Help! The Frosty Noble's Son Is in Love With Me!-Chapter 384: What Role Did This Jade Play?
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After taking the medicine given by Master Huideng, Pei Ji’an fell into a deep sleep, and in his dreams, he experienced three different dreamscapes.
Those were merely the scenes that flashed through his mind yesterday, but now they were being vividly played out in his dreams.
Yet he was not a participant, but an observer, as if his soul floated above, watching others perform.
However, he always felt that it was him, although those scenes were too strange, being places he had never seen before, even more prosperous than the era he lived in.
Traveling was not by carriage, but sitting inside a four-wheeled thing called a car by everyone.
Such cars moved extremely fast, faster than any Qinggong technique.
In that world, women could freely go out to work without facing ridicule from society, and if a woman was sufficiently capable, she could be a leader and command respect.
Upon waking, Pei Ji’an truthfully told Master Huideng about the scenes in his dreams, seeking clarification from him.
Master Huideng clasped his hands together, "What is seen exists; you cannot comprehend it now, for the time is not yet ripe. Avoid arrogance and impatience, quietly await good news, and all will become clear."
The so-called mysteries of heaven must not be revealed unless one understands them by oneself; otherwise, recklessly disrupting the mysteries may instead ruin opportunities and incur divine retribution.
Pei Ji’an slowly repeated the words ’what is seen exists,’ which meant that what he saw was not only real but also existent?
Existent where?
He had once gone to such a place, hence he thought of dreaming about it?
But he had never felt this way over the years; it was only after seeing her in that outfit that he suddenly remembered, was there some connection?
"Master, if this Jade Pendant on me can protect my wife, would it have the same effect if I carry it?"
Was he also being protected by the Jade Pendant? He had never pondered this question over the years, even when the Jade Pendant protected her initially, he hadn’t thought about it this way, but those images showed him a different world, suggesting complexity in the matter.
What role did this Jade play?
Master Huideng said, "Amitabha, indeed as you mentioned, many people wanted this Jade back then, yet none were fated; unable to make it glow, they were not able to enjoy it, only you were fated, recognized by it as the owner, privileged with lifelong protection."
Indeed, if he hadn’t speculated the reason himself, the Master wouldn’t have told him, or it would constitute revealing heavenly secrets.
Pei Ji’an did not make things difficult for the Master; he rose, bade farewell, and departed.
He thought, he might have grasped something and would patiently await the day when the truth is revealed.
On the other side, Qu Fulan was currently examining the shop at Yongle Street.
It was indeed very spacious, not only occupying a large area but the shops were connected, making it convenient for any endeavor.
"What do you intend to do?"
A deep male voice sounded behind her, Qu Fulan’s eyes lit up, she turned to look, and sure enough, it was Pei Ji’an.
"Why have you come?"
"After finishing the tasks at hand, I came over." Pei Ji’an extended his hand towards her, Qu Fulan placed her hand in his palm, and then enthusiastically shared her plans.
"I wish to connect all these shops and eventually turn them into a mall, selling clothes, food, and various household items, which can be called a department store."
A department store?
If it were before, Pei Ji’an certainly wouldn’t have understood what she was talking about, but at this moment, his eyes slightly moved, "A department store?"
Qu Fulan nodded, "Yes, I’ve long noticed that though Capital City is large and has plenty of things, there isn’t a store that offers everything. They are mostly general stores, one has this, another has that; to buy a complete set of goods, one might need to go to many places, which is inconvenient. If there’s a department store, it would be different; one trip to a department store, and you could buy everything, isn’t that convenient?"
"Sounds interesting, but how do you plan to implement it specifically?"
"This prime location itself is advantageous; as soon as the leasing information is released, surely many merchants would want to move in. By then, we just need to screen them, collaboratively decide which merchants to bring in."
"Collaboratively?"
"Naturally collaboratively; such a large mall, if only I did it by myself, the force would be too weak. Besides, once this project starts, the investment will also be significant; it makes sense to involve some partners to share the risk, making it smaller."
"Who do you intend to partner with?"
"The Emperor is certainly the top choice, followed by you and Prince An."
She was confident the project would succeed, and such a good opportunity should not be missed by him. The Emperor, the one who gave her the territory, couldn’t be excluded either. As for Prince An and others, given their families’ connections in Capital City, handling future issues would be easier.
"Be that as it may, though this location indeed has a large flow of people, initially they might find it novel, but in the long run, people may not necessarily come to this so-called department store to shop, wouldn’t that be a loss then?"
"I have considered this issue too, of course, there would be projects to draw crowds, otherwise why would I involve so many partners?"
Regarding this plan, Qu Fulan hadn’t thought of it just yesterday, she had a complete plan in mind for a long time.
"I plan to have free storytelling and opera performances in the mall; free things not only attract local people but also people from distant places would come, thus guaranteeing the flow of people in the mall, naturally driving consumption within."
"Free performances and storytelling? Isn’t that a loss?"
When consulting with Prince An and others, they raised this doubt.
"Although storytelling and opera are free, we can earn the money back through advertising."
"Advertising?" Prince An looked confused, "What does that mean?"
Qu Fulan smiled, "It means promotion; the vast crowd brought by free performances and storytelling, then during breaks in storytelling or opera, we do some advertising, promote the merchants, enhancing their visibility; such straightforward and effective promotion method, merchants naturally would want to pay for promotion here."
"This sounds interesting, indeed sister-in-law’s brain is clever, I am willing to partner!" Prince An was the first to be persuaded.
The others did not hesitate much either; Qu Fulan’s capability was witnessed by all, though the new project sounded a bit fantastic, they were willing to trust her ability and vision, believing in her success.
Besides, they also needed a side venture of their own, relying on meager salaries wasn’t enough even to fill the gaps between teeth.
Follow the sister-in-law’s lead, and there’s meat to eat!
Qu Fulan convinced Prince An and others to partner, finally going to see the Emperor, and without saying much, the Emperor agreed, even highly praised her intelligence and competence, worthy of being his and Biyue’s daughter, devising such an ingenious plan.
It’s easy to invest money, but there’s one problem.
"What do you plan to perform, which operas or stories to attract people?"
Though it’s free, if the stories are bad, they wouldn’t attract customers.
If there were another good novel like Journey to the West, it would certainly attract many customers, since Journey to the West once was immensely popular and is still fondly discussed.
It’s evident how high the popularity was, yet because the popularity was so high, saying it again now wouldn’t hold much allure anymore.
"Not Journey to the West, I have a novel comparable to it."
"What is it?"







