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

Gu Mingyue didn't understand the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, but she had watched the Red Fruit short drama.

She can still put on an act.

"Mr. Lu, you only see the surface of Broken Tile Alley."

Gu Mingyue raised her hand and pointed east.

"Look at the direction of this alley. It enters from the southeast and exits from the northwest, with the water outlet located in the Kun position. Kun represents the earth, the mother, and the virtue of bearing all things."

"Those in the medicinal herb business should avoid excessive metal element and excessive killing; what they need is a nurturing environment with fertile earth."

Lu Qinghe couldn't believe it, and his goatee twitched.

Gu Mingyue turned around and stomped on the ground again.

"Look at the orientation of this shop. The door faces due south, and the back is against the north wall. South belongs to the Li trigram, which represents fire. Fire generates earth, and earth generates metal."

"Medicinal herbs themselves belong to the wood element, and wood entering the fire element creates a superior feng shui arrangement, where the herbs are refined using fire. This is actually a cut above those prime shops located in bustling city centers."

She spoke earnestly, her expression sincere, and she even slightly narrowed her eyes, making a gesture as if she were "feeling the aura".

Lu Qinghe finally couldn't hold back any longer, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

He worked as a legal advisor for eight years, during which he was circumvented, deceived, and bewitched.

But Gu Mingyue was the first person to try to fool him with the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams.

"Does the landlord mean... this place has good feng shui?"

"More than good."

Gu Mingyue clapped her hands, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"The annual fortune of Kyoto City shows that the wealth position shifts every Jiawu year. Last year was Jiawu, and this year is Yiwei. Wei belongs to Earth, and in a year when Earth is strong, the wealth position is in the southwest. The position you are standing in..."

She pointed to the ground.

"It is located at the core node of the southwest corner of Kyoto City."

She paused, her tone calm yet resolute.

"If this location isn't transformed by the element of wood within the next ten years, Kyoto will surely suffer a great calamity!"

"So, as long as we open a shop here, not only will Kyoto be spared from disaster, but our business will also flourish. Believe it or not."

Lu Qinghe frowned and pondered for a moment, then wrote a line in his notebook.

Gu Mingyue glanced at it secretly.

It reads neatly and clearly above:

[If the area where wealth is located in the next ten years is not suppressed by the element of wood, there will be disaster in Kyoto.]

A small note followed.

【wait for verification.】

Gu Mingyue withdrew her gaze and chuckled softly.

Take the test as you see fit.

If you can figure out exactly where the wealth position in Kyoto is, then you're quite capable.

Yi Wu listened from the side, his eyes wide with shock.

"You also know divination and fortune telling?"

Gu Mingyue stood with her hands behind her back and nodded calmly.

"I know a little."

She doesn't know anything.

But she has "Future Headlines," which is more powerful than astrology and divination.

Gu Mingyue quickly changed the subject.

"Let's go in and take a look."

After saying that, he went to the backyard.

Pushing open a half-rotten wooden door, you see a yard overgrown with knee-high weeds, and in the corner stands an old tree.

The well rim was covered in moss, but when she peered into the well, she saw water shimmering at the bottom.

The water has been tested and is usable.

Gong Huo quickly brought back a broker.

A gaunt old man, all smiles, rubbed his hands together and came closer.

"Miss, this shop used to be an oil shop, but the owner ran away and is now heavily in debt. The landlord is a local landowner from the outer city; he doesn't manage things, you just need to pay him."

"How many?"

The broker held up three fingers. "Three hundred taels, for sale only, not for rent."

Three hundred taels. In this area south of the outer city, the going rate for three shops is at most one hundred and fifty taels.

The brokers more than doubled their money, betting that the customers were clueless.

Gu Mingyue did not bargain.

"Okay, let's go through with the contract."

"Master."

Lu Qinghe turned his head to look at Gu Mingyue.

"You can't spend money like that."

These words were spoken in a way that was neither too harsh nor too mild; they served as both a reminder and a dissuade.

The King of Qi sent him to prevent Gu Mingyue from spilling gold.

Lu Qinghe looked at the old broker.

"I checked the average price of the land in this area last year."

"South of the outer city, Powa Lane. Three years ago, the last shop transaction in this lane was a general store at the end of the lane, two and a half rooms, which was sold for ninety-two taels."

"The market this year is down 20% compared to three years ago."

"Three shops with a backyard, worth at most one hundred and thirty taels."

The dentist's face twitched; he'd met an expert.

One hundred and thirty taels.

It was more than half off his asking price.

The broker subconsciously looked at Gu Mingyue, trying to find a hint of "add some points" on his boss's face.

Gu Mingyue remained expressionless.

What kind of hint could she be giving?

They said 300 taels was too little and wanted to add another 200.

The broker looked at Lu Qinghe again.

Lu Qinghe's expression was calm, but he looked very dignified, leaving no room for negotiation.

"...Fine. One hundred and thirty taels." The broker said with a bitter face, "Transfer the contract."

Lu Qinghe was very skilled in his work and quickly completed the transaction with the broker.

Gu Mingyue stood at the shop entrance and took a deep breath.

The King of Qi sent a professional to accompany her.

While nominally "assisting," every tael of silver she spent actually had to pass through the hands of the King of Qi.

Are they planning to throw money around by inflating prices in the future?

No way.

The shop has been contracted.

Next comes the renovation.

Gu Mingyue made a list of modifications on a piece of paper.

The partition wall in the front hall needs to be knocked down, a new stove needs to be built, and medicine cabinets and weighing tables need to be custom-made.

The back room should be divided into four functional areas;

In addition, there is a signboard for the storefront, tables, chairs, benches, paper windows, and door panels.

Outside the street, drainage ditches need to be rebuilt, streets need to be paved, and garbage dumps need to be established.

Everything must be arranged in accordance with epidemic prevention standards.

This should be a matter for the imperial court, but it was her father who embezzled the court's money.

She spent the money on municipal construction in front of her shop, and King Qi couldn't find anything wrong with it.

Gu Mingyue estimated the labor cost.

In places like Powa Lane, it's hard to find good craftsmen, but the work isn't complicated either.

Under normal market conditions, including labor and materials, seven or eight hundred taels would be more than enough.

With a flourish of her pen, she wrote down a budget of one thousand taels.

I've already come up with a reason: the project is on a tight schedule, so I need an express fee.

The list was handed to Lu Qinghe.

Lu Qinghe took it and scanned it from top to bottom.

Then look up.

"Master, I know a few master bricklayers who are skilled and offer fair prices."

"Please entrust the repair work to me, sir. I will arrange both the materials and the labor."

Gu Mingyue paused for a moment while holding the teacup, and her lips twitched.

That's a polite way of saying it, but actually it's about saving her money.

But what else could she say?

"Alright, I'll pay you this thousand taels of silver in advance, sir."

"Master, that's not necessary."

Lu Qinghe opened the notebook and tapped the items on the list with his fingertip.

"These jobs will be done for three hundred taels."

Gu Mingyue was numb.

Her expenses were cut by more than half again, and she forced a smile.

This is the effect of having a high-level audit.

We'll make sure you save every penny.

"...Then I'll have to trouble you, Mr. Lu."

"You're too kind, sir."

Lu Qinghe put away the list, bowed, and left with light steps.

……

The next three days.

Mud-tile alleyway began to change.