From a slave to the Great Qian Martial Saint

If you think it is, then it is.

Mu Yunsheng looked up at Chen Shi, her gaze unwavering.

Does this mean they've admitted it?

Chen Shi was stunned. Mu Yunsheng's open admission made him a little uneasy. Was he overthinking things?

That's true. Although Mu Yunsheng and he had some friendship, given Mu Yunsheng's personality, how could she possibly do these things on purpose just to help him?

It's probably just a coincidence.

"I'm going back now."

Seeing that it was getting late, Chen Shi got up and left.

Back in his duty room, he took out the purchase order and handed it to Dongqing, the young servant from before.

The Marquis's mansion has a large number of people, and all the masters, ladies, young ladies and young masters take tonic pills all year round, requiring a lot of medicinal materials.

They had long ago arranged for a specific medicine supplier to provide medicine to the Marquis's residence on a long-term basis.

If you need any medicinal herbs, just write down the prescription and have them delivered over there. You don't need to put in any effort at all.

Of course, this involves money transactions, which can generate considerable profits.

And whoever handles it will naturally be able to skim off a profit.

Chen Shi handed the list to Dong Qing and asked him to make the purchases. This was both a way of giving him the benefit and a way of indicating his intention to promote him.

After all, Chen Shi needed to cultivate a few trusted confidants in this duty room.

"Aside from a few rarer herbs, they are all commonly used medicinal materials, and we replenish them every month."

After reading it, Dongqing took out a piece of paper and copied it down.

Next, two numbers were marked after each portion of the medicinal materials.

What does this mean?

Chen Shi was puzzled, but his face remained expressionless.

"Manager, please take a look."

After the annotations were finished, Dongqing presented them to Chen Shi and pointed to them, saying...

"This is the price set by our government, and this is the price from the medicine merchant."

"...That's quite a difference."

The two prices differ by as much as 30% to 40%!

In other words, the mansion spends one hundred taels to buy medicinal herbs, but in reality only needs sixty or seventy taels, and the extra thirty or forty taels naturally end up in their pockets.

The total price of the medicinal herbs purchased according to this list is around two thousand taels, which means I can get at least six hundred taels in kickbacks!

This is only the purchase amount for one month. Wouldn't that be more than seven thousand taels a year!

In addition to these monthly routines, other medicinal materials may be needed occasionally and need to be purchased separately.

If you calculate it this way, you can actually get about 10,000 taels of kickbacks every year!

When he arrived at this number, Chen Shi appeared outwardly calm, but inwardly he was utterly shocked.

It should be noted that Du Yueming and his three major gangs occupied the entire streets of Yongqiu City, and the annual dividends they gave Chen Shi were only ten thousand taels.

Purchasing medicinal herbs is indeed a lucrative job!

In fact, there is always a profit to be made from any purchase, let alone valuable medicinal herbs.

Of course, everyone knows that procurement is a lucrative position, so Chen Shi couldn't possibly get all the money. In addition to sharing some with his subordinates, he also had to bribe officials everywhere.

The most important item, at least half of which, must be given to his master.

After all, without the protection of a master, how could a servant possibly afford to eat such a large sum of money?

Even so, a significant amount can still be lost over the course of a year.

No wonder even a random servant here can easily spend two or three taels of silver.

"Manager, this is the old practice, but as they say, each generation has its own rules. If you want to change it, that's certainly possible."

Dongqing smiled and handed the pen to Chen Shi.

If it changes, it will naturally change to more, meaning the rebate can be increased.

"...Let's follow the old practice for now."

Chen Shi hesitated for a moment, then said something.

He's new here and doesn't know much yet, so it's better to stay put and not make any changes.

If you really want to make changes, it's not too late to wait until he's completely familiar with it.

"Yes."

Holly nodded and put the list away.

"Then we'll proceed according to the old procedure."

"Go ahead, this batch of medicinal herbs needs to be processed before the end of the month."

"I understand."

Holly nodded and immediately turned to leave.

This task was left to Dongqing; Chen Shi didn't need to worry about it at all.

As for the verification and registration of other medicinal materials, the servants were responsible for that, and Chen Shi did not need to get involved.

As the person in charge, Chen Shi actually had nothing to do.

That's right, he's the "manager," not the "doer."

Since he had nothing better to do, Chen Shi sat upright in a chair, closed his eyes slightly, and decided to meditate and cultivate.

In fact, meditation does not necessarily require sitting cross-legged with the five points facing upwards. The key is the state of mind. As long as you can achieve inner stillness, you can practice even while walking.

He would remain in meditation for one or two hours at a time. If his subordinates hadn't brought him lunch, Chen Shi probably could have continued meditating.

The servants in the Marquis's mansion eat two meals a day, but the medicine shop has a lot of oil and fat, so three meals a day is nothing. They can buy some food every day and it doesn't cost much.

After finishing lunch, Chen Shi continued his meditation. When he opened his eyes, it was already evening. He casually gave his subordinates a few instructions and then got up and left.

Because he was no longer working in the government office, he was even exempted from morning and evening roll calls and the traditional ritual of drawing the rooster.

I must say, this job is really easy.

"We have to celebrate tonight!"

In Sweetwater Lane, upon hearing that Chen Shi had been promoted to manager, Cui Nong was filled with excitement. She said a few words and then went out with her basket.

Watching Cui Nong's swaying back, Chen Shi couldn't help but smile. Three days in a row, and she still hadn't been fed enough.

"The procurement of medicinal herbs is a lucrative position. You've snagged such a great deal; I'm afraid many people are envious."

That evening, halfway through the drinking session, Cui Nong suddenly spoke up.

Chen Shi nodded, agreeing with that thought.

But he doesn't know who is jealous or what their background is.

Thinking that I should investigate thoroughly these past few days, I can have a clear understanding of the situation.

As the saying goes, "Let him be strong, the breeze still caresses the mountain." As long as you have a solid backing, you naturally have nothing to fear.

Cui Nong poured wine for Chen Shi and then continued.

"Isn't there a purchase to be made? Once you get the money, go and deliver it to Xiao Fengxiao. You're one of her people, so she'll naturally protect you."

That makes sense.

Chen Shi held up his wine glass, but hesitated inwardly.

Before leaving the city, Xiao Fengxiao took out the acrostic poem and said that when he returned, she would fulfill his wish in the poem.

At this point, Chen Shi wanted to avoid Xiao Fengxiao as much as possible, so he didn't dare to take the initiative to see her.

But if he keeps avoiding Xiao Fengxiao, it's tantamount to giving up this powerful backer. How can he then secure his position as the head of the medicinal herb purchasing department?

The steward was a first-class servant, just one step away from escaping slavery.

He promised Cui Nong that he would make something of himself!

Xiao Fengxiao seems unable to avoid it, unless he can find a new backer.

Thinking of this, Chen Shi felt a pang of difficulty.

Fortunately, Cui Nong's graceful dance made him temporarily forget these worries.

Another night of fierce winds and torrential rain...

The next morning, Chen Shi and Cui Nong went out after breakfast, and by the time they arrived at the Marquis's residence, the sun was high in the sky.

"Manager Chen, Master Ze wants you to come over."

As soon as I entered the duty room, a servant came over and whispered something to me.