Su Li left early in the morning and circled the streets of the Capital City. It was only when the sun began to dip in the west that she finally managed to inspect all the chosen storefronts.
The storefronts were all undergoing renovation, based on the blueprints Su Li had drawn up over the past several days. For each storefront, tailored to its unique purpose, Su Li had ingeniously incorporated distinct innovations. This inspiration came from hearing Yu Banxia's ideas for a hotpot restaurant in her previous life. Renovating a storefront shouldn't just be convenient for the owner; it must also prioritize the convenience and comfort of the customers. Only then would repeat business flourish, allowing the enterprise to expand.
Su Li's vision, combined with Xu Mubai's commercial acumen, meant the shops were steadily progressing, inch by step, towards their anticipated success. Su Li believed that once spring arrived and Wang Wei had finalized agreements with suppliers, Su Ji would become the premier establishment in the Capital City!
With so many shops undergoing renovation and procurement, silver was flowing out like water, thankfully supported by Jinzhao Zui.
Upon her return to the manor, Zhishu came out to greet her.
"Young Mistress, you're finally back! His Highness has been waiting for you for a long time."
Su Li walked towards the courtyard. Upon entering her room, she indeed found Jun Mo sitting at her writing desk, looking at the calligraphy she had practiced. Hearing someone enter, Jun Mo lifted his head and smiled, "You're back?"
Siqin helped Su Li remove her cloak, then withdrew, leaving the two of them alone. Su Li stepped further in and poured herself a cup of hot tea.
"Ziyan, are you finished with your work?"
Jun Mo walked around the writing desk and sat down at the table. "Just about. We'll begin operations tonight."
Su Li's hand, holding the cup, paused. She looked up at Jun Mo and said, "If something goes wrong again, Jun Hui will surely retaliate fiercely."
They had overthrown the power in Shudu, and Jun Hui had relentlessly pursued them all the way to the Capital City. Once they arrived in the Capital City, due to the Emperor's suspicions towards Jun Hui, although there were no overt actions, private maneuvers never ceased. This was something she had occasionally heard from her father.
Jun Mo's long, slender fingers tapped against his cup, and he spoke calmly, "It's fine. His retaliation is exactly what we want. Only by cornering him will his fox's tail be revealed."
"This time, we found that most of his assets aren't registered under his name. He is indeed cautious."
Seeing his serene, handsome countenance, some of the worry in Su Li's heart lessened. "I'm sorry, I couldn't be of more assistance to you."
Jun Mo looked at her with surprise and said, "Li'er, why would you think that? The intelligence you provided was a huge help to me. If not for your information, the Mo Guard might still have been able to uncover things, but we would inevitably leave traces, making the opponent wary, and we would have been exposed faster. With your intelligence, we've already crippled some of his operations. He previously thought it was just the authorities conducting strict investigations."
Hearing him say this, Su Li felt a little better. She had very few trustworthy people at her disposal. Although she could hire jianghu figures with money, such matters, if a single piece of information were to leak, would jeopardize the grand scheme. It seemed she still needed to cultivate her own forces.
As the two of them drank tea in the room, Siqin entered and announced, "Your Highness, Young Mistress, Madam has sent someone to summon you for dinner."
Su Li glanced at the sky outside; it had already completely darkened. Su Li rose to her feet and said, "Let's go."
Jun Mo rose, picked up Su Li's cloak, and gently draped it over her. Then, he took the umbrella from the maid's hand and held it open to shield her from the wind and snow. The maids exchanged a smile. With His Highness present, there was nothing left for them to do.
Upon reaching the main courtyard, they found the dinner spread exceptionally lavish that day. Seeing Jun Mo arrive, Father Su and Mother Su were about to perform a courtesy.
"Esteemed Uncle, Esteemed Aunt, please don't be so formal. Ziyan is merely intruding."
Father Su smiled, "Your Highness, please take the seat of honor."
Jun Mo declined, "Ziyan is but a junior; how could I presume to sit in the seat of honor? Sitting here is perfectly fine." As he spoke, he sat down close beside Su Li.
