Chapter 213: One Exclamation Can Travel the World

"They... would risk their lives to work for you?"

Empress Changsun muttered to herself, and in a daze seemed to understand Chen Yan's meaning.

Indeed, she had just considered things too one‑sided, looking only at individual physique and health.

But she forgot what Chen Yan had been emphasizing: they are a group of commoners who cannot find happiness.

It seems that working in Chen Yan's workshop is their only way to survive.

Of course they would cling tightly, risking their lives to work for Chen Yan.

Empress Changsun was silent for a moment, shook her head, then said jokingly, "So, doesn't that mean you're not as great as the common folk imagine you to be?"

"Tsk~" Li Shimin sneered coldly, "Guanyin Maid, you haven't forgotten that this kid is a thorough‑to‑the‑bone merchant from top to bottom."

"Whatever he does, he seems to consider profit from a merchant's perspective."

"A merchant, no matter how great, can only be so great?"

In this era, secular prejudice against merchants is indeed deep; merchants may be wealthy, but their low status is also real.

Basically, even nobles look down on merchants.

"What's wrong with merchants?" Chen Yan muttered, "I don't even know who they are, they think all day about teaming up with me for trade."

Li Shimin's face darkened, and Chen Yan continued, "Moreover, my workshop pays high wages, and I only require them to work four hours a day, providing food and lodging, guaranteeing their safety, granting holidays on schedule, and letting them rest each day on time."

"Believe it or not, in the next thousand years or more, there will be few conscientious merchants like me."

"You think you can top me, huh?" Li Shimin said, expression speechless, "Besides, how could you predict things a thousand years from now?"

"Why don't you go to heaven?"

"Stop the nonsense and continue talking about that thing... Open Source Cut Expenses."

"......"

Meanwhile, Du Gou, who had fled early, returned to the Xianlya.

He, too, was someone who understood human affairs; it was clear that since Li Shimin brought Empress Changsun here, it was probably not for official business.

When the family chatted, he naturally wouldn't interject blindly.

So when leaving the tavern, Du Gou took his leave.

Walking into the office room for external affairs, a voice called out, "Hey, Brother Du, you returned unusually early today."

"What? Didn't you run around with Brother Chen outside?"

Upon hearing the voice, Du Gou knew who it was.

It was Fang Yizhi, the eldest son of Fang Xuanling, the person Chen Yan had mentioned two days ago when he was coaxing Ma Zhou to take the post.

Strangely enough, Li Shimin's inner circle, who know some inside information, keep shoving their sons into Weinan County.

Initially Fang Xuanling wanted Fang Yizhi to come over, but at that time Weinan County still had plenty of staff, and having so many prominent heirs there would be too conspicuous.

So Li Shimin did not agree.

Later, wasn't it Chen Yan who uncovered the illegal tax collection?

Most officials at the Xianlya were seized by the Jinwu Guard, causing a severe staff shortage, so Chen Yan directly reported to Li Chengqian for personnel.

Meanwhile, Fang Xuanling and others were also taking action, so yesterday Fang Yizhi assumed the post.

Now, like him, he is the chief clerk of Weinan County.

"Never mind, two unexpected big figures arrived today; I'd rather stay inside the Xianlya," Du Gou said, finding a seat beside Fang Yizhi with a lazy demeanor.

"Big figures?" Fang Yizhi's pen paused in his hand, intrigued.

"Who exactly could be called a big figure by Brother Du?"

"Could it possibly... be the Crown Prince?"

Du Gou looked around, saw no one, and whispered, "Not the Crown Prince, the two at the top."

Fang Yizhi was stunned, then his eyes widened instantly, "No way?"

If Du Gou calls them big figures and says they're the two at the top, there's no need to guess who they're referring to.

Besides Li Shimin and Empress Changsun, who else could it be?

"They..." Fang Yizhi seemed to realize his voice was loud, quickly lowered it, "Why did these two show up all of a sudden?"

"We weren't notified beforehand."

"Isn't that right!" Du Gou recalled the moment he suddenly saw Li Junxian and Li Shimin's couple, his heart still trembling, and said, "My goodness, when I saw Commander Li and those two at once, I was so scared I thought my calf would be frightened to death."

"At first I didn't think much, but now the more I ponder the more I feel something's off about them; I guess those two came in secretly, never told anyone, and if we even got a notice, that's impossible."

Fang Yizhi suddenly fell silent, his expression was quite something.

Of course, it wasn't because Li Shimin's couple arrived suddenly, but because of Du Gou's way of speaking.

"Brother Du, do you feel your way of speaking has changed a lot?" Fang Yizhi asked politely.

"Is that so?" Du Gou stroked his chin, thought carefully, "Probably not. I feel my speech is normal, just the same as before, no difference at all."

Fang Yizhi: "......"

"You still say it's the same."

"This horse, one bite after another, each a 'him meow', each a 'chicken feather'—does that match?"

Fang Yizhi really couldn't understand why the gentle, refined, courteous Brother Du seemed like a different person after arriving in Weinan County.

Where exactly did the problem arise?

Seeing Fang Yizhi's speechless expression, Du Gou scratched his head, recalled his own words, and finally understood what Fang Yizhi was getting at.

He gave an awkward smile, "Brother Fang, you may not know, after mixing with Brother Chen for a long time, it's inevitable that his way of speaking rubs off on you."

"Besides, I find speaking like this quite comfortable; it's all about freedom."

"Express whatever feeling you want, it's really interesting."

"One 'whoa' can travel the whole world."

You probably don't understand much now, but after you get in touch with Chen Yan for a while, you'll understand.

Fang Yizhi: '......'

Heh, never mind.

He was afraid that going home would get him beaten to death by Fang Xuanling.

Don't end up not learning anything, but instead you'll have mastered the essence of 'holy shit'.

"Thump thump!"

Just then, the room door was suddenly knocked.

"Come in." Fang Yizhi casually said, thinking it was a low-ranking clerk coming to deliver documents.

The door opened, and the person who came in was indeed a low-ranking clerk, but not to deliver documents.

"Two chief clerks, there is a letter from the County Magistrate here; I couldn't find the County Magistrate, so I must trouble you two."

"Chen Yan's letter." Du Gou sat up, took the letter from the clerk's hand, looked it over front and back, and asked doubtfully, "Who sent this over?"

Clerk: "I'm not exactly sure who specifically, but this letter was sent over by a brother from the Office of the Commander."

"Office of the Commander?" Du Gou became even more doubtful.

How did the Office of the Commander suddenly send a letter to Chen Yan?

Ah, forget it, what's the point of thinking so much about nothing.

Let's wait until His Majesty and Her Majesty leave before we talk about it.

Du Gou casually tossed the letter onto the table...

"......"