Near the end of the year, the Right Chancellor's residence was quite lively. Not only were juniors like Wang Shanyue, who had a mentor-disciple relationship with Qin Siyuan, visiting, but Qin Shaohe, Qin Siyuan's eldest son, had also arrived in the capital a few days earlier. Qin Shaoqian was expected to arrive in a few days. Additionally, numerous relatives, nephews, nieces, and female family members of the Qin family made the chancellor's residence regain the atmosphere of when Qin Siyuan was still a minister.

The juniors gathered here, and many house guests and friends of the chancellor's residence were often invited over. In reality, it was a deliberate invitation from Qin Siyuan. A group of people would either sit and discuss principles or chat about practical matters of government. For juniors in the family who aspired to a career in politics, hearing some of these discussions was a good education. It could be considered the elderly Right Chancellor's way of helping his family.

Due to the large number of people in the chancellor's residence, Ning Yi's visits became less frequent, but he was occasionally invited over, which he generally couldn't refuse. Moreover, he often attended as a "teacher" among a group of older and more senior figures. As the youngest house guest of the Right Chancellor's residence, he interacted with Qin Siyuan, Yao Zunian, Jueming, and others as equals. This was the status he had earned after the victory at Pingliang Mountain three months prior. With Ning Yi's background, he didn't need to decline too much. His knowledge of Confucian theory might be lacking, but he always had another set of theories to make up for it, always able to justify himself and often provide profound insights. This was the result of his knowledge of modern philosophy.

Of course, Qin Siyuan had a wide circle of friends, and occasionally he would encounter some doubters. A few days ago, at a gathering, a forty-year-old prefect who had studied under Qin Siyuan happened to see that Ning Yi was just a merchant and was young. He discussed the lowliness and harm of merchants, citing examples from his own prefecture. Ning Yi initially ignored him, as he was young and it was inappropriate to stand out at such a gathering. However, when the other party's words became more heated and targeted him, he began to analyze the entire system of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants.

He explained how the entire system was composed, how it operated, how merchants developed, the current situation and demands, the specifics, and the reasons why things were the way they were. Then he analyzed the thoughts of the merchants under the prefect's jurisdiction, distinguishing between what was good and what was bad. After refuting all the prefect's rebuttals one by one, everyone in the room was basically stunned. That night, the prefect, who had been lectured by Qin Siyuan, came to Ning Yi, apologized, and sought strategies and solutions for governing the merchants under his jurisdiction.

For Ning Yi, it was just a simple sales pitch.

Since he was going to do things, there would definitely be various kinds of doubts. Even within the same camp, they might not always be harmonious. Ning Yi was prepared for these things, and Qin Siyuan understood, not allowing too much conflict to arise among his subordinates.

Since Ning Yi was young, it was the right way to avoid most situations consciously. Among Qin's relatives, some were jealous of him, while others inquired about his situation, considering whether to marry a daughter to him. There were various similar situations. Ning Yi sometimes found it quite troublesome.

This time when he went over, those gathered in the chancellor's residence were some familiar faces. Yao Zunian, Jueming, Ji Kun, and others were considered elders of Wang Shanyue. Qin Siyuan hadn't returned yet, but Qin Shaohe, Wenren Bu'er, and others were present. When Ning Yi arrived, everyone was asking Wang Shanyue about the various details of Shandong. Seeing Ning Yi's arrival, they smiled and said that the protagonist had arrived. Ning Yi greeted Wang Shanyue and asked about his journey, learning that he had arrived home last night and had entered the city this morning to pay respects at the chancellor's residence. Su Wenyu couldn't come to the Right Chancellor's residence and probably went home.

It was nearly noon. Soon after, Qin Siyuan returned from outside, accompanied by the current Vice Minister of Revenue, Tang Ke, Tang Qinshou. He and Wang Qisong were old acquaintances and came to see Wang Shanyue upon hearing of his return to the capital.

