"Yes, but don't chase them out of the city alone."
Lin Qingdai drew a stop line outside the area she was in charge of using charcoal.
" Tubo spies have already infiltrated Yi Prefecture, and people from Anyang are also keeping an eye on the Prince's residence. If they deliberately lure you away from the city, there might be more than one person behind you."
Once they crossed the western gate, a whistle was blown to signal Xue Huan to take over.
Yun Shuyue looked at the line and memorized its location.
Gu Moran pulled out the final drawing separately and placed it next to the old book.
"An old flag with the character 'willow' folded at the corner, half a tiger's head, three reds and two golds."
The publicly available design can be shown to merchants, but this design cannot leave the Prince's Palace.
Si Renyou's hand, which was turning the pages of the old book, stopped at the place where military orders were secretly marked.
"Back then, the Liu Clan Army's rules were that three red flags and two gold flags represented that the old flag had not fallen, and they would return to camp in three days."
Only half of the tiger's head is visible, signifying prior identification and prohibiting the carrying of weapons.
He checked the positions on the paper before closing the old book.
Even if others have seen the old banners of the Liu Clan, they may not understand these three layers of meaning. The surviving members of the old army, upon seeing them, will act according to the rules.
Gu Moran picked up the charcoal pencil and filled in the last fire position on the final drawing.
Footsteps came from outside the moon gate.
Su Yao carried the account books into the backyard, where she first saw a table full of bamboo tubes, and then a fire stand on the riverbank that took up half a sheet of paper.
Without asking any questions, she reached out and flipped through the materials list, finding the inventory quantities of saltpeter, oil paper, and bamboo.
"If Your Highness only wants to set off a few strings of firecrackers in the courtyard, the treasury can afford it."
But if you let the whole city see it, the damage to the wooden frames and bamboo tubes along the riverbank, plus the guard wages, could eat up half a month's income for two shops."
Su Yao sat down at the stone table and placed the abacus on the right side of the account book.
"We also need to account for the costs of cleaning the lantern market, installing barriers, sandbags, water carts, providing medicine for injuries, and compensation for stalls damaged by passersby."
The abacus beads collided faster and faster.
Gu Moran picked up the tea, which had gone cold, took a sip, and put it down.
"Madam, don't calculate how much the Prince's Mansion will have to pay. We can collect stall fees at the lantern market during the year-end, and we can even sell naming rights for the public fireworks display."
The only responsibilities the Prince's Palace truly needed to bear were the trial production and the final military order.
Su Yao stopped fiddling with the abacus.
She separated the publicly available drawings from the final drawings, showing the rice stalks first, then the waterwheel and the snowman.
"Title sponsorship?"
"You mean the merchant paid for the name on the signboard?"
"That's one way."
She pulled out a new sheet of paper and listed four price ranges.
"Rice ears represent grain merchants, waterwheels are for timber and iron workshops, and the folds of Shu brocade are left to cloth shops."
Mixue Ice City's snowman can't occupy the highest shelf for nothing; the shop will still pay the naming fee from the company account to avoid other merchants complaining about breaking the rules.
Yun Shuyue nearly dropped her snowman hat as she looked at the highest tier number.
"It costs five hundred taels just to hang someone's name in the sky and burn it for a few breaths?"
"Are the wealthy merchants of Yi Prefecture really willing to part with this sum of money?"
Su Yao wrote the words "First inscription" after the price.
"The prince personally inscribed the shop's name, a merit plaque was erected at the entrance of the lantern market, and the design will be printed into the next issue of the storybook after the fireworks display."
Five hundred taels isn't just buying those few glimmers of light, it's also buying business for next year.
She started turning the abacus again.
"This price isn't high. Once the news gets out, grain merchants, cloth shops, and blacksmiths will be scrambling to buy it."
Gu Moran pushed the publicly available blueprints in front of Su Yao.
" Madam Su is indeed intelligent; those pamphlets were definitely worth reading."
"As expected of the eldest daughter of the Chancellor's Residence."
"Your Highness, stop your nonsense. If there are many merchants, I plan to have them bid against each other."
The highest bidder will have their large signboard displayed, the second highest bidder will have their small signboard displayed, and booth fees will be calculated separately.
After checking the accounts, Su Yao put the publicly available design into her bosom.
