The dairy merchants knew they were in the wrong.

Previously, Li Zhiyue had reached a verbal agreement with them to supply milk daily to the tea house at a price higher than the market rate.

However, they quickly turned to seek even higher prices, leaving Li’s Tea House in a situation where there was no milk to buy.

It was their own fault for being dishonest, so why should Li Zhiyue bear the responsibility for their failure?

“Miss Li, we know we were wrong,” said Manager Huang with a bitter expression. “Previously, Miss Li purchased our goat milk at five hundred wen per liter. How about we reduce it to four hundred and fifty wen from now on?”

Manager Qian spoke up: “Li’s Tea House’s milk tea is famous all over the capital. If the business suddenly stops, Miss Li will suffer losses as well, right?”

“Who said I’m stopping this business?” Li Zhiyue smiled and replied, “I’ll just wait for a month or two before resuming the milk tea. Is that a problem?”

The three dairy merchants were stunned.

Even a month would be too long; they couldn’t last that long.

If they went bankrupt, other dairy merchants would take their place, and Li Zhiyue wouldn’t suffer, but they would be the ones who lost.

Li Zhiyue took a sip of tea and said, “The key to making fruit drinks is a steady source of fruits. Our farm already grows many types of melons and fruits, so we can pick as many as we need without worrying about someone controlling the supply. Only a steady business can last.”

Manager Huang was shocked. “Miss Li, are you… planning to set up your own dairy farm?”

Li Zhiyue shook her head. “What I want is stability.”

No matter how low the price, it wouldn’t make much difference. Goat milk, being a luxury item, is all about stability.

If there’s milk today and none tomorrow, the business can’t survive.

Manager Huang, a sharp man, quickly understood her meaning and immediately spoke up: “I’m willing to sign an agreement with Li’s Tea House. If I breach the contract, I’ll pay ten times the compensation!”

The other two managers, understanding that if they didn’t cooperate with Li Zhiyue, they would have to find new clients in a market already largely divided, also joined in.

“Miss Li, we’re also willing to sign the agreement!”

“We can confirm the supply quantity and price in the contract and stick to it from now on. This will benefit both sides!”

Li Zhiyue set down her teacup. “That’s a good idea. Let’s sign the agreement, and one copy will be sent to the government. If anyone breaches the contract, the government will handle it.”

The three men eagerly agreed.

Signing the contract was also beneficial for them, as they would no longer have to worry about surplus milk.

Both parties happily signed the agreement.

With the contract sorted, Li Zhiyue smiled.

The raw material problem was solved, and her milk tea business would become more stable.

Next, she needed to find a place to build a theater.

According to the script, in two years, chaos would break out in the capital. By then, not only would the Li family and the Xiangyang Marquis’ estate be raided, but many officials who picked the wrong side would be falsely accused, beheaded, or exiled.

Even if she avoided the raid, she couldn’t escape the general direction in which the world was heading. She needed to make money as quickly as possible.

With money, she could leave the capital and live a carefree life anywhere.

Li Zhiyue spent most of the day in the outskirts of the capital but couldn’t find the right place. Either it was too remote, too far, or lacked a good road, so it seemed she’d have to buy a plot of land in the city.

Just when she was feeling troubled, her eyes suddenly brightened.

The Xiangyang Marquis’ estate had two courtyards in the city—one was given to Madam Zhen temporarily, and the other was still empty.

Why not turn that empty courtyard into a grand theater?

She acted quickly and took a carriage directly to the estate.

It was a small, three-section courtyard. Because it had been empty for a long time, the estate hadn’t put much effort into maintaining or repairing it, so it looked somewhat dilapidated.

Li Zhiyue walked around the courtyard and was very satisfied.

The outer wall was tall, and there were trees planted inside and outside, which would help block out sound.

The central courtyard could be torn down and rebuilt into the grand theater she envisioned…

Based on the size, it could be built with three floors—ordinary spaces on the first and second floors, and private rooms on the third. In total, it could accommodate over five hundred people.

However, the more people there were, the more difficult it would be to manage the sound, as there were no loudspeakers back then.

She walked around the courtyard, and a flash of inspiration struck her.

She remembered visiting the Prince Gong’s mansion during a trip to the capital in her past life. There was a large theater that could hold several hundred people.

The guide had explained that one of its unique features was that large jars had been placed at the bottom of the building to create a resonating and echoing space.

No matter where one sat in the theater, they could hear the performance clearly.

Understanding the key idea, Li Zhiyue felt quite pleased.

She returned to the Marquis’ estate in her carriage, planning to draw up the blueprints overnight and ask the craftsmen to build the theater as quickly as possible.

As the carriage traveled through the bustling streets, she suddenly overheard a conversation mentioning the Xiangyang Marquis.

She immediately perked up and listened closely.

“Did you hear? The Xiangyang Marquis actually bought the top courtesan, Miss Furong, from Zuihua Tower and openly brought her back to the estate!”

“The Marquis and his wife are in love, and there’s not even a concubine in their house. How could he bring a woman from a brothel back? It must be a rumor.”

“There were so many people who saw it on the street. How could it be a rumor? The Marquis has been faithful to his wife for years, but he’s a man, and it’s time for him to take another woman, or else he’s no man at all!”

“I remember, the women in the capital envied the Marquis’ wife the most because she married such a good man. But now… sigh.”

“The Marquis is just a playboy without real power. His only redeeming quality is his love for his wife. Now that’s gone, it seems all men are the same!”

The people on the street all sympathized with the Marquis’ wife, saying she had married the wrong person.

Sitting next to her, Mo Yu couldn’t believe it. “How could the Marquis bring a woman from a brothel back to the estate? These people are just talking nonsense!”

Everyone in the estate knew that the Marquis was like a grandson in front of his wife. Whatever she said, he would do.

He didn’t dare to argue, not because he couldn’t, but because he loved her and wouldn’t compete with her.

Such a man could never take a concubine.

“Miss, don’t listen to them,” Mo Yu tried to comfort her.

But Li Zhiyue was smiling.

It had taken her father so many days, but he had finally done something proper—he had brought that traitor back.

When she reached the house, she quickly walked to the main courtyard, eager to see just how stunning the woman was who could become the top courtesan.

In the courtyard stood a slender figure.

The woman wore a bright pink dress, her hair piled high with a few strands of hair falling over her forehead.

Her tearful eyes were full of sorrow.

When she cried, her face was as delicate as a pear blossom, full of shy weakness, and she was indeed a top beauty.

She gracefully knelt and said, “Please, madam, allow me to be with the Marquis.”