night clothes and their faces were covered with black cloth.

The bright moonlight cast a silvery glow on the two of them, making their figures appear exceptionally tall and clear.

Gu Mingyue was stunned for a moment, and then a layer of white sweat broke out on her back.

Someone's come to kill her? She hasn't provoked anyone from the martial arts world!

Gu Mingyue took a deep breath, quickly calmed down, and looked at the two people again.

No! The two men's clothing is not simple; they don't seem like ordinary assassins.

and so……

These two people are either from the Censorate or subordinates of the King of Qi.

Gu Mingyue stared blankly at the ceiling, her thoughts racing.

"Did he send you?"

Upon hearing this, the two dark figures jumped down from the pillar in unison.

Landing silently, demonstrating exceptional agility.

Gong Huo drew his sword with a clang, stepped forward, and stood in front of Gu Mingyue.

The man in black on the left pulled down the black cloth covering his face, revealing a cold, numb face devoid of any expression.

"Did the young lady know we were coming?"

Gu Mingyue nodded, "Yes, he's worried about me."

This statement is somewhat meaningful, but it is enough to reveal the truth.

The two men in black looked at each other, their expressions shifting from indifference to astonishment, and then to understanding.

One of them took out a black iron waist token from his waist and handed it forward.

"Shadow Guard of Prince Qi's Mansion, No. 15."

The one on the right also pulled down a black cloth, revealing a baby face, nodding and smiling.

"The shadow guard of the Prince Qi's mansion, number ten."

"We two were ordered to keep an eye on the Gu siblings to prevent your deaths."

Gu Mingyue: "..."

Do you have to be so direct?

However, she did not expect that the King of Qi would be willing to send shadow guards to specifically keep an eye on the two siblings.

I've heard that it was very difficult for the ancient royal family to train a qualified shadow guard, and the number of them was not large.

They were highly skilled in martial arts, extremely loyal, and were all kept by the emperor for his personal use.

Sending them out to keep an eye on the brother and sister would be a waste of their talents.

Gu Mingyue remained expressionless, her gaze sweeping over the waist tokens in the hands of the two people, before reaching out to take one and glance at it.

The front of the waist tag had their respective code names engraved on it, and the back had a large character "补" (meaning "supplement").

"Substitute? Shadow Guard?"

Gu Mingyue raised an eyebrow.

Yi Wu nodded with a cold face, his tone completely calm.

"Our master said that ever since we were poisoned during a mission, our brains haven't been working properly. Fortunately, we're highly skilled in martial arts, so we can only serve as substitutes most of the time."

"But we were short-handed for this mission, so our master sent us. He said we'd make do."

Gu Mingyue: "..."

No wonder.

So it turns out she's mentally unstable, which is why she was assigned here?

Does this mean you don't need to use your brain to stare at her?