In fact, Ning Yi had met Tang Ke twice before. Since the poems from the Dragon Boat Festival had spread, this highly talented official had asked Qin Siyuan why he didn't recommend such talent to the Imperial Academy. Although his official position was now lower than Qin Siyuan's, the two had quite a bit of personal friendship. The last two times he came, he saw Ning Yi and inquired about the matter.

On the other hand, Tang Ke was originally from Hangzhou and had a friendship with Qian Xiwen. The Fang La rebellion had devastated Hangzhou. After hearing Qin Siyuan mention that Ning Yi had helped relieve the siege of Hangzhou and had visited Qian Xiwen before his death, he had quite a favorable impression of Ning Yi. However, after two contacts, he was quite displeased with Ning Yi's determination not to enter officialdom, and he had earnestly tried to persuade him a few times. His current view of Ning Yi was not very good.

The greetings and small talk at the meeting were similar to the past. Ning Yi was familiar with the chancellor's residence and didn't seem estranged. At noon, a banquet was held in the chancellor's residence. Ning Yi and Wang Shanyue sat at a table with the other juniors, chatting and laughing. As the leader of this group, Qin Shaohe came over and spoke to Ning Yi about some things.

"...In the past two days, I've been discussing some things with my parents. When we talked about Brother Ning, they always felt it was a pity that Brother Ning didn't come out to serve as an official. Therefore, your foolish brother also wants to nag a bit, but I don't know what Brother Ning is really thinking..."

Qin Shaohe wasn't the first person on Qin Siyuan's side to talk to Ning Yi about this matter. Only after confirming that Ning Yi really intended to engage in commerce and temporarily not consider an official career did he laugh and talk about other things.

"...Brother Ning, please consider this matter again. Actually, my father very much hopes that Brother Ning will come out into the open. Being behind the scenes may not be guaranteed in the future... But since Brother Ning is temporarily not interested, after discussing with my parents, your foolish brother thinks we can entrust Brother Ning with some other things..."

"Oh?"

"You also know that the chancellor's residence is so big, and the various expenses are not small. After my father retired, some of the businesses that the residence originally had were put down. This time, when he returned to his position, managing some businesses is actually just using the face of the chancellor's residence to exchange for money. Most of the business matters are handled by Uncle Kun, but Uncle Kun is not actually good at business. After discussing with my mother, I think it might be better for Liheng to take over and take care of it on our behalf..."

Hearing Qin Shaohe talk about this, Ning Yi laughed, "Brother Qin, do you know that in the three months since I returned to the capital, I've been spending money like water. Not only have I not earned a single tael of silver, but I've spent nearly ten thousand taels of silver, and all of it was taken from my wife's side."

Qin Shaohe patted Ning Yi on the shoulder and shook his head, laughing loudly, "Hey, Brother Ning, don't be modest. Just based on Brother Ning's performance on Liangshan, if you want to talk about doing business, I'm completely confident. Actually, when I talked to my father about it, my father didn't think Brother Ning couldn't earn money. He just felt that Brother Ning shouldn't be asked to do such trivial matters and distract you. Although you refused to serve as an official, there are still some government affairs in the chancellor's residence that need to be pushed to your head. Whether you take on business is a small matter; you can't refuse government affairs."

Qin Siyuan, the Right Chancellor, was currently equivalent to the position of Prime Minister. Recently, with the title of house guest of the chancellor's residence, some government affairs that needed to be handled were often pushed over there. Many were related to both officialdom and the business world. Some Ning Yi could handle easily, while others required him to ask Yao Zunian and others about the details of officialdom before making suggestions. This little work wasn't considered busy. They said they were asking him for advice, but most of the time they were probably just following his advice.

Speaking of this, Ning Yi nodded, then his expression became serious, "Actually, business relies on background. If you give me the affairs of the Right Chancellor's residence, if I treat it as an investment, it's much more convenient than me doing it alone. But since things are related to money, they are usually managed by internal people. The chancellor's residence has so many people involved in all aspects. If you hand it over to me, aren't you afraid of causing problems and making a bunch of relatives unhappy?"

