The first day of August arrived in the blink of an eye.
That morning, when Xiao Yun did not wake up on time, Wang Qingyao knew he would skip work again.
They slept until the hour of Chen, then rose together and went to pay their respects to the Old Imperial Concubine.
The Old Imperial Concubine was not surprised to see them arrive together. Xiao Mo was also there, having arrived even earlier.
The place for paying respects had also changed. Usually, it was in the Old Imperial Concubine's main chamber, but today it was moved to a side hall.
A long table and four chairs were set up in the center of the side hall.
To Wang Qingyao's surprise, Xiao Mo sat at the head of the table, with a set of writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone placed before him.
Wang Qingyao was a bit bewildered. What was this all about?
Was this a high-level company meeting?
Did this family harbor some unreliable secret?
Her scalp tingled instantly.
After everyone was seated, Xiao Mo said, "Let's begin. Who wants to go first?"
Wang Qingyao timidly raised her hand. "Um, could you tell me first what we're doing here?"
Xiao Mo and the Old Imperial Concubine both looked at Xiao Yun.
Xiao Mo raised an eyebrow. "You haven't told Eldest Sister-in-law yet?"
Xiao Yun coughed.
Wang Qingyao looked confused. "Tell me what?"
Xiao Yun coughed again.
Wang Qingyao became even more puzzled and turned to Xiao Mo. "A'mo, you tell me."
She put on a stern face, appearing very angry.
The feeling of everyone knowing something and her being left in the dark, while they assumed she knew, was terrible.
Xiao Mo opened his mouth, but the Old Imperial Concubine raised her hand. "A'mo, let A'yun tell her himself."
Wang Qingyao's face darkened again as she looked at Xiao Yun. Xiao Yun fidgeted, too guilty to meet her gaze.
After being angry for a while, she suddenly realized her identity.
Wait, how could she make a face at the boss? The boss is always right, the boss is God!
As if her expression had changed, she suddenly stopped being angry. Her stern face broke into a smile, and her tone became gentle. "A'yun, what is it? Tell me. I won't be angry, no matter what you say."
Xiao Yun was so moved he almost shed tears. "Yao Yao..."
Xiao Mo coughed. "That's enough. Time is money. Don't dawdle."
Well, Wang Qingyao raised an eyebrow. This was the longest sentence she had ever heard Xiao Mo utter.
Xiao Yun no longer hid anything. He confessed to Wang Qingyao, "Yao Yao, actually, the one in our Xiao family who is good at business and making money isn't me, it's Xiao Mo."
Wang Qingyao didn't understand for a moment. She looked at Xiao Mo, then at him, then at the Old Imperial Concubine.
Xiao Yun continued, "Everyone outside says Prince Ding'an is good at spending money and making money, a master of business. That's not true. I'm only good at spending money. The Xiao family's businesses have always been managed by Xiao Mo. I just hold the title. I have no talent for making money. I've tried managing a few shops or developing new businesses before, but without exception, they all lost money."
Wang Qingyao's heart skipped a beat. She remembered the Peony Pavilion in Sangjia Wazi, in which she held shares.
"The Peony Pavilion..."
Xiao Yun's face flushed. "Ahem, actually, Xiao Mo took over later."
Wang Qingyao was relieved. As long as he wasn't deceiving her out of her money, everything was fine.
She smiled at Xiao Yun. "I thought it was something big. That's all? It's okay."
Compared to what she had kept from Xiao Yun, his little secret was nothing.
Xiao Yun was surprised. "You're not angry?"
Wang Qingyao shook her head. "Not angry. It's fine. Just, in the future, you need to tell me things in advance."
"Definitely, definitely," Xiao Yun nodded vigorously.
Compared to Xiao Yun, Xiao Mo, the adopted son, was more like the Xiao family's bloodline. From a young age, he displayed astonishing business acumen, starting to get involved in the Xiao family's businesses at seven or eight. At that time, Xiao Yun was still playing with mud and war games with other young gentlemen.
However, no matter how amazing Xiao Mo's business skills were, it couldn't change the fact that he was an adopted son.
Under the Old Imperial Concubine's arrangement, Xiao Mo's achievements were attributed to Xiao Yun. Therefore, everyone believed Xiao Yun was indeed worthy of being a Xiao family son, inheriting the business acumen of his father and great-grandfather.
Hearing this, Wang Qingyao's heart jolted. This setup for Xiao Mo was too prone to making him turn evil.
She secretly glanced at Xiao Mo. He maintained his usual expressionless demeanor, showing no joy or sorrow.
She said, "Heh heh heh, isn't that a bit unfair to A'mo?"
Xiao Mo replied, "It doesn't matter. I only want to make money, not deal with interpersonal relationships."
He didn't sound like he was lying, but even if he were, Wang Qingyao couldn't tell. For now, she chose to believe this was Xiao Mo's true feeling.
Xiao Mo was responsible for making money, and Xiao Yun was responsible for socializing outside. Well, each had their own expertise and performed their respective duties.
No wonder Xiao Yun had to bring Xiao Mo to the Ministry of Revenue to "assist" and "gain experience."
For the Xiao family's business to prosper continuously, the most important thing was to have ideas.
Therefore, on the first day of every month, the senior members of the Xiao family would gather for a family meeting to share their ingenious money-making tips or brilliant business ideas.
Xiao Mo was responsible for recording, filtering, and ultimately putting these ideas into action, making them a reality.
Of course, this "senior management" did not include the Consort Fang.
She found money vulgar. Enough to spend was sufficient. The thought of devising ways to make money felt like a desecration of Buddha.
The rest of the Xiao family did not force her, letting her be.