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After wiping his mouth, the Emperor looked at the tissue paper, remarking on its usefulness. “This is much more convenient than a handkerchief. It cleans well, and once dirty, you can just throw it away. It has a wide range of uses; very good.”

It was not easy to quit using this tissue once one was used to it.

At this moment, the Emperor, walking in and seeing the Empress and the young crown prince together, dismissed the servants and lifted the crown prince onto his lap. “What are you eating?”

The Empress explained, “These are egg tarts that Qingzhi sent over.”

Finding his son enjoying it so much, without hesitation, the Emperor took one to try. “We should have some of these pastries in the palace.”

The Empress doted on the Emperor very much and immediately said, “If you like it, I’ll write a letter to Qingzhi and buy some from her.”

“That would be good,” the Emperor said after finishing the tart and trying other items. “All are excellent, better than what we have in the palace. We should send some of the royal chefs to learn from Chu Qingzhi.”

Then, he suddenly had an idea, “Empress, when was the last time we left the palace?”

The Empress was taken aback, “What does Your Majesty imply?”

The Emperor, touching the Empress’s face tenderly, said, “Everything is peaceful lately, nothing major happening. Let’s go out for a bit.”

The Empress smiled and nodded.

In the Chu Village.

Chu Qingzhi performed three surgeries in a row and was highly focused. Even though she had spiritual power, she was still tired.

Seeing her siblings, Chu Qingzhi approached the pavilion.

Chu Xuyuan and Chu Xuyao, tired from their examinations, watched Chu Qingyan practice makeup and played around in the pavilion.

Seeing them, Chu Qingzhi also headed towards the pavilion.

The young boys, noticing Chu Qingzhi looked tired, quickly made her sit on the swing, then went to fetch her water and snacks, “Fifth Sister, let us know if there’s anything we can do. You should rest more.”

Chu Qingzhi drank a glass of water and asked with concern, “How did the exams go?”

Chu Xuyuan said confidently, “Fifth Sister, I think we should be able to pass.”

Chu Qingzhi smiled. The two little guys were very smart. It shouldn’t be a problem for them to take the exam. She asked, “When can you see the results?”

Chu Xuyuan said, “Half a month later.”

Chu Qingzhi nodded, “The exam is over. Don’t dwell on it. Focus on your current lessons.”

“Ok.”

At that moment, Yu Wanwan and Zhuang Ziqian arrived at the courtyard entrance, politely asking, “Miss, may we come in?”

Chu Qingzhi looked over to see a joyfully plump girl and an exceptionally handsome, modest young man, “Please, come in.”

The two of them came to Chu Qingzhi.

Once inside, Zhuang Ziqian greeted her, “I am Zhuang Ziqian, a friend of Wanwan, and I have come to see the divine doctor.”

Chu Qingzhi raised her hand. “There’s no need to stand on ceremony. Please sit.”

Chu Xuyuan and Chu Xuyao gave up their seats and began preparing tea for the guests.

Sitting together, Yu Wanwan was a bit shy, whereas Zhuang Ziqian seemed more at ease, wishing he could be even closer to Yu Wanwan.

Chu Qingzhi asked, “Do you need anything?”

Zhuang Ziqian was secretly shocked. There was actually such an outstanding girl like Chu Qingzhi in the village, and she was even a Divine Doctor. It was too surprising. “I specially came to thankyou for treating Wanwan.”

Chu Qingzhi replied, “As a doctor, it’s my duty to treat and save people.”

Zhuang Ziqian cautiously asked, “I heard from Wanwan that Miss could help her recover within three months?”

Chu Qingzhi confirmed, “If she follows the medical advice, certainly.”

Zhuang Ziqian expressed his gratitude, “Thank you, Miss. Once Wanwan has recovered, I would like to invite Miss to Wan City as a guest.”

Wan City? What a coincidence. Chu Qingzhi agreed and said, “I want to know more about the merchants in Wan City. Are you familiar with these?”

Zhuang Ziqian was slightly surprised. Could it be that the girl in front of him knew how to do business? “I know a little. If you want to know, I’ll tell you.”

Chu Qingzhi said, “Sorry to trouble you.”

“The first merchant in Wan City is the Qin family. They have restaurants, rice and grain shops, clothing shops, wine shops, cloth shops… About 30% of the entire Wan City is their business…”

“The second merchant is the Wei family…”

“The third merchant is the Yun family…”

“The three families are fighting very fiercely, but they are restricting each other. It’s a three-way situation that has a huge impact on Wan City. Even the governor has to give them some face.”

Zhuang Ziqian laid out the commercial landscape with such detail that Chu Qingzhi could almost see the chessboard of Wan City’s markets in her mind’s eye.

It was time to scout, to find a niche for her family’s business to slide into…

“Thankyou, Young Master Zhuang. You’ve been a tremendous help,” she expressed with gratitude.

Zhuang Ziqian offered a modest smile, “Glad to be of assistance to you, Miss.”

Their conversation meandered through the customs and taboos of Wan City, filling half an hour before Zhuang Ziqian escorted Yu Wanwan on their way.

With a hint of admiration, Zhuang Ziqian inquired, “Wanwan, are you sure the divine doctor is a girl from this village?” He felt humbled by her knowledge and wisdom.

Yu Wanwan nodded with envy, “Yes, but don’t underestimate her. Her medical skills are just the tip of the iceberg. She’s launched several workshops. The prosperity of Chu village is all thanks to her. And she’s the same baroness my father mentioned. Impressive, right?”

Zhuang Ziqian was astounded, “No wonder she’s so exceptional.”

“I was surprised when I found out too…”

Their chat continued as they made their way home.

Upon returning home, Chu Xuhua immediately shared with Chu Qingzhi about Li Tingzhao’s proposal for collaboration, “Fifth Sister, can we trust him?”

Chu Qingzhi wasn’t keen on bringing up Li Tingzhao, but given the business stakes, she offered a fair assessment, “He’s a prince. He won’t deceive you. Besides, taking down the despicable Lin family would indeed benefit our business. Go ahead and cooperate with him.”

“Fifth Sister, I understand.”

Chu Qingzhi retreated to her room, spreading out designs for a brick kiln, a cowshed, and a pigpen across her desk.

These were her plans to provide for disabled soldiers.

Brickmaking.

Raising cows for milk and as draft animals.

Setting up workshops for roasting sausages and making rice dumplings, which would require lots of pork, making a pig farm all the more convenient.

She envisioned these workshops as sanctuaries for wounded soldiers, a place where they could find purpose.

Each year, many soldiers returned home broken, and she wanted to offer them a place to belong.

Sketching the designs for the three types of workshops was straightforward for Chu Qingzhi. After an hour and a half, her next task was to choose a location.

She climbed to the rooftop, surveying the surroundings, her eyes finally settling on a plain-like area by the river.

Flanked by the river on one side and a forest on the other, the land was flat and seemed perfect.

Upon inspection, the cowshed and pigpen were feasible, but the brick kiln required clay soil. If the soil wasn’t clay, the kiln couldn’t be built there.