"Those are all small matters." Qin Shaohe was now a high-ranking official who was the prefect of a region. If Ning Yi weren't so close to his family, he wouldn't talk to him like this. At this time, he waved his hand, knowing that Ning Yi had actually agreed, and raised his glass with a smile, "Then I'll trouble Brother Ning with this. As for what the rules are at home, my mother will explain them clearly to everyone after the new year. These things, I believe, won't be difficult for Brother Ning..."

After saying these things, he smiled softly, "Actually, Brother Ning has a good reputation among my female cousins..."

Ning Yi waved his hand, "Stop, brother is a Son-in-Law." Qin Shaohe couldn't help laughing loudly.

The group chatted idly for a while. As the meal was about to end, Ning Yi found Wang Shanyue and asked him about his feud with the Zhu Family Manor. A look of hesitation appeared on Wang Shanyue's handsome face.

"Actually... it's all a misunderstanding. I and Miss Hu, there's really nothing between us."

"Really?"

"I was also confused at first." Wang Shanyue frowned, troubled, "You also know that after the Liangshan affair ended, the Secret Intelligence Division didn't have much to do over there. Since I was familiar with the people of Dulong Gang, I lingered there when I had free time. Third Sister... Hu Sanniang and the Zhu brothers said they were going to get married, but it was delayed for a while due to the injuries of Elder Hu and her brother. Not long ago, one day Brother Zhu came over to chat with me and mentioned that he and Miss Hu were about to get married, and I sincerely congratulated him. The way he looked at me at the time was a bit off..."

Ning Yi's gaze suddenly became strange. Wang Shanyue was slightly stunned, then gave him the middle finger. This was a gesture Ning Yi taught him in Shandong, but when it was done by the handsome Wang Shanyue, it always seemed a bit "cold and elegant."

Wang Shanyue pursed his lips, "I only found out later that he might have been testing me. After he told me, the next day, I heard that he ran to discuss the marriage with Miss Hu. As a result, after he came back, he said he wanted to fight me. How could I be his opponent? And I didn't know what it was about, so of course I refused righteously. I was still arguing with him when Miss Hu ran over with a knife..."

Wang Shanyue's words were truly a tearful tale of grievance. At the time, he didn't understand anything at all, but Hu Sanniang ran over and said to Zhu Biao, "It's not his fault. Zhu Biao, if you want to fight, come find me!" Added to that were a few ambiguous words, and he was truly like a fool eating *huanglian*, unable to express his suffering. Hu Sanniang fought Zhu Biao with her twin blades for a while. Since the two were not much different in skill, and they couldn't fight to the death, Zhu Biao eventually ran away in disgrace, saying that a good man doesn't fight with a woman.

As a result, that afternoon, after Hu Sanniang left, Zhu Biao ran over to Wang Shanyue to question him. Actually, everyone had a very good relationship in the past. The pack of wolves in the gang didn't want to participate in the jealousy between men and women. Wang Shanyue resisted a few moves and was beaten into a panda, and only then Zhu Biao left contentedly.

Ning Yi listened with his hand on his stomach in laughter, then asked, "Then what's really going on between you and Miss Hu? It seems she likes you, and you don't like her?"

"I... I don't know either..."

Wang Shanyue's words were truly a tearful tale of grievance. At the time, he didn't understand anything at all, but Hu Sanniang ran over and said to Zhu Biao, "It's not his fault. Zhu Biao, if you want to fight, come find me!" Added to that were a few ambiguous words, and he was truly like a fool eating *huanglian*, unable to express his suffering. Hu Sanniang fought Zhu Biao with her twin blades for a while. Since the two were not much different in skill, and they couldn't fight to the death, Zhu Biao eventually ran away in disgrace, saying that a good man doesn't fight with a woman.

As a result, that afternoon, after Hu Sanniang left, Zhu Biao ran over to Wang Shanyue to question him. Actually, everyone had a very good relationship in the past. The pack of wolves in the gang didn't want to participate in the jealousy between men and women. Wang Shanyue resisted a few moves and was beaten into a panda, and only then Zhu Biao left contentedly.

Ning Yi listened with his hand on his stomach in laughter, then asked, "Then what's really going on between you and Miss Hu? It seems she likes you, and you don't like her?"