Shen Qingwan said she needed a passage permit, but in reality, it was simply to facilitate future grain transportation and to borrow the prestige of the governor to avoid unnecessary troubles.

For Governor Zhao, this was a trivial matter.

Seeing that she only wanted a passage permit, Zhao Zhuo did not refuse.

After all, Shen Qingwan was just a merchant—how much trouble could she possibly cause within the city?

“Very well. This is an official passage token from the yamen. With this, you can freely enter and exit the city gates, and it also serves as an official pass from the yamen,” Zhao Zhuo said as he pulled out a heavy token from his sleeve and handed it to her.

Shen Qingwan took the token and immediately expressed her gratitude. “Many thanks, Governor.”

“There’s no need for thanks,” Zhao Zhuo said, his eyes sharp as he continued, “Instead, why don’t you sell me a bit more grain? Previously, we collected 23,000 stones, and with the 20,000 stones from your side, we now have 43,000 stones. We are still 7,000 stones short. If you, Merchant Shen, could help me gather the remaining 7,000 stones, that would be a great help to me.”

As he spoke, his gaze was intense, as if silently urging her to agree.

Shen Qingwan furrowed her brows in thought.

She had a total of 30,000 stones of grain in her special storage.

If she sold 27,000 stones to the governor, she would only have 3,000 stones left.

Subtracting what had already been sold, she would only have enough to last another ten days.

However, she would soon be traveling to procure more grain from Master Bai.

After weighing the pros and cons, she nodded in agreement.

After all, she planned to stay in Suzhou long-term, and forming a good relationship with the governor would be beneficial.

“To be frank, Governor, I purchased this grain at two taels of silver per stone, but I’ve only been selling it at one tael per stone in my shop. That means for every stone I sell, I’m losing another stone’s worth in silver. But to aid the disaster victims and help the refugees, I have no choice but to grit my teeth and persist.

“The Zhenbei Army is our nation’s steel-clad warriors, and I deeply respect them. Logically, I should be providing this grain for free, but the shop still needs to operate, and my own resources are limited. I truly cannot afford to give it away entirely. That is why I asked you for one tael per stone—to keep the shop running and continue supporting the refugees.”

“But since you have asked, Governor, even if it means bankrupting myself, I will ensure that the full 27,000 stones of grain are delivered.”

Shen Qingwan’s words deeply moved Zhao Zhuo.

He had already known that Tianxia Grain Shop was selling grain at a loss to help the refugees, but he hadn’t expected her to be practically giving it away.

Such honesty and kindness were rare indeed.

“Grain prices are soaring, and one tael of silver per stone is an impossible price in the current market. I understand that you are doing this to help the refugees, which is why you are selling at a low price. Your contribution in securing this much grain cannot be understated.

“I am not an ungrateful person. We may have only raised 23,000 stones of grain, but we did collect 45,000 taels of silver. I also personally donated 3,000 taels, making it a total of 48,000 taels. I will give all of this to you.”

“If you, Merchant Shen, can continue securing grain and aiding the refugees, you will be doing me a great favor. And if you ever encounter trouble in Suzhou in the future, you may come to me—I will help you however I can.”

After their conversation, Zhao Zhuo’s impression of Shen Qingwan improved significantly.

He genuinely supported her charitable efforts, and since the Zhenbei Army’s greatest need was food, it was more effective to give her the silver to purchase grain rather than sending the money to the army.

This way, it not only provided relief to refugees but also indirectly solved his own problem.

Shen Qingwan had spoken at length to ensure that Zhao Zhuo would remember this favor, but she hadn’t expected him to give her so much additional silver.

Of course, she had no reason to refuse—who would complain about having more money?

With the grain issue settled, Zhao Zhuo finally let out a sigh of relief and became noticeably more amiable toward Shen Qingwan.

After sending her off, he returned to the inner courtyard in high spirits.

However, the moment he stepped in, he saw his daughter stomping toward him angrily.

Upon seeing him, Zhao Jing’er threw herself into his arms, pouting.

“Father, please talk to Mother for me and ask her to give me some silver. I have my eyes on a set of jade hairpins at the Treasure Pavilion. They are absolutely stunning, and if I wear them, I’m sure I will catch the War King’s attention!”

She had asked her mother for silver, but not only had her mother refused, she had also scolded her for being frivolous.

But if she didn’t dress up properly, how could she ever catch the War King’s eye?

Hearing his daughter mention the War King, Zhao Zhuo immediately felt a headache coming on.

It was often said that one glimpse of the War King could ruin a woman’s heart for life—how true that was.

He had personally hosted the War King when he last visited Suzhou, and his daughter had caught a glimpse of him by chance.

From that moment on, she had been infatuated, insisting that she would marry no one but him.

Back then, the War King had still been wearing a mask, yet she had already become obsessed with him.

If she were to see his true face, she would likely go completely mad. However, everyone in the kingdom knew that the War King was indifferent to women.

Ordinary ladies couldn’t even get close to him.

Zhao Zhuo sighed. His daughter was already sixteen, yet she remained fixated on the War King.

It was truly worrisome.

“Jing’er, how many times have I told you? The War King is not someone you should be thinking about. Give up on this idea. And another thing—do you not see the suffering around you? The common people are struggling to find food, yet all you can think about is dressing up? That is entirely inappropriate.”

Zhao Zhuo spoke sternly, hoping to instill some sense in her, but Zhao Jing’er pouted in frustration.

Being his only daughter, she had been spoiled from a young age, which had made her temperament increasingly willful.

“Father, even you are scolding me now? I don’t care! I just want that set of hairpins. You just raised tens of thousands of taels of silver, didn’t you? I only need five hundred taels! Please, Father!”

She clung to his arm, acting spoiled, but Zhao Zhuo’s expression darkened. “Nonsense! That silver is for purchasing military provisions for the soldiers—how could I possibly use it to buy you some jewelry?”

With that, he strode toward the hall, leaving Zhao Jing’er to hurriedly lift her skirts and chase after him.

Though Zhao Zhuo doted on his daughter, he was a man of principle and knew the importance of prioritization. Naturally, he would not let her waste the money.

Meanwhile, after leaving the yamen, Shen Qingwan began preparing to transport the grain.

She needed a way to move it from her special storage without arousing suspicion.

Too many eyes were watching her—she couldn’t just conjure thousands of stones of grain out of thin air.

After careful planning, she decided to purchase a manor outside the city to use as a temporary storage site for the grain.

Three days later, she successfully transported all 27,000 stones of grain to the manor.

She had expected Governor Zhao to come collect it personally, but instead, someone entirely unexpected arrived.

As the carriage curtain lifted, a strikingly handsome man stepped out gracefully.

His refined features and warm demeanor exuded an air of elegance.

Dressed in pristine white robes untouched by dust, he carried an aura of gentle sophistication.

His eyes held a faint, knowing smile—serene as a clear spring, refreshing as a gentle breeze, radiant like the moon yet utterly untouchable.

Every movement was elegant and poised, exuding an air of nobility.

What an extraordinary, otherworldly beauty.