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“There’s some sense in that. Alright, let’s go with your plan.” They had missed Chu Xuhua’s wedding last time and definitely couldn’t miss Chu Qingyue’s wedding this time.

Yuan Hongjun patted Bao Linjiang’s shoulder, “Then it’s settled.”

Fan Yuru and Rong Shiyu approached, looking suspiciously at the two men whispering to each other.

Fan Yuru asked curiously, “What are you two discussing?”

“We were discussing the next location for our free clinic,” Yuan Hongjun replied, planning to bring the two women into the fold. If anyone questioned their clinic work later, they would have more people to share the responsibility.

“Have you decided?” Fan Yuru scanned them, suspecting that Yuan Hongjun had other motives.

Yuan Hongjun said, “It’s been discussed. We are going to the capital.”

“The capital?” Both Fan Yuru and Rong Shiyu exclaimed in unison, clearly unwilling. They had only just left the capital and were not eager to return.

Bao Linjiang asked the two of them, “Master is going to the capital to attend her Second Sister’s wedding banquet. Don’t you want to go?”

After a moment’s thought, Fan Yuru asked, “Who is Qingyue marrying?”

Yuan Hongjun said, “Ning Yuting, a merchant family in the capital.”

Fan Yuru turned to Rong Shiyu, “Qingzhi isn’t in Shuiyun County, so it’s boring here. Why don’t we go back for the wedding and then leave again?”

Rong Shiyu hesitated, “But once we return, it won’t be easy to leave, right?”

Fan Yuru was confident, “We’ll figure out a way. Don’t worry.”

Eventually, Rong Shiyu was persuaded. “When do we leave?”

Fan Yuru looked at Yuan Hongjun, who said, “We’ll leave with our master and the others tomorrow.”

The group exchanged glances and agreed.

At the Chu Family Paper Mill.

Xiao Zongchao opened the door and stepped aside, “Miss Chu, please come in.”

This room stored the paper produced by the mill. It was furnished with sturdy wooden racks holding the paper.

Only twenty sheets of paper were on the racks, all single-layered paper of excellent quality, meeting the standards for imperial court use.

Chu Qingzhi entered the room and carefully examined each sheet, surprised, “Did you make all this paper?”

Xiao Zongchao lowered his head slightly and replied, “Yes.”

“The paper is exceptionally good.” Chu Qingzhi felt like she had struck gold. “From now on, you’ll handle the production of single-layered paper for the mill, okay?”

Xiao Zongchao couldn’t believe his ears. He was so excited that he didn’t know what to do. “You mean, you want me to be a master?”

“That’s right. In the future, I’ll give you a salary of five taels of silver a month. How about that?”

Xiao Zongchao felt like he was floating in the air. “Okay, okay, I’ll definitely work hard…”

Chu Feng interrupted, “Sister Qingzhi, Master Li needs to see you in the drying room.”

“I’ll be right there.” Chu Qingzhi left the papers on the rack, “Zongchao, you have great skills in paper-making. Believe in yourself.”

Inspired, Xiao Zongchao brightened up, “I will.”

Chu Qingzhi headed to the drying room.

Xiao Zongchao left the storage room and immediately started organizing the paper-making in the workshop.

The drying room, used specifically for drying paper, was hot and bustling with workers drenched in sweat.

Li Changjiang handed the finished paper to Chu Qingzhi, “Miss, please have a look.”

The paper was similar in hardness to cake packaging paper, white, with both sides being fine and smooth. It featured a printed design of a peony flower and a magpie. The pattern was colored, but it looked somewhat dull and not bright enough, as if covered with a layer of dust.

Chu Qingzhi was not entirely satisfied, “The print is fine, but the color could be brighter.”

A vibrant color can elevate the perceived value of a product.

Li Changjiang didn’t respond, silently thinking of ways to improve.

Chu Qingzhi asked, “Can the paper be made thicker?”

Li Changjiang nodded, “That’s not a problem. As for the color, I need time to figure out how.”

Chu Qingzhi said gently, “No worries, Master Li. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. We can figure this out together.”

“Yes, 1’11 follow your guidance,” Li Changjiang said, feeling guilty for not producing the paper Chu Qingzhi wanted.

Chu Qingzhi left the drying room, deep in thought. She went to the garden outside and sat on the stone chair.

At the side, Tang Jinghong was reading a book of chess strategies. When he saw Chu Qingzhi coming over, he put the book away. “Qingzhi, what’s on your mind?”

Chu Qingzhi asked, “Is there anything that looks particularly shiny?”

Tang Jinghong casually replied, “Aren’t pearls quite shiny?”

Chu Qingzhi’s eyes lit up. That’s right. If she added some pearl powder to the paper, wouldn’t it sparkle?

“How are pearls sold?”

“The finest pearls can cost thousands of taels, average ones around a thousand, and even the lesser ones are about a hundred taels.”

Chu Qingzhi’s enthusiasm waned at the high prices, “Isn’t there a cheaper option?”

Tang Jinghong’s next sentence gave Chu Qingzhi hope. “There are some defective goods that don’t cost money, and there’s quite a lot of them. However, no one usually wants those, so they just throw them away.”

Chu Qingzhi’s spirits lifted, “Is there a pearl farm near the capital?”

“Yes.” Tang Jinghong pointed out a lead for Chu Qingzhi. “If you want this kind of defective pearls, you can ask the Zhou family. They have a farm that produces pearls.”

Chu Qingzhi looked Tang Jinghong up and down. “How do you know that their family has a farm that produces pearls?”

“I know all the families in the capital.”

Fair enough, as a general, understanding the various families and forces in the capital was the basic homework. Chu Qingzhi said, “When we go to the capital, I’ll talk to the Zhou family.”

“I’ll go with you then.”

“Okay.”

In Shuiyun County, at a private residence.

Chu Xu jin, accompanied by constables from the county office, surrounded a house, “Capture everyone inside, don’t let anyone escape.”

Everyone nodded and immediately dispersed to stand in their positions, ready for action.

Ge Lihua flew into the house and opened the door. The people outside rushed in and immediately arrested everyone inside.

Chaos erupted inside as the residents shouted and tried to flee, “Run, the constables are here!”

With constables waiting outside, there was no escape.

Doors in several rooms burst open, and the residents, armed with knives and swords, fought fiercely against the constables.

Soon, the house was filled with the sharp sounds of clashing blades.

Ge Lihua leapt in front of the most skilled one, blocking his sword that was swung at a constable, “Surrender now, and you may be spared.”

“Only a fool would surrender!” The other party was a middle-aged man in his forties. He had a ferocious expression and looked very intimidating.

Ge Lihua said no more. She waved the sword in her hand and became more and more fierce..