Morax is dead, Liyue will fall into my hands.

Go directly to Yuehai Pavilion to find Tianquan Ningguang. With her intelligence network, investigating Cai Ran Fang would be a piece of cake, wouldn't it? In fact, Tianquan Ningguang might have already discovered that Cai Ran Fang has problems.

Even assuming there's nothing wrong with the dyeing workshop, Tianquan Ningguang's methods wouldn't have revealed any flaws that aroused Li Ye's suspicion.

With this thought in mind, Xiao immediately teleported to Yujingtai.

On the other side, after separating from Xiao, Li Ye arrived at Tiger-Eating Rock.

Since the new bank mainly targets ordinary people, Li Ye naturally chose to locate the new bank at Chihu Rock, rather than the Northern Kingdom setting up the Northern Kingdom Bank at Feiyun Slope.

Li Ye had already decided on the name for the new bank: "Wanmin Qianzhuang" (万民钱庄).

Liyue used to have money shops, but after the "Northern Bank" entered Liyue Harbor, almost all of these money shops went bankrupt.

The concept of the new bank is high-end, sophisticated, and classy; even the Seven Stars of Liyue would praise it. Unfortunately, ordinary Liyue residents have no idea about these things.

They clearly preferred to deposit Mora with a familiar money exchange rather than deposit it with an unfamiliar bank.

For this reason, Li Ye publicly declared that he was going to run a money exchange rather than a bank, and the interior design of "Wanmin Money Exchange" was modeled after the Liyue Money Exchange.

Even the work of employees at "Wanmin Money Shop" was similar to that of employees at other money shops. The only difference was that instead of paying a fee for depositing and withdrawing Mora, they could earn interest.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Dyeing Workshop? That sounds familiar...

Unlike Li Ye, who slowly returned to Liyue Harbor by carriage, Ningguang took a floating stone flying vehicle directly back to Liyue Harbor shortly after parting ways with Li Ye.

So when Li Ye arrived at "Wanmin Money Shop", Ningguang and the money shop staff she had prepared for Li Ye had been waiting for a long time.

Li Ye walked into the lobby of the money exchange and found that all the seats were crowded with people.

These people range in age, the youngest being around twenty years old and the oldest being sixty or seventy.

Ningguang, disguised, was touring the layout and furnishings of the money exchange with an old man. When she saw Li Ye enter, she stopped the old man's introduction and led him towards Li Ye.

Li Ye said with a hint of surprise, "Boss Ji is really efficient. I thought the earliest I could bring them here would be in the evening, but I didn't expect that they would be gathered here just after noon."

"Perhaps it's not that I'm more efficient, but rather that Boss Li should change his mode of transportation."

Ningguang had wanted to complain about him for a long time. Even if he couldn't afford a flying machine made of floating stone, there was no need to rely on a horse-drawn carriage to get around. The speed was just too slow.

Li Ye scratched his head, also feeling that relying on horse-drawn carriages for travel was a bit slow. However, those flying machines were ridiculously expensive. He had asked about them once out of curiosity, and then nothing more.

"I'll change it, I'll definitely change it when I'm richer." Li Ye politely but with a hint of embarrassment looked at the old man beside him and asked, "And who is this?"

Ningguang introduced Li Ye, saying, "This is De'an Gong, the founder of the former Minghua Money Shop. Most of the employees sitting here are also De'an Gong's former subordinates."

"If it weren't for his help, how could I have managed to find so many experienced employees with work experience in money exchanges in such a short time on my own?"

Upon hearing this, Li Ye quickly bowed and greeted him, saying, "So you are Lord De'an. I have always wanted to pay you a visit but couldn't find the opportunity. I never expected that with Boss Ji's help, I would have the honor of meeting you here. I have heard so much about you."

Upon seeing this, De'an Gong quickly returned the greeting and explained, "Some things happened at home recently, and I was somewhat disheartened and had no interest in anything else. I hope Mr. Li will not take offense."

Li Ye had considered asking Duke De'an for help in contacting his former subordinates, but his visits to him were all in vain.

Later, through inquiries, it was learned that it seemed that Duke De'an's daughter had eloped with someone and then jumped into a well. In short, the matter was quite mysterious and remained unresolved.

After learning the whole story, and considering the old man's feelings and mindset, Li Ye decided not to visit again. As expected, Boss Ji had a lot of influence; he stepped in and resolved the matter.

Li Ye said, "I was initially a little uneasy about opening this 'Wanmin Money Shop,' but now that Lord De'an has stepped in, everything is ready except for the final push!"

Duke De'an shook his head and waved his hand, saying, "Boss Li is joking. My 'Minghua Money Shop' was squeezed out of business by the 'Northern Bank' of Zhidong Kingdom. I know how powerful the 'Northern Bank' is."

