Qiu Qianfan very decisively abandoned his own work.
After all, as Magistrate of Puzhou, his official duty was to improve the people's livelihood. And this woman before him—this Lady Li—was practically a walking embodiment of prosperity itself.
Staying close to her was not dereliction of duty.
It was public service.
So Qiu Qianfan walked beside Gao Yiye with a broad smile, personally acting as her guide.
"Lady Li, please take a look," he said, gesturing ahead. "That textile factory over there is the finest one in all of Puzhou. It has more than fifty looms—on par with factories in Jiangnan."
He sighed theatrically. "It's just a pity… for the past two years, there's been no cotton to process. The factory's been idle ever since. Still, the looms are intact. Next year, once cotton becomes available again, the owner need only clean them, and production can resume immediately."
Gao Yiye nodded faintly and followed him inside.
The factory owner stood nearby, back bent slightly, smiling so hard his face looked stiff.
Two years without production had drained him dry. His savings were gone, his business hanging by a thread, and his hair had turned noticeably grayer. Yet in front of the Magistrate—and a lady whose wealth and status were impossible to gauge—he didn't dare show even a hint of bitterness.
He smiled.
And smiled.
And smiled—
Until Gao Yiye spoke.
"These looms," she said calmly, glancing around, "are far too outdated."
The factory owner's smile froze.
"The technology is at least one generation behind," Gao Yiye continued. "Their efficiency is unacceptable."
"…!"
The man swallowed hard.
Gao Yiye turned to him. "How many textile factories like this exist in the city? And how many looms in total?"
The owner answered quickly, "Only mine is this large. The others are smaller. Altogether, the city probably has six or seven hundred looms."
Gao Yiye asked again, "Would that be enough during a bumper cotton harvest?"
The owner hesitated, then answered honestly. "If it's a bumper year, it would be… strained. But if it's an ordinary harvest, six or seven hundred looms would be sufficient."
Gao Yiye smiled.
"Sir," she said gently, "your factory doesn't seem to be doing very well."
The owner forced another smile. "Y-Yes…"
"Why not sell it to us?" Gao Yiye continued. "Although Puzhou has finally received rain, it's still autumn. Cotton won't be planted until March or April next year, and it will take at least another six months to harvest."
She tilted her head slightly. "Which means this factory will sit idle for another year."
Her words were clear, reasonable, and spoken right in front of the Magistrate.
No tricks.
No pressure.
The factory owner barely hesitated before nodding vigorously. "Alright!"
Contracts were drawn up on the spot. Silver changed hands.
Just like that, the textile factory changed ownership.
The new owner: Qiu Ju.
Watching from the side, Qiu Qianfan couldn't help but marvel.
She didn't even put her own name on the deed, he thought. She bought a factory of this size and gave it to a maid to manage.
This could only mean one thing.
A textile factory isn't even worth writing her name on.
The former owner clutched his silver and left, practically floating with relief.
Gao Yiye turned to Qiu Ju with a warm smile. "Well, now you're rooted here. I'll miss you when you're no longer by my side."
Qiu Ju smiled back, though her eyes were a little wistful. "I'll miss you too, my lady. At least Dong Xue will still be with you."
Gao Yiye laughed softly. "Now that you have a factory, what's your plan?"
Qiu Ju didn't hesitate. "First, I'll calculate the production efficiency of these old looms. Then I'll compare it to the output of our new-style looms."
She continued calmly, "That way, I can estimate how many new looms we'll need once next year's cotton yield doubles. Before next year arrives, I'll commission carpenters to build them."
Qiu Qianfan's heart jumped.
Doubling cotton yield?
Where does that confidence come from?
He opened his mouth, intending to caution them against reckless investment—
But Dong Xue spoke first, smiling. "Sister Qiu, where will you order the new looms? Shipping them from Shaanxi will be troublesome."
Qiu Ju waved a hand. "Then we won't ship them."
She said it as if discussing the weather. "We'll bring a few senior master carpenters from back home, open a large carpentry workshop right here in Puzhou, and have them train apprentices."
Qiu Qianfan's breath caught.
A carpentry workshop… as support?
Qiu Ju continued, "We'll need at least one or two hundred carpenters. There will be many more things to build in the future."
Dong Xue nodded eagerly. "And we'll need porters, loggers, and blacksