Several noble ladies came to the house, originally intending to buy some silk at the usual price.

Don’t be fooled by their status as inner-court ladies — they were well aware that silk prices would soon rise.

Their households all had weddings planned within the next six months. Silk, being essential, couldn’t be left out, so they rushed over as soon as they heard.

They were having a pleasant conversation with the Marchioness of Xiangyang and were just about to close the deal.

Who would have thought Miss Li would suddenly appear and crack a joke that left them speechless?

The merchants were offering eight taels — how could they offer only two?

But asking them to pay eight taels was like cutting flesh — how could they bear it?

At that price, they might as well go buy in Yuzhou or Jizhou.

One by one, the ladies took their leave.

Bai Ruzhu couldn’t help but speak up: “I asked Li Qingsong — you’ve bought at least ten thousand bolts of silk. Even if your future in-laws are royalty, that much dowry wouldn’t even fit in their estate. Why not release some of it?”

“I do plan to release some,” Li Zhiyue replied with a smile. “Didn’t I just say? Some merchants are offering triple the usual price. Once it rises a bit more, I’ll sell.”

Bai Ruzhu was stunned.

She finally realized: “My dear Yue, you weren’t preparing a dowry at all — you were hoarding goods?”

“More or less,” Li Zhiyue said calmly. “I invested a total of 160,000 taels of silver.”

“You what?!”

Bai Ruzhu was so shocked she spilled her tea.

Her eyes widened with disbelief. “160,000? Where did you get that kind of money?”

She’d managed a household before — she knew the Li family’s wealth. Coming up with even 10,000 taels would be a feat.

How did she get 160,000?

“We sold some things from home, and I earned some from the tea house and the opera house. My parents and grandfather chipped in some private funds. And…” Li Zhiyue’s lips curved, “I got 28,000 taels from Lord Cheng.”

“You—you—!” Bai Ruzhu collapsed into a chair. “If the silk shipment hadn’t caught fire, you’d be stuck with it all. Child, you—ah, you…”

A wave of dread surged through her, which quickly turned into relief.

Thank goodness the silk burned.

Otherwise, even if the Xiangyang Marquisate sold their estate, they wouldn’t be able to cover the loss!

She quickly started calculating. “If merchants are offering triple the price now, then 160,000 would turn into… 480,000!”

Her breath became unsteady.

She had never seen that much silver in her life.

“No rush,” said Li Zhiyue, calm and composed.

In her past life, even without any monopoly, silk prices had surged fivefold. This time, with her intervention, fivefold was just the baseline.

Only two days later, the price of silk had indeed quintupled.

The merchants working with Manager Qian were now beating their thighs in regret!

The low-grade silk that cost five taels per bolt just days ago?

Now, it couldn’t be bought at any price!

And everyone knew the price would continue to soar!

So, the merchants came knocking again.

Li Zhiyue was quite agreeable: “Low-grade is still five taels, mid-grade ten, high-grade fifteen. But I won’t arrange delivery — you’ll have to send your own carts and men to pick it up in the suburbs.”

She limited herself to earning five times the cost. Any higher, and it would crush the merchants and invite sabotage.

Sixteen taels invested at fivefold return — that meant 800,000 taels in income.

To put that into perspective, in the Ming Dynasty, the annual state revenue averaged about 3 million taels of silver. To make 800,000 in just two weeks — that was extraordinary!

Although outsiders didn’t know exactly how much silk the Xiangyang Marquisate had bought,

Word quickly spread: Many merchants were buying up the eldest Miss Li’s dowry from the Xiangyang Marquisate. Hundreds, even thousands of bolts of silk were being purchased at high prices.

“I heard even the lowest-grade silk is selling for five taels per bolt!”

“Just how lucky is the Xiangyang Marquisate? They bought silk for a dowry, and then the silk ships burned — now the merchants have no choice but to buy from them. It’s like picking up money with a sack.”

“Just flipping it once probably netted them at least 200,000 taels!”

“Phew! 200,000! That’s insane!”

“Refugees in the North are homeless and forming migrant groups. With the Xiangyang Marquisate this wealthy, shouldn’t they at least make a donation?”

It wasn’t just gossip among the people — even the court was in an uproar.

That morning at court, officials gathered in force.

“Your Majesty, due to the natural disaster in the North, more than 1,500 lives were lost, over 8,400 injured, and all homes and farmland destroyed. Post-disaster reconstruction requires vast funds… The court has so far provided only 50,000 taels — a mere drop in the bucket. At least 100,000 more is needed.”

The Minister of Revenue added, “The court’s annual revenue is barely over 3 million taels. With expenditures in all directions and the year-end approaching, the Ministry has no money left to spare!”

A censor sneered and stepped forward.

He had been waiting for this moment — to impeach the Li family of the Xiangyang Marquisate.

The whole Li household was rotten from top to bottom.

The old Marquis — an incompetent fool, idle all day.

The current Marquis — useless, now just a horse master, with no clue what he’s doing.

The heir — a good-for-nothing who failed even the preliminary exams.

And the eldest daughter — extravagant and wasteful, buying up all that silk and turning a huge profit. And not even a single donation?

But before he could speak, Li Suiwen stepped forward.

“Your Majesty, I have something to say!”

Li Suiwen knelt before the court.

The emperor squinted at him.

Every time he attended court, this Marquis of Xiangyang kept his head down like a quail, never uttering a word.

Today was certainly odd.

“The disaster in the North has kept me awake at night. But I am foolish and incapable, unable to help… Fortunately, my daughter happened to earn some money by chance while preparing her dowry,” Li Suiwen began. “At a time when the state treasury is strained, our Xiangyang Marquisate is willing to donate all the silver we earned to post-disaster reconstruction in the North!”

He pulled out a thick stack of silver notes from his sleeve and handed them over.

The chief eunuch took the notes, counted them one by one, and announced: “A total of 100,000 taels! The Xiangyang Marquisate is truly righteous and noble!”

“100,000!”

“Heavens! That much silver — and they just gave it away?”

“How could they have earned only that much when silk prices are so high?”

Chancellor Cheng Changyan turned to the speaker: “If you, Lord Xu, had earned that much, even donating 10,000 would be considered generous. But now you expect the Marquisate to give up their entire capital?”

The others quickly agreed.

“Exactly. Even before the silk ship incident, silk prices weren’t low.”

“That was supposed to be their daughter’s dowry — now it’s gone.”

“They should be allowed to keep some of the principal.”

Cheng Changyan stepped forward and calmly said, “The Xiangyang Marquis is a model for us all. I, too, wish to do my part and will donate 100 taels!”

To most at court, 100 taels wasn’t a large amount.

But coming from the Cheng household — it was substantial.

Everyone knew Lord Cheng was still living in a rundown estate on the outskirts of the capital, with not even a single servant.

To donate 100 taels in such poverty — how could the others not be ashamed?

“I’ll donate 200.”

“I’ll donate 300.”

“…”