Joy of Life: Starting by clinging to the eldest princess's coattails!

Chapter 65 Secretly Cultivating Talent

Wu Feng put down his teacup again.

"Lord Fan," he said with a faint smile, "since neither Chen Pingping nor Ye Songnian has said anything, then naturally I cannot tell you either."

Upon hearing this, Fan Jian visibly tightened his grip on the teacup.

Why could Chen Pingping know this, but he couldn't? Compared to Chen Pingping, what was he lacking?

His expression turned cold, and his tone became indifferent: "In that case, Lord Wu, please do as you see fit."

Wu Feng smiled lightly, not paying attention to Fan Jian's attitude, but at the same time he was a little surprised. Fan Jian's personality was not so impatient.

He stood up calmly and said, "Then, Lord Fan, I shall take my leave."

After saying that, he turned and left the private room, his footsteps fading away down the stairs.

Fan Jian remained seated, the anxious expression on his face gradually fading, replaced by his usual composure.

At that moment, a figure silently appeared in the shadows of the corner of the private room.

"Follow him," Fan Jian said calmly, picking up his teacup. "See where he goes. From now on, whenever he leaves the palace, have someone follow him."

The figure crouched slightly in the shadows, then darted out the window silently.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Wu Feng hadn't gone far from the teahouse when Ling Shuang's figure quietly appeared beside him.

She lowered her voice: "Someone is following us. We're both at the eighth rank of cultivation, so I might not be able to catch them."

Wu Feng didn't stop walking: "Let him come along."

Ling Shuang didn't say anything more, but silently followed half a step beside Wu Feng and walked straight towards the headquarters of Qingyutang.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

In the lobby of Qingyutang's headquarters, Ye Songnian and several managers had been waiting for a long time.

Upon seeing Wu Feng enter, everyone stood up.

"Master." Ye Songnian stepped forward and bowed.

Wu Feng nodded and sat down in the main seat, followed by the others.

Ye Songnian introduced the shopkeepers present one by one.

Ye Jingxing was in charge of the Kyoto headquarters, Ye Canglan was in charge of overseas business, Ye Zhensheng was in charge of personnel, and there were several other people in charge of different industries.

Wu Feng's gaze swept across everyone's faces, finally landing on Ye Canglan.

"There's no need to rush things in Japan," he said bluntly. "A solution has already been found. The imperial court will ban the sale of supplies to Japan, and they'll be the ones who need to worry then."

Upon hearing this, the shopkeepers present visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

Ye Jingxing continued, "In that case, we can't let Fusang off so easily. They not only have to double our compensation for our losses, but also give us an extra 100,000 taels of silver."

Ye Songnian nodded: "We can ask for more, two hundred thousand. Since the imperial court has intervened, we can't let them get away with nothing."

After speaking, he looked at Wu Feng: "What does the boss think?"

Wu Feng looked at Ye Jingxing, then at Ye Songnian, a satisfied expression on his face: "Okay, you've considered things very thoroughly. Let's do it your way."

Ye Songnian turned to Ye Canglan: "Canglan, I'm leaving this matter to you. Remember to coordinate with the imperial court later."

"Don't worry, boss, manager," Ye Canglan replied solemnly.

Wu Feng nodded, then turned his gaze to Ye Songnian: "How are the preparations for the auction going?"

Ye Jingxing stood up and said, "Master, this matter is mainly my responsibility, so let me explain."

Wu Feng looked at him, signaling him to continue.

Ye Jingxing cleared his throat:

"The venue has been booked at Juxian Villa in the east of the city. It's a large place. The staff for the reception have also been selected; they are all reliable old friends."

"We've also received word that some people have already set off and will arrive in Kyoto in about two weeks."

After Ye Jingxing finished speaking, Ye Songnian continued:

"Master, we've received another piece of information. The people who came to participate in this auction may not necessarily be after the sales rights for the goods from the three major workshops. Because His Majesty is in a coma, they may very well be here to investigate the true strength of our Qing Kingdom."

Wu Feng nodded, secretly admiring the talents that Ye Qingmei had cultivated; they were all indeed exceptional individuals.

"We don't need to worry about this," he said. "I'll talk to Chen Pingping and let the Censorate handle it."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Wu Feng then asked, "Besides these, is there anything else I need to take care of?"

Ye Songnian thought for a moment: "No, for the time being."

"Since that's the case, let me tell you something." Wu Feng's gaze swept over each of the managers present. "Head Manager, I plan to establish some welfare homes in various prefectures and cities of the Qing Kingdom. You should understand the concept of welfare homes, right?"

Ye Jingxing and the others exchanged glances, their faces showing a hint of surprise.

They finally understood why the head manager had so readily trusted Wu Feng when he was in Suzhou.

Ye Qingmei had mentioned the term "orphanage" to them, but the others were unaware of it.

But Wu Feng not only knew, he seemed to know a lot about it.

Ye Zhensheng frowned slightly:

"Master, we know about the orphanage. Miss also considered doing that back then, but it had a negative impact, so she eventually canceled it."

"What negative impact?" Wu Feng asked.

Ye Zhensheng continued:

"Back when she was in Suzhou, Miss ran an orphanage. But after word got out, many people deliberately abandoned their children at the orphanage's gate. So Miss eventually closed the orphanage."

"Yes, boss," Ye Songnian added, "Miss was scolded for a long time after she closed the orphanage."

Wu Feng quickly understood the reason.

People in this era have different ideas and concepts, and welfare homes, as a new concept, are easily misunderstood and abused.

"Don't worry," he said, "I don't plan to openly run a welfare home. We can do this quietly."

Ye Jingxing's eyes lit up: "What does the boss mean...?"

"In every prefecture and city, wherever Qingyutang has a branch, we secretly set up a welfare home," Wu Feng explained in detail. "We also secretly adopt abandoned orphans. As long as the location is chosen discreetly and we act discreetly, it is not easy to be exposed."

Everyone's eyes lit up after hearing this.

Ye Jingxing thought for a moment and then raised another question:

"I understand. But boss, if we don't make these welfare benefits public, what's the point? We're businessmen; there's no profit in this at all."

"Talent." Wu Feng's expression also turned serious. "Qing Yu Tang needs a sufficient number of trustworthy talents in the future. Starting with orphans is the best option."

There were some things he didn't say.

He planned to build a powerful team entirely of his own. The members of this team would be selected from the orphanage.

Developing technology is definitely not feasible in this world; the temple would not allow it, and it would take too long.

It is necessary to establish an army that is more powerful than Chen Pingping's Black Riders.

Next, Wu Feng discussed the welfare home's plans in detail with these managers.

How to choose a location, how to operate the system, how to select promising children for training, and how to maintain secrecy...

By the time Wu Feng finished speaking, it was already past noon.

He stood up: "That's all for today. You can start making preparations for the orphanage. If you have any questions, come to me."

"Yes, boss," everyone replied in unison.

After Wu Feng left, the main hall of Qingyutang was quiet for a while.

Ye Jingxing let out a long sigh and exclaimed:

"No wonder Miss chose to cooperate with the boss... Just now, watching the way the boss spoke, I briefly thought that Miss had been resurrected."

Ye Songnian nodded, a complex expression on his face: "Yes, some of their thoughts, some of their tones of voice... are really too similar."

The shopkeepers exchanged glances, all understanding that this new owner was probably more than just a "Miss" figure.