Using the old business philosophy would definitely not lead to victory, but even Boss Ji praised Boss Li's business philosophy, so it must be quite effective.

At this point, De'an Gong looked at the restless veteran employees and said, "Most of them have been with me for more than ten years, or even decades. As a result, they have lost their livelihoods as they get old. I have let them down."

Boss Li has an excellent reputation in Liyue Harbor. The fact that he's willing to give them a chance to make a living this time is enough for me to give my brothers some peace of mind. Even if I die now, I can die in peace.”

Li Ye shook his finger, clearly disagreeing with Lord De'an's statement: "Lord De'an is mistaken. If you want to die in peace, you'll have to see the day when 'Wanmin Money House' drives 'Northern Bank' out of Liyue. We're still far from it now."

Back then, "Northern Bank" used some less-than-clean methods, but without violating Liyue's laws, to squeeze out "Minghua Bank".

"Please wait and see, sir, how I, Li Ye, will use fair and square means to make sure 'Northern Bank' has no business left in Liyue!"

"puff."

Ningguang couldn't help but laugh every time she heard Li Ye's grand ambitions. It wasn't that she was laughing at Li Ye's ignorance and arrogance, but rather that she probably saw her own past self in him.

It was as if recalling her own youthful and impetuous days filled Ningguang with a unique sense of intimacy and nostalgia.

Ningguang said, "Please don't mind, Mr. De'an. Mr. Li has always been like this, but he does have the ability to be so confident. As long as these employees are willing to work hard, there's no need to worry about their working conditions."

Li Ye chimed in, addressing the group sitting in the bank: "Boss Ji is right. As long as everyone works hard, the compensation will definitely be higher than what the 'Northern Bank' offers."

Since everyone here was invited by Lord De'an, I believe their abilities are not a big problem, so we can skip the interview.

However, in the business of money shops, no matter how small the matter, any oversight can lead to enormous financial losses.

Therefore, before the money exchange officially opens, I will arrange new training and internships for everyone to ensure there are no problems before opening.

You will receive your full salary and benefits during the training and internship period. However, I must make this clear upfront: if you fail to pass the training and internship, there will be no exceptions.

After hearing this, De'an Gong also said, "Don't worry, Mr. Li. If you really think that person is incompetent, you don't need to ask. Let me be the bad guy."

Li Ye shook his head and said, "Lord De'an, there's no need to say that. There are many positions in the bank. If you can't do bookkeeping, you can do hospitality. If you can't do hospitality, you can do logistics."

The real danger is that people's hearts are restless, and they might do something unwise.

Perhaps feeling that saying harsh things before the onboarding training would make the atmosphere too dull, Li Ye clapped his hands and said with a smile, "In short, as long as everyone works hard, they will definitely have food to eat."

In addition, I have established a long-term partnership with Cai Ran Fang to customize work uniforms for everyone, with clothes available for each season, including spring, summer, autumn and winter.

Once everyone completes the training and internship, everyone can receive a complete set for free.

A dyeing workshop?

Ningguang's name sounds familiar...

Wait, isn't this the fabric dyeing shop that I funded Xiuer to start?

Ningguang has sponsored too many people, and most of them don't get involved after sponsoring them, leaving them to fend for themselves.

When Ningguang first sponsored Xiuer, she didn't think about anything else. She just felt that the girl was quite pitiful and had some skills, so investing in her would definitely not be a loss.

Unexpectedly, Cai Ran Fang has a long-term partnership with Li Ye. Perhaps through Cai Ran Fang, we can learn more about Li Ye's activities.

Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Second Young Master of the Flying Cloud Merchant Guild

Since there hadn't been formal onboarding training yet, Li Ye said a few words briefly and then asked someone to take the employees to visit the canteen and dormitory that had been prepared for them.

The people brought by Duke De'an consisted of two groups: one group consisted of his old employees, and the other group consisted of people planted by Ningguang.

The people Ningguang arranged to come in were all her trusted confidants who had assisted her in managing the business at Qunyu Pavilion.

Later, when the Qunyu Pavilion fell, these confidants were divided into two groups, one open and one clandestine.

Some of them moved to Moonsea with Ningguang to work, while others remained hidden, continuing to serve her in secret. Because they rarely showed themselves, even the other six members of the Liyue Seven Stars had difficulty recognizing them.

Ningguang has no intention of sidelining Li Ye, at least not now, but that doesn't stop her from making plans in advance to prevent future developments from slipping out of her control.

After watching the employees leave, Ningguang continued to speak to Li Ye: "Mr. Li, this is all I can do to help with the bank matter. As for the newspaper... there happens to be a printing shop that is willing to cooperate with us."

Moreover, it wasn't me who truly contributed to this matter, but rather you, Mr. Li, yourself.

"Oh? Me? I don't know anyone at the printing shop."

