Chapter 1 “Wang Shi Garden?”

Hearing the name of this small garden, Tan Weixin glared fiercely at Ye Tao before gently saying to her sister, "Alright, we can spare the money to build a small garden. Let Ye Tao help you with it; just come to me for however much money you need. But, what about your own princess residence?"

The rules of the Dongping royal family were quite strange. In fact, each of the few members had their own residence and garden from the age of six, and they would be assigned a group of guards and servants. On one hand, smaller palace gardens were more cost-effective than a comprehensive and magnificent palace complex. On the other hand, more importantly, it allowed each child of the royal family to have the opportunity to command and lead various people and understand all kinds of things from a young age. For the princes, it could be said that they had the opportunity to cultivate their own followers and establish their own power from an early age. Under such circumstances, it was a miracle that Dongping State had never experienced a struggle for the throne in its hundreds of years of existence.

However, not every child liked this rule of cultivating independence. The precocious Tan Weixin was different. Her Zhaohua Princess residence had a strict system, well-managed affairs, and its power and influence were second to none in Danyang and even the entire country, stronger than the residences of one of her elder brothers and two younger brothers. As for her younger sister, Tan Weishi, it could be said that she had no intention of being independent at all. She still lived in the Dongping Royal Palace almost every day, often staying until the national lord and his wife were about to retire before being chased out to sleep in the place she had lived in since childhood.

The "Embroidered Princess Residence" that had been allocated to her long ago was only opened occasionally when she entertained some friends. Sometimes, she would even bring her group of friends to her older sister Tan Weixin's place for gatherings.

Tan Weishi tilted her head cutely and said, "I don't like that house. It's so old, and the flowers and trees inside are so ugly. If we build this Wang Shi Garden, I'll live there."

After Tan Weishi quietly confirmed that Ye Tao had indeed promised her a gift, and that it should be a gift no less fun than a music box, she kept asking Ye Tao what it was. Ye Tao certainly understood that he would definitely send a bunch of plush toys, but the craftsmanship of weaving suitable fabrics needed research, how to solve the problem of the filling's elasticity needed research, how to reasonably color them, and how to make the coloring last through dyeing and finishing processes also needed research. Although he had some clues, he couldn't come up with samples to make these girls, who were bound to fall in love with plush toys, happy for the time being.

As he stammered, Tan Weishi became dissatisfied and asked, "Look at you, why are you so indecisive? My sister is a princess, and I'm also a princess, right? Why is there such a big difference?"

After learning that Tan Weixin regarded Ye Tao as a friend rather than a strategist or a member of the household, Tan Weishi's attitude towards Ye Tao had also changed a lot, becoming more easy-going, more kind, and more unrestrained. Perhaps the logic of "what belongs to my sister is mine" was still at play, and she had a genuine sense of intimacy with her sister's friends, so much so that she blurted out words that were somewhat coquettish. This adorable look made Huang Wan, who was accompanying them, unable to help but laugh.

Seeing that Ye Tao really couldn't say anything and still looked embarrassed, Tan Weishi pouted and said helplessly, "Forget it, it's not fun at all. They all said you were in the limelight there today, making that great monk lose his temper, and even making Luo Qin and Song Yu unable to say a word. Why are you so silent here?"

Tan Weixin took over the conversation. After listening to Ye Tao's account of the whole process, Tan Weixin was very satisfied with Ye Tao's performance. It could even be said that Ye Tao's performance was far beyond her expectations, severely suppressing the arrogance of the Chunnan Kingdom.

But it wasn't enough... While chatting with Ye Tao, Tan Weishi, and Huang Wan about today's banquet, Tan Weixin was distracted, imagining how to further strike at the probably unrepentant Chunnan Kingdom.

However, the opportunity almost immediately presented itself. The next day, Ye Tao, who had originally planned to stay at home and finish the third schematic diagram he had just started, was visited by a guest he had never expected: Lou Qingxi.

"Boss Lou, thank you for your visit. May I ask what I can do for you?" Ye Tao now instinctively felt a bit wary and cautious towards the people and affairs of the Chunnan Kingdom, and also unconsciously carried a bit of disapproval. However, it was precisely this tone that had a great impact on Lou Qingxi, who belonged to the category of uninvited guests.

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. My Shangbao Hall's branch in Danyang is about to open in the next few days. Shangbao Hall's business has always relied on everyone's support, so the opening banquet naturally cannot be neglected. Young Master Ye's reputation in Danyang is unparalleled at the moment, so I naturally have to come and invite you. I hope that the young master can attend the opening ceremony so that my Shangbao Hall's branch can also share some of your glory." Lou Qingxi's statement was quite polite. Just as Ye Tao was about to answer, he heard Lou Qingxi continue, "In addition, although this is a branch, the three most skilled master craftsmen of Shangbao Hall have all come to Danyang. The three master craftsmen have more than ten years, or even longer, of experience in the jewelry industry. To say that their skills are unmatched in the world may be a bit of an exaggeration, but I have the confidence to say that they are rare in the world. However, after hearing about the things that the young master has made, such as music boxes and clocks, the three master craftsmen are also eager to see them. The music box is collected by the princess, so naturally there is no chance to see it, but the clock that the young master auctioned off earlier has been transferred to me. After careful study by my three master craftsmen, they were all greatly amazed and have been hoping to have the opportunity to discuss and explore with the young master... to learn from each other."

