Chapter 29: Rolling Up Our Sleeves and Giving It Our All

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Opening the red envelope, a white dove lottery ticket—a form of ancient lottery—fell out. The envelope bore not only Ye Wuji's name but also three additional characters: "Win or Not." This was quite clever, as if a master was making a subtle jest. The highest payout for the white dove ticket was one thousand taels of silver, and Ye Wuji had purchased the maximum odds. Whether he would win or not was up to Buddha; no one could say he hadn’t made a donation. If he lost, it would read: "Win? No!" If he won, it would say: "Win or not? Win!" Another layer of meaning was: "Great Monk, do you see my donation—win or not?" The wording left room for the monk’s response; it was now up to Monk Yan Gong to accept the challenge or not.

The great monk’s face turned ashen, his teeth grinding in fury, yet he was powerless. This was like standing on the street encountering a loan shark’s demand but refusing to pay, instead tossing the money into the merit box and letting Buddha handle the confrontation. Drawing a deep breath, Monk Yan Gong almost forced the words through clenched teeth: "Place the names of Master Shen and Ye Wuji at the top. When publicly announcing, do not disclose the exact donation amounts—only state 'donated a certain sum.'"

“But about the white dove ticket…” The surrounding monks were equally infuriated, itching to tear Ye Wuji apart alive.

“What white dove ticket?” Monk Yan Gong glared at them with disappointed severity. “Amitabha, Ye the Benefactor is kindhearted and upright, worthy of being the capital’s top talent! Hmm, Ye is currently busy preparing for the provincial exam. In the future, no need to send him invitations for fundraising events.”

The monks could only clasp their hands in prayer: Amitabha!

Still uneasy, Monk Yan Gong added a final warning, “Do not think of revenge. Avoid Ye the Benefactor entirely; steer clear as far as possible. Violators will be expelled from the monastery and stripped of their monkhood…”

…

After breakfast, Ye Wuji took Li Weishan to the Jinling Academy. Meanwhile, Ye Xiu began considering matters regarding the tavern. Acquiring a tavern was both reliable and feasible. Baijiu and strong spirits could continue to be distilled, but grain-based liquors also needed brewing. The brewing process was mostly the same, the only additional step being distillation. After consulting with the veteran supervisor, it turned out several retired soldiers actually knew how to brew.

Ye Xiu swiftly made up his mind—he would establish a tavern. As for government permits and such, the veteran supervisor would handle those. Ye Xiu’s role was simply to provide the funds. The veteran supervisor worked efficiently, mobilizing nearly all the able-bodied men in Oolong Alley.

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“Uncle Sun, do we really need this many workers?” Ye Xiu could hardly believe his eyes; there were at least twenty or thirty craftsmen.

“When it comes to work, the more the better. You’re now the richest man in Oolong Alley,” the veteran supervisor laughed heartily and shouted to the crowd, “Give it your all! Anyone who slacks off won’t escape my wrath. Whether Oolong Alley can regain its former glory depends on Young Master Ye!”

“Don’t worry, Uncle Supervisor, it’ll be finished in at most five days. It will be sturdy and durable—stone cannons could be hurled at it and it won’t break,” the craftsmen chuckled as they enthusiastically divided the tasks.

Since many residents of the alley were related or acquainted, and Ye Xiu’s business was for the military families, no one dared to cut corners. In ancient times, the employer was expected to provide meals at noon. The Zhao family and Zhao Youyou closed their shop for two days, busy preparing food for the workers.

Watching the busy Zhao Youyou, Ye Xiu suddenly felt a complex, unfamiliar emotion stirring within him.

At the Jade Spring Study, Shopkeeper Xiao had been anxiously awaiting.

“What’s wrong, boss? This is getting hard to watch,” one assistant said.

“Sigh,” sighed Xiao, “The agreed date passed three days ago, yet Young Master Ye hasn’t come.”

“Probably busy,” the assistant guessed.

“Let’s hope so,” Xiao said with a heavy heart. The Crown Prince of Yan had already urged several times. If they didn’t hurry, Xiao might lose this job.

Just then, a familiar figure appeared. Overjoyed, Xiao hurried forward and grabbed Ye Xiu’s wrist, “Young master, I’ve been waiting day and night for you to arrive.”

“Shopkeeper Xiao, I’ve been thinking. Not only a picture book, but it must have a captivating storyline,” Ye Xiu said, lowering his voice as he placed a book in front of Xiao.

The book’s title read: The Chronicles of Qiongming, the Divine Maiden!

Just from the title, it was clear this was a pure harem romance novel.

Flipping through the pages, Xiao was utterly amazed. The content perfectly matched the Crown Prince of Yan’s requirements. This was tailor-made for His Highness.

“I can select eighteen distinct scenes from this,” Ye Xiu whispered, “I’ve already thought of the name—The Eighteen Styles of Awei!”

The Eighteen Styles of Awei?

Xiao’s eyes widened suddenly. Didn’t the Crown Prince’s name contain the character Wei?

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“But regarding the money… a richly illustrated picture book will cost more than five hundred taels,” Ye Xiu narrowed his eyes meaningfully.

With home renovations and tavern reconstruction, Ye Xiu had already spent a lot. Aside from distillation, creating picture books was the quickest way to make money.

“I need to consult the boss. Young master, please wait a moment,” Xiao said before heading to the third floor.

After about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Xiao returned, rubbing his hands excitedly. “Young master, the boss says one thousand five hundred taels. Is this acceptable?”

Ye Xiu did not respond but asked instead, “My father mentioned you also have a general store?”

“Yes,” Xiao nodded. “We do have one, but it’s no match for Shengyuan’s scale—just a small operation.”

“Want to collaborate?”

Xiao looked puzzled. “Young master, what do you mean?”

“I want to buy tea—massively purchasing green tea.”

“Don’t joke, young master. A general store buying tea? The tea merchants will laugh us to death,” Xiao laughed.

“Prepare paper, pens, and paints. Send them to Oolong Alley. When it’s done, I’ll deliver it myself,” Ye Xiu stood and said. “Whether this windfall fortune pays off depends on you. If Shopkeeper Xiao doesn’t want to cooperate, I can always visit Shengyuan.”

With that, Ye Xiu took the painting materials prepared by his assistant and left Jade Spring Study.

Xiao hurried upstairs to report to the Crown Prince of Yan.

The prince was equally baffled. Tea was monopolized by the tea merchants—trying to get a share was extremely difficult. Any slightest move wouldn’t escape their notice.

After much thought, the prince said, “Write a letter to the capital, see if the cabinet is planning any major moves recently.”

“No,” Xiao shook his head. “The capital just sent a letter today.”

“That’s strange!” The prince pondered. “One thousand five hundred taels is my brother’s entire fortune. Seems worth the gamble.”

“Shall I go now?”

“Wait a few days.” The prince paused. “First, you go find out if there’s any news from the major tea merchants.”

“Yes, boss.”