Li Ye was shocked. What did he have to do with this? He had considered cooperating with the printing house before, but when they heard that Li Ye wanted to start a newspaper, they immediately refused because they thought it was unreliable.

Later, after much persuasion, Li Ye finally managed to explain the new newspaper's philosophy to them. However, the people at the printing workshop were even more unwilling after hearing it, and they didn't even give Li Ye any face in their criticism, always thinking of crooked ways and warning him to be careful not to get burned.

The printing press was worried that if gossip or sensational news stories caused any trouble, they might be implicated as well.

Ultimately, it's because Li Ye is new to the area and lacks connections; even with good business opportunities, he struggles to find partners willing to cooperate.

Even if someone is willing to cooperate, they all make exorbitant demands, asking for shares far exceeding Li Ye's bottom line.

Seeing Li Ye's bewildered expression, Ning Guang covered her mouth with a smile and explained, "It's quite a coincidence, Mr. Li. Do you know about the Feiyun Chamber of Commerce?"

Li Ye nodded and said, "I'm afraid every merchant in Liyue knows about this, right?"

Some time ago, the Feiyun Chamber of Commerce suddenly took action and directly monopolized the market for amber, causing the price of amber to triple.

With the ability to monopolize all the amber in the market overnight, the Flying Cloud Merchant Guild is undoubtedly extremely powerful in Liyue.

I've heard that Feiyun Chamber of Commerce has a printing workshop, but what does that have to do with me?

"With my size and influence, surely I'm not worth the attention of the Flying Cloud Chamber of Commerce?"

Li Ye didn't have a good impression of the Flying Cloud Merchant Guild, or more accurately, he didn't have much good impression of any of the top merchant guilds in Liyue.

In Liyue, it's commonplace for merchant guilds to use monopolies to reap huge profits.

Wanmintang was on the verge of collapse for a time due to the monopoly on its ingredients, and almost went out of business. It was only thanks to Boss Ji's free financial assistance and Xiangling's innovative development of many specialty dishes that Wanmintang was able to revive.

Ningguang said, "Mr. Li, do you know that although Feiyun Chamber of Commerce has a wide range of businesses, it mainly deals in businesses that are closely related to people's livelihoods, such as clothing, food, housing, and transportation? Why did you open a printing workshop?"

Li Ye found this abrupt and quickly asked, "Why?"

"This is an interesting story. Feiyun Chamber of Commerce has a second young master named Xingqiu, who has two great hobbies. One is to uphold justice and chivalry, and the other is to read books, especially martial arts novels;

It is said that this young master Xingqiu not only enjoys reading, but also wrote a martial arts novel called "Chenqiu's Sword Collection" based on his own experiences, which he wants to publish in Liyue Harbor.

The manuscript was rejected by the publishing house in Liyue Harbor because "the setting is too outrageous and the plot is surprisingly clichéd, and no one will like it."

Young Master Xingqiu was very dissatisfied, so he simply printed a few copies himself and secretly put them in the bookstore "Wanwen Jishe" that he frequented to sell. Unfortunately, no one liked to read them, which was quite a blow to him.

There are rumors that this book, "The Record of Shen Qiu Picking Up the Sword," has reached Inazuma and become very popular there, but I don't know if it's true or not.

The reason why Feiyun Chamber of Commerce established the printing workshop was precisely because he wanted to print "Chen Qiu Picks Up the Sword Record".

Coincidentally, this young master Xingqiu was also a loyal customer of Jiaxuan Teahouse, and he loved listening to the storytelling performances there.

I learned of this matter and told this young master Xingqiu about my plan to start a newspaper and publish martial arts novels written by Boss Li himself in the newspaper.

Upon hearing this, he agreed without hesitation, saying that as long as Mr. Li was willing, the Feiyun Chamber of Commerce would be very happy to cooperate with him.

"So, the Feiyun Chamber of Commerce's printing workshop can now be given to us to set up a newspaper?" Li Ye was completely dumbfounded after Ningguang's explanation, thinking to himself, "Is there really such a good thing?"

To print a few copies of his own novels, he actually set up a printing shop? Is this what it means to be rich? I'm in love!

However, on the other hand, although the operation is indeed a bit outrageous, as long as the newspaper actually carries it out, this young master Xingqiu will most likely win big.

What is this? Like trying to plant flowers with care but they don't bloom, while planting willows without intention but they thrive? What a load of bull!

In the past, the people I collaborated with and recruited, apart from Boss Ji, were all small figures from the bottom of society. I never expected to meet such an influential person in Liyue by chance.

Should I tell everyone in the chat group later? I wonder if everyone will be surprised and unable to believe it.

Ningguang also felt that this was too much of a coincidence, with a touch of the uncanny. However, life is full of coincidences: "At this time, he is probably still listening to storytelling with his friends in your teahouse."