Learn from each other? That was probably the purpose of Lou Qingxi's visit. Now, had Ye Tao, who didn't like to cause trouble, really become the target of the Chunnan people?

Ye Tao curled his lips and said, "I was wondering what was going on. I'm just a small businessman, doing a woodworking business that can't be put on the table. Originally, it wasn't enough for Boss Lou to take me seriously. But if you're taking the opportunity to invite me to a challenge again, it's happened several times, so I naturally won't refuse. Let's just say I accept. Either way, Boss Lou, be straightforward and draw the line."

Lou Qingxi laughed and said, "Although the young master is young, his ambition is very high. However, you have misunderstood me. I am just a businessman, and all I think about is making money. This learning from each other... It's true that Lord Luo asked me to provoke things. But if there is no benefit, Luo Qin can't order me around."

Lou Qingxi paused and said, "When my Shangbao Hall's Yuhang main store opened, such a thing happened. The most skilled master craftsmen led the apprentices to make a batch of exquisite and gorgeous things for the world to evaluate, and finally listed three of them to become the treasures of the store. Later, every branch that opened continued this tradition. This time, coming to Danyang is no exception. However, there may be some differences in the display of these three treasures. Dongping has always been known for its exquisite craftsmanship, and although there are no famous works in jewelry, I dare not underestimate the level of Dongping. If I create three treasures to be the treasures of the store on my own, if there are shortcomings in craftsmanship and ideas, I will be making a fool of myself. Therefore, I am considering preparing to list the three treasures in sequence to be evaluated by the various experts of Dongping State. If there is any deficiency, they will naturally be destroyed and remade. And if there is indeed a place to appreciate, Shangbao Hall will not dare to claim all the credit and will use these three treasures as gifts to add luster to the marriage between Dongping and Chunnan, and to the wedding of the Dongping national lord and our country's famous Princess Bailian."

Ye Tao sneered and said, "Are you saying that you're preparing to invite me to be a judge?"

Lou Qingxi laughed and said, "Where, where? What I just said was to deal with Luo Qin. I also said that the artisans of Dongping State have exquisite and profound skills, but their hearts are not in these playthings at all. If I use three treasures to challenge the artisans of Dongping, it may indeed make Shangbao Hall famous in Dongping, but it will also offend everyone severely. I am a businessman who opens a door to do business, how can I do such a thing? This time, I have come to ask for Young Master's help."

Ye Tao was a little puzzled and said, "Help? What help can I provide?"

Lou Qingxi bowed slightly and said very politely, "I invite the young master to show off his skills to suppress the three treasures of Shangbao Hall."

Lou Qingxi's statement stunned Ye Tao. He was shocked and said, "Isn't this the same thing? Are you still trying to make trouble for me? And, let me suppress your Shangbao Hall's three treasures? Do you want to do business in the future?"

Lou Qingxi said with some disdain, "The so-called three treasures of the store, why are they called the three treasures of the store? In addition to the originally high level of craftsmanship, it is also because such things have no value as ornaments or gifts other than showing off sophisticated techniques. They are simply showing off techniques for the sake of showing off techniques. The young master should understand such things, right? Since it is showing off techniques, even if it is suppressed by the young master, it only proves that there are indeed more sophisticated techniques in this world than Shangbao Hall, rather than proving that Shangbao Hall's craftsmanship is not worth mentioning. Even if the young master's craftsmanship is the best in the world, will the things made with my second-best technique be unsalable? And the young master is so humble, but he doesn't seem to be interested in wading into the muddy waters of the jewelry business, so what if I am suppressed by the young master? Showing off the craftsmanship of Shangbao Hall, but not offending the various experts of Dongping, and also dealing with Luo Qin, it is a win-win situation for me. The jewelry business is already flashy enough, and it may not be really good to live with the signboard of the best in the world."

Lou Qingxi's words made Ye Tao nod repeatedly. In Lou Qingxi's words, there was already a hint of the business style of those leading enterprises from the era he came from. Leading enterprises lead the industry, which is the mainstream of an industry's technological development and operational model, and in terms of technology, leading enterprises may not be the strongest. The ability of sustainable technological development is far more important than temporary technological leadership.

Ye Tao's expression became much gentler, and he asked with a smile, "Boss Lou came to me specifically for this matter. Am I being overestimated? After all, I'm just a kid. Not to mention that I've never played with jewelry or anything, even if I have, I would never dare to challenge a brand like Shangbao Hall. Boss Lou, why don't you go to other jewelry stores in Danyang and ask the masters there?"

Lou Qingxi shook his head and said, "The key to doing business is knowing yourself and your enemy, just like using soldiers to fight a war. Since we are going to open a store in Dongping, in Danyang, the jewelry stores in Danyang City have naturally been scouted out. It's not that I'm boasting, but to suppress these people, I don't even need to use the three master craftsmen of Shangbao Hall. But craftsmanship is something that can be applied by analogy. Isn't the young master the most skilled craftsman in Danyang, isn't he the most popular garden designer and painter? Isn't that enough? Does the young master have the heart to watch my Shangbao Hall be used as a weapon by Luo Qin, and inexplicably offend all the craftsmen of Dongping?"