"I will send someone to deliver price lists to all the businesses tonight."
The prince has prepared the inscription; tomorrow morning, those who want to scatter silver into the sky should come knocking.
Shen Ling'er came in carrying a tray of medicine and happened to overhear this.
She placed the medicine bowl in front of Gu Moran and reached out to take the Gu Moran pencil from his hand.
"Is the drawing finished?"
"Almost."
"Don't touch the preparation or loading."
Gu Moran reached for the charcoal pencil.
Shen Ling'er stuffed the charcoal pencil into her sleeve.
"Last time we tested the Subduing Fire Thunder on the riverbank, how close were you? Don't you remember?"
"I called you three times before you finally left?"
"How old are you? You're still acting like a child."
Gu Moran withdrew his hand.
"Hehe, a man is a boy until he dies."
Shen Ling'er pushed the medicine bowl forward.
"Take your medicine."
She turned around and called over two female medicine boys.
Saltpeter and sulfur were stored separately, and the amount used was recorded in a register.
When the test was conducted on the riverbank, Xue Huan led his men to keep a distance of about 100 paces.
Bamboo tubes that are damp or cracked must not be used.
The two apprentice doctors readily agreed.
After Gu Moran finished drinking the medicine, his tongue tasted bitter.
Shen Ling'er handed him a candied fruit.
How are the colors of fireworks determined?
Gu Moran accepted the candied fruit.
"Start with the gold and red. You can choose the materials, but don't let anyone get close while you're testing the colors."
Shen Ling'er glanced at the structural proportions on the paper.
"Okay, I'll do it."
She put the blueprints into her medicine box.
"You just focus on drawing."
Night falls.
The charcoal fire was burning brightly in the warm room, but cold air was still seeping through the cracks in the windows.
Hot soup was placed in the center of the newly made rotating round table, the roasted meat was sizzling with oil, and the rice cakes had just been lifted from the steamer, their sweet and sticky steam rising upwards.
Yun Shuyue had been running errands all day, and when she entered the door, the soles of her shoes were still covered in mud from the south of the city.
She took off her snowman hat and tucked it under her arm. As soon as she sat down, her eyes fell on the plate of honey-glazed pork ribs in front of Gu Moran.
The pork ribs were stewed until they were very tender, and the juices were dripping down the bones.
Just as Yun Shuyue reached out with her chopsticks, Murong Xue raised her hand and nudged the lazy Susan on the table.
The plate slid to the other end.
A bowl of blanched, greenish vegetables was placed in front of Yun Shuyue.
Yun Shuyue's chopsticks hung in mid-air as she watched the ribs drift further and further away from her.
He glanced at Murong Xue again, the words "I'll just take one piece" circling in his mouth twice, but he didn't dare to say them.
Murong Xue lowered her head and drank her soup, her tone flat. "The bruises on your back have only just faded, and you're eating so much oily food. Vegetables are good for cooling down, eat more."
Yun Shuyue muttered softly, her chopsticks falling into the bowl of vegetables, "I've been running around on the rooftops all day, all I want is some meat."
Gu Moran raised his eyes, his gaze shifting from the bowl of vegetables to Murong Xue's face.
Murong Xue didn't shy away, scooped up a spoonful of soup, and slowly blew on it to warm it up. "Why are you looking at me, husband?"
Shen Ling'er was picking fish bones out of Gu Moran when she heard this and stopped.
She placed the cleaned fish meat into Gu Moran's bowl, looked up at Yun Shuyue, and then at Murong Xue.
Pharmacologically speaking, it's true that you should eat less oily food.
Shen Ling'er spoke gently, adding at the end, "But a single rib won't kill you. Sister Yun has walked around most of the city today, she needs to replenish her strength."
Yun Shuyue's eyes lit up.
Murong Xue put down her spoon. "Tsk tsk tsk."
Yun Shuyue shrank her neck.
The atmosphere felt a bit off.
Reaching out, intending to pick up a piece of rice cake.
Lin Qingdai, however, took the rice cake first and placed it in front of herself.
Yun Shuyue stared at the plate of rice cakes, looking a little aggrieved.
"Didn't Sister Lin not used to eat rice cakes?"
"So what? I love eating it now."
Lin Qingdai should keep it brief.