Chapter 44 Xiaowan

Chapter 44 Xiaowan

As expected, Xue Qingning and Xue Yubai both looked embarrassed upon hearing this.

Xue Yubai looked somewhat uncomfortable and said, "Princess Jing, you may have misunderstood us."

“We just don’t want you to argue over such a trivial matter. If you don’t want to, then let’s just drop it.”

Xue Yubai glanced at Xie Yan, his eyes filled with sympathy.

Xue Qingning remained silent, appearing as if she had been bullied by Shen Nanzi, looking extremely embarrassed and almost unable to stand, wanting to leave.

Xie Yan reached out and stopped him.

The two remained silent, while Xue Qingning stood behind him with perfect understanding.

A smile tugged at the corners of Shen Nanzi's lips. "Whether I've misunderstood or not, some people know the answer."

"Enough!" Xie Yan said sternly, "This matter is settled. Shen Nanzi, stop making malicious speculations."

Judging her wrong without even asking what happened is Xie Yan's consistent style.

"Do you all think this music shop is losing money?" Shen Nanzi asked them.

It seems there's no other way; otherwise, this shop would have fallen into Xue Qingning's hands—it's very profitable here. We should at least wait until she moves it before handing it over to Xie Yan.

"Could it be?" Xie Yan said, "With such a desolate situation, how can anyone make money?"

Xue Qingning's eyes conveyed the same meaning; though she didn't utter a word, her message was clear.

“You probably won’t believe me if I say I’m making money.”

Shen Nanzi beckoned to a shop assistant, "Go and call all the accountants out, and lay out the accounts for Prince Jing to see."

"Making money? Are you trying to falsify the accounts?!"

A voice suddenly came from behind.

Shen Nanzi turned around and saw Lin Ruyi at the door, with two maids beside her.

Why is she here too? She's like a persistent ghost.

Upon seeing the crowd in the shop, Lin Ruyi quickly covered her mouth, "Excuse me, I was talking to the maid."

"I'm here to choose a zither."

Then, he entered the shop, bowed to Xie Yan, and said, "Greetings, Prince Jing."

She then bowed to each of them, and judging from her expression, it seemed that her words just now were truly unintentional.

However, those who heard it had another layer of thought.

Xue Qingning and Xue Yubai remained silent, waiting patiently.

Xie Yan's eyes darkened as he warned Shen Nanzi, "You'd better produce solid evidence."

Shen Nanzi said, "You're so sure I'm worthless? Well, in your eyes, how could I possibly be..."

She glanced at Xue Qingning deliberately, like a despicable scheming woman, before continuing, "Comparable to some people, isn't she?"

Xie Yan couldn't possibly miss her obvious hint, which made the veins on his neck bulge with anger.

"Stop talking nonsense, Shen Nanzi. Be careful not to bring trouble upon yourself with such careless words!"

Shen Nanzi wasn't afraid at all. She hoped he would be driven to the point of being unable to bear it any longer and beg for a divorce from the Emperor.

She didn't want to be their target, being tormented by them back and forth.

"Sorry, something came up. Who is it...?"

The person who arrived was in a hurry, clearly having rushed over, but upon seeing the crowd in the shop, their voice trailed off.

Shen Nanzi looked at the person who came out, rubbed her forehead, and realized she had still been bumped into!

Xie Yan turned around, his expression freezing.

He looked at the newcomer, unsure if it was a test, "Xiao Wan?"

The newcomer was a woman in her early twenties, with her hair styled in a traditional Chinese updo and dressed in a simple, dark red dress made of coarse cloth.

His clothes were still covered in sawdust, making him look like a craftsman who had just come out of a workshop.

Xiao Wan looked at Xie Yan, then at Shen Nanzi, curtsied, and gave a respectful bow.

"Xiao Wan greets Prince Jing and Princess Jing."

"You're still alive?" Xie Yan was shocked.

"Yes, Xiao Wan is still alive in this world." Xiao Wan's expression was calm.

"Since you're in Luoyang, why don't you see me?" Xie Yan frowned.

Then, he looked at Shen Nanzi and asked, "Is it her who won't let you see her?"

Shen Nanzi raised an eyebrow: "Yes, it was me who wouldn't let them see me."

Xie Yan was so angry at her domineering manner that he didn't know what to say.

Seeing the woman who had come back to life, he finally felt much better.

"Let's check the accounts first! We'll discuss this later."

With so many people around, there are some things that are indeed not easy to say in front of everyone.

Several accountants also carried thick ledgers, waiting to have their accounts checked.

Looking at the heavy accounts, everyone present seemed to be deep in thought.

If there is no business to make a living, there will inevitably be very few accounts.

"How many years has this been collected?" Xue Qingning kindly reminded, "Just show us the accounts from the most recent years; there are too many to look at."

"These are this year's accounts," Xiao Wan replied.

"This year's?" Xue Qingning was somewhat surprised. "Why are there so many accounts for the whole year?"

“The more businesses you run, the more accounts you have!” Shen Nanzi said. “Aren’t you good at business? Can’t you see this trick?”

Xue Qingning was speechless after hearing what she said.

Xie Yan also frowned, feeling it was unreasonable that the scene was so quiet after they had been there for so long.

“Indeed, our musical instrument shop is quite busy,” Xiao Wan said with a smile. “I’m the manager here, so I know the accounts better than anyone.”

"Is there any profit?" Xie Yan didn't bother to check the details; he only asked the key question.

Xiao Wan looked extremely confident. "Your Highness, in the years I've run this shop, the profits have been steadily increasing every year."

Xue Qingning said calmly, "There are many accounts to keep, so it can indeed be considered that the business is quite frequent."

"However, the final balance between expenditures and income is where profits lie."

"Earning one tael of silver is considered a profit, and earning one hundred thousand taels is also considered a profit. The only question is how much the profit was in previous years."

“Exactly, making a profit doesn’t mean anything,” Lin Ruyi interjected. “The important thing is how much profit we make.”

"Earning one tael this year and two taels next year is also called doubling profits."

Shen Nanzi looked at their faces, which seemed to want to see her make a fool of herself, and said, "Lin Ruyi, shut up! This is none of your business."

Lin Ruyi turned pale with anger. This Shen Nanzi was used to bullying her by taking advantage of her status.

She clutched her sleeve and shut her mouth, swallowing her anger.

Shen Nanzi then went to the accountant and took out an account sheet.

"This is the profit from five years ago, not much, ten thousand taels."

She handed it to Xie Yan, saying, "You can go back to the manor and ask the steward if there was an extra sum of money in the accounts at the end of the year."

Shen Nanzi deliberately showed them the profits from five years ago; if they had seen the profits from recent years, they would probably have been terrified.

Xie Yan looked at the monthly profits on the account sheet, some in whole numbers and some in small amounts, and there was also the company's seal, so it didn't seem like a fake.

"How could that be?" Xue Qingning asked doubtfully. "Nanzi, it's not that I don't trust you, but given the current situation..."

"How can such a simple business earn so much money?"

Shen Nanzi said, "Second sister-in-law, didn't you say you were good at business? Why can't you see that I can make money?"

Moreover, this shop is just a drop in the ocean of her many businesses.

Xue Qingning was a little embarrassed by her retort, "I really can't tell. Tell me so I can learn too."

Shen Nanzi, her fingers stained with Kou Dan's dye, proudly touched her hair. "Second sister-in-law, you are better at business than I am. You wouldn't even look at this little bit of money."

Xue Qingning was angered by Shen Nanzi and stopped talking.

Xie Yan said to Xue Yubai, "You go and choose the pipa. I have some questions for them."

As he spoke, he looked at Shen Nanzi and Xiao Wan and said, "You two, come with me. I have something to ask you."