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In the imperial study, Su Qianxue paced back and forth, murmuring to herself, "Jiang Han, Shopkeeper Jiang, where have you gone?"
"I need you now more than ever. Can you make it back in two days?"
A look of anguish crossed her face as she placed all her hopes on Jiang Han.
Previously, the officials responsible for calculations had reported the situation, stating that if manpower was required for the calculations, it would have to be done in a relay manner. They needed to first determine individual results before they could deduce the subsequent outcomes.
When people tire, even if several individuals were designated to work in shifts, it would still take at least half a day to arrive at any conclusions. This was based on a three-shift system, with each shift lasting eight hours, calculated to the maximum extent possible.
Half a day?
Su Qianxue simply could not afford to wait that long.
There would be no way to produce these results in time; either the Xia Kingdom Army would attack or taxes would increase.
The Xia Kingdom Army stood no chance against the Da Zhou Army under any circumstances. If taxes were raised, the common people would surely revolt. At that point, any slight movement from the Langya Prince could easily rally a large number of rebels, and the throne could change hands.
"Your Majesty, perhaps you should rest," suggested a Female Guard softly by her side. "Yan Dong also mentioned that Shopkeeper Jiang should return in two or three days."
"I cannot sleep!" Su Qianxue exclaimed. "Send someone to Shopkeeper Jiang's shop; I will wait there for his return."
With a long sigh, she left the palace and headed straight to Jiang Han's shop.
Since ascending to the throne, she had never felt such immense pressure and had never anticipated that the Princess of Xia would be so troublesome.
Soon enough, four women gathered in Jiang Han's shop: Yan Dong, Cen Ya, Piao Xue Princess, and Su Qianxue.
That night, the four women sat around the table, waiting for Jiang Han's return.
As dawn broke, Jiang Han still had not come back.
Unable to endure any longer, Su Qianxue returned to the palace for some rest; after all, there were many ministers seeking her attention for various matters.
Piao Xue Princess chose to stay behind with Cen Ya and Yan Dong to open the shop and conduct business as usual.
The shop no longer dealt in Compressed Biscuits; all the stock had been purchased by Su Qianxue. Che Chengyun's establishment, Hui Xin Ju, continued to sell pastries as usual.
Unable to find any trace of Jiang Han, Che Chengyun wandered in front of Jiang Han's shop and saw Cen Ya, Yan Dong, and Piao Xue Princess among the Three Women managing the store. He couldn't help but smirk and taunt, "What’s this? Are the three of you waiting for Jiang Han to return?"
"What did you say?" Piao Xue Princess glared at him. "What do you mean, Che Chengyun?"
"I mean no harm," he replied with a mischievous grin. "I just couldn't find Jiang Han, so I thought I’d come see how you all are doing."
Che Chengyun's gaze lingered on the Three Women as he devised a plan. "As for pastries, it seems I can't compete with you. Now, I want to find Shopkeeper Jiang and see how my business measures up against his."
"What do you mean by that?" Yan Dong frowned, catching on.
It was already frustrating enough that the emperor couldn't locate Shopkeeper Jiang; now Che Chengyun had shown up again! If Shopkeeper Jiang didn't return soon, they would likely have to concede to the demands of the Princess of Xia during tomorrow's court session.
Either they would have to pay a fine or raise taxes, leading to nationwide unrest! Or if they refused to pay, the Xia Kingdom Army would come marching in! At such a critical moment, Che Chengyun's arrival was truly infuriating. Why did all the bad things seem to come one after another?
With a sinister smile, Che Chengyun declared, "I have an exquisite beauty here who has choreographed a dance that is simply marvelous. With you four here at Jiang Han's side, I want to see if Shopkeeper Jiang can create a dance as well! If I lose, I'll offer ten thousand taels of silver and four precious treasures!"
"Please relay this to Jiang Han: if he’s a man, he should accept my challenge! However, if he loses to me, he must sell his shop to me."
The Three Women frowned at his words, unable to decipher what Che Chengyun was scheming. After finishing his taunt, he turned and left.
Yan Dong gazed longingly down the street's end, wishing fervently for Jiang Han's figure to appear there. Cen Ya kept murmuring in her heart, "Shopkeeper Jiang, so many troubles are piling up! The Langya Wangfu Heir is challenging you, and that Empress is looking for you too. What will happen if you don't return by tomorrow morning?"
The Three Women anxiously waited in the shop; customers passing by noticed their distracted demeanor and hesitated to enter and make purchases.
As evening fell, a weary Su Qianxue returned to the shop. Upon entering, she spotted Cen Ya, Yan Dong, and Piao Xue, but Jiang Han was nowhere to be seen, prompting a disappointed sigh from her.
"Elder Sister, what's wrong?" Piao Xue stepped forward to support Su Qianxue and inquired about her situation.
"Those ministers are pressuring me to raise taxes again," Su Qianxue lamented. "But I know the people's plight; they are already burdened beyond measure. If I impose more taxes, it could lead to countless deaths from starvation. The people of the Great Zhou Dynasty would be doomed. Yet if I refuse to raise taxes, I won’t have answers when the Xia Kingdom Army comes knocking."
"Our Great Zhou Dynasty's army is simply not equipped to handle them; it would lead to widespread suffering!"
The ministers had been incessantly urging her to increase taxes, but she found herself unable to do so.
Su Qianxue murmured her thoughts, recounting how half of the Civil and Military Officials in the Heavenly Imperial Study were pressuring her for tax increases.
Yan Dong sighed upon hearing this but felt powerless to change the situation.
Cen Ya could only clasp her hands together in silent prayer, hoping for Shopkeeper Jiang's swift return. "Please come back soon; otherwise, the people of Great Zhou will suffer."
"Elder Sister, is there truly no way around this? Can we really not fight back?" Piao Xue asked with hopeful eyes.
"We cannot fight back," Su Qianxue replied. "The elite cavalry and infantry of the Xia Kingdom have veteran soldiers who have fought for over a decade. Our dynasty's forces have lost nearly all their veterans. Moreover, there’s a significant gap in equipment; ten thousand soldiers from the Xia Kingdom would be enough to take on fifty thousand of our troops!"
With a deep sigh, Su Qianxue continued softly, "I will wait here until dawn."
"If by then Jiang Han has not returned, I will have no choice but to sell off the royal treasures as tribute."
"But Elder Sister, that would be like drinking poison to quench thirst," Piao Xue protested.
"If it comes to that, then so be it," Su Qianxue felt an immense weight on her shoulders, lacking even the strength to lift her arms. She sat quietly in her chair, her gaze fixed on the shop's entrance, envisioning Jiang Han pushing open the door and returning.
The other women understood that without Jiang Han's presence, no one else could resolve this matter. They could only accompany Su Qianxue through the night as they waited together.
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