The next day, at Lingyue Restaurant.
For the second time, Xie Wenyuan sought an audience with Thirteen.
This time, he came fully confident.
He took Xie Qingyan’s “rare goods invite anticipation” strategy, embellished it with ornate phrasing and layers of rhetoric, and presented it at great length as if it were his own idea.
“…Thus, though this method appears absurd, it in fact accords with the natural order and strikes directly at the human heart…”
He spoke with growing pride.
Across from him, Thirteen’s eternally expressionless face finally showed the faintest crack.
He cast Xie Wenyuan a meaningful glance.
Without giving an immediate response, he merely said, “Magistrate Xie’s insight is indeed quite novel.”
“I will report this to my master at once.”
In the Heaven No. 1 private room, Zhao Chengze, Zhou Xunyin, was leisurely wiping his ever-present ancient sword, Longyuan.
“My lord,” Thirteen entered, his voice tinged with suppressed shock, “that Xie Wenyuan has proposed a solution…”
“It is almost identical to the ‘blind combination’ strategy you mentioned.”
“Oh?”
Zhao Chengze paused his hand.
He slowly lifted his head, a sharp glint flashing in his narrow phoenix eyes.
Then he smiled, a hunter’s smile, one filled with amusement at the sight of a fox stepping neatly into a trap.
“…Heh.”
“Xie Wenyuan?”
“With that rigid mind of his?”
“It seems,” he rose and walked to the window, gazing toward the direction of the Xie family’s ancestral hall, “the ‘expert’ inside the ancestral hall has finally made a move.”
His thoughts turned inward.
“Xie… you are still you. Even confined to the ancestral hall, you can remotely direct events and turn the situation around.”
“So you really have come.”
“But how long do you intend to keep hiding?”
He turned back and issued a second instruction to Thirteen.
“Go and reply to Xie Wenyuan.”
“Tell him: this strategy shows creativity, but lacks scope, and its details are too vague to reach a decision.”
“…Huh?” Thirteen were stunned.
“Say it exactly like that.” Zhao Chengze’s smile grew more wicked.
“Tell him that if Magistrate Xie truly wishes to cooperate, then he must present…” he paused briefly, originally intending to say “business plan,” but realizing the difference in eras, he adjusted his wording, “a more detailed ‘operational strategy.’”
“It must explain what kind of ‘rare goods’ are to be sold, how they will be priced to attract customers while ensuring profit, how much capital is required for the initial investment, how long before costs are recovered and what profits are expected, and… how to respond if imitators appear on the market, or if customers are dissatisfied with the contents.”
“….”
Thirteen grumbled inwardly, Master, how am I supposed to remember all that?
“Go.” Zhao Chengze waved a hand. “Tell him I will give him… three days.”
“Yes! But, Your Highness, could you repeat that? I didn’t quite catch it…”
Zhao Chengze shot him a sidelong glance, and Thirteen immediately broke out in cold sweat, already knowing what would happen next.
The next moment, Zhao Chengze’s foot landed squarely on Thirteen’s backside.
To prevent any errors in delivery, Zhao Chengze ultimately wrote it all down on a slip of paper.
Clutching his rear, Thirteen accepted the order and left.
Zhao Chengze returned to his seat by the window, in an excellent mood.
“Xie… let’s see how you handle this ‘business plan’ challenge.”
At dusk, in the study of the Xie residence.
“…What?!”
After hearing Thirteen’s reply, Xie Wenyuan felt as though he had been struck by lightning, frozen on the spot.
“This… this is no negotiation of cooperation! Even the Ministry of Revenue’s financial assessments are not this detailed!” He could not understand a single part of it, nor did he know where to begin.
He collapsed in despair.
He knew that once again, he would have to seek help from that daughter of his.
Night fell like ink.
Yet in Xie Qingyan’s room, candlelight burned as brightly as day.
Having only recently been released from the ancestral hall, she had returned to her Qingzhi Courtyard.
“Qingyan…” Xie Wenyuan’s voice came from beyond the beaded curtain, carrying a trace of barely concealed flattery.
Xie Qingyan set down her book and lifted her cool gaze.
“Father comes so late at night. What is the matter?”
Xie Wenyuan cleared his throat and stepped past the curtain, handing over a small slip of paper, his expression awkward. “It is still Master Zhou of Lingyue Restaurant…”
Xie Qingyan took it and glanced over it.
On the paper were Zhao Chengze’s bold, flowing characters, though they contained only a few terms that felt both familiar and unfamiliar to her.
“Curio Pavilion… operational strategy?”
She murmured softly, her fingertip pausing briefly on the words.
Xie Wenyuan coughed again. “That Master Zhou… although he finds your ‘rare goods’ strategy novel, he believes… it lacks scope and its details are too vague.”
Xie Qingyan read through the terms on the paper, phrases such as “product selection and pricing,” “profit and cost calculations,” and “risk response.”
Her thoughts stirred slightly.
Individually, these were topics merchants of this era might well discuss, yet to present them so systematically and explicitly as the core of a single proposal, the logic was far too structured, faintly resembling the framework of a modern business plan.
This Master Zhou was no ordinary person, perhaps even a true genius in commerce.
Without revealing anything, Xie Qingyan folded the paper, her tone calm and unreadable.
“Your daughter understands. This matter does indeed require thorough planning. Please inform Master Zhou that within three days, Qingyan will present a complete proposal.”
“Three days?” Xie Wenyuan was briefly stunned, then overjoyed. “Good, good! Qingyan, you truly are your father’s qilin child! Once this matter succeeds, that issue with the Wang family will no longer matter at all.”
Xie Qingyan lowered her gaze, concealing the trace of mockery in her eyes. “Father may take his leave. Your daughter requires time to think and cannot see you out.”
Xie Wenyuan no longer cared for such formalities. In his mind, he already saw silver and superior evaluations beckoning to him, and he left in high spirits.
That very night, Xie Qingyan ground ink and spread out paper.
She did not need three days. She could write this with her eyes closed.
Market analysis became “analysis of marketplace trends and customer flow,” audience targeting became “segmentation of target clientele,” marketing strategy became “methods of promotion and sales,” cost accounting became “detailed calculation of capital and expenditures,” and risk management became “precautionary measures against unforeseen events.”
She translated modern business logic into language and style perfectly suited to this era, breaking it down into a detailed yet elegant document that read like an exceptionally rigorous and forward-thinking treatise on commerce.
Yet she deliberately embedded a few hooks.
For instance, under “methods of promotion and sales,” she subtly mentioned that “rarity increases value, and limited releases may incite competition among buyers,” which was in essence hunger marketing, though she left it unexplained.
If the other party truly shared her background, he would understand.
And from his response, she would be able to gauge him in turn.
She would wait and observe.
By the morning of the third day, Xie Wenyuan practically snatched the completed plan from his daughter. Without even reading it, he copied it out and rushed straight to Lingyue Restaurant.