Father Su didn't insist further, feeling yet another sliver of satisfaction towards his future son-in-law.
Mother Su smiled, "It's just simple fare, Your Highness; please don't mind it."
"Esteemed Aunt, just call me Ziyan. This table full of delicacies has Ziyan truly overwhelmed by the honor."
Father Su grunted softly to himself. Overwhelmed by the honor, indeed. When he had gone to his father-in-law's household back then, he certainly hadn't received such good treatment. His elder brother-in-law had made things terribly difficult for him; he had to "overcome five passes and slay six generals" just to win his beautiful bride!
Mother Su, pleased, spoke up, "Come, come, Ziyan, please pick up your chopsticks quickly, or it will get cold."
"Esteemed Uncle and Aunt, please begin first."
After Father Su picked up his chopsticks, Jun Mo reached out to place a piece of crystal duck onto Su Li's plate. The more Mother Su watched, the more satisfied she became. He was handsome, modest, and knew his etiquette, and what's more, he was good to Li'er. If he didn't truly care for Li'er, how could he have known what she liked to eat in such a short time?
Father Su also nodded in satisfaction inwardly. Initially, he hadn't wanted his daughter to get involved with the imperial family because, at that time, the Crown Prince was frail, and the political situation was unclear. But now, the Eastern Palace was stable, and Prince Jing was a worthy choice.
Siqin and Mohua exchanged a glance. His Highness had even taken over the task of serving dishes.
Su Li saw her bowl nearly piled into a small mountain and said helplessly, "Ziyan, please eat yourself. I can't finish all this." Why was he just like Consort De, always wanting to feed her? Yet, seeing that the dishes in her bowl were all her usual favorites, her heart couldn't help but warm slightly.
Jun Mo saw that the others at the table were all looking at him and paused for a moment. "Li'er, eat more." Her small frame was a bit too thin.
After dinner, the group moved to sit by the window, drinking tea to aid digestion and chatting casually.
"How is Your Highness's case progressing? Does Your Highness require my assistance?" Father Su inquired.
"The assassins all took poison, and the only one captured alive remained tight-lipped even when facing death. Clearly, they are deathsworn assassins."
Father Su frowned and said, "Deathsworn assassins? This is troublesome."
Although Jun Mo knew the mastermind behind the scenes, this person was incredibly powerful and had actually hired deathsworn assassins from another country. The swords and knives they used were also unique to that foreign country, clearly intending to frame the imperial family of another country for this matter.
"It seems we can only proceed this way. However, I hear that the Imperial Examination Cheating Case the Sixth Prince is investigating has also become a cold case."
A faint smile touched Su Li's lips. He was so eager to prove himself, thinking that a small cheating case would be a piece of cake, yet he hadn't expected such an unfavorable start.
Jun Mo smiled, "Indeed. Sixth Brother is quite irritated about this."
They had no idea that all of this was orchestrated by the young lady calmly drinking tea beside them. She had long ago paid a sum of money to the people who sold the examination questions, instructing them to vanish from Tianqi. No matter how much Jun Hui turned Tianqi upside down, he wouldn't be able to find anyone.
The group chatted about other topics for a while. Father Su glanced at the sky, then looked at Jun Mo and said, "It's getting late."
Jun Mo sensibly rose to his feet, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "It is getting late; this prince should also return. Thank you, Esteemed Uncle and Aunt, for your hospitality today."
Mother Su smiled, "Li'er, please escort His Highness out of the manor."
Su Li rose and curtsied lightly, saying, "Then this daughter also takes her leave. Your Highness, please."
As always, Jun Mo draped her cloak over her and held the umbrella, and the two of them walked out side by side.
Mother Su watched their retreating figures and mused with a sigh, "How wonderful."
As they exited the main courtyard, Su Li's hand was taken into his palm. Su Li glanced around. Besides Siqin and a few other maids, there was no one else around.
"Li'er, what are you looking at?"
Su Li looked at their clasped hands, as if they would never part. She said nothing, but tightened her grip firmly in return.
Jun Mo froze for a moment, then a smile gradually surfaced in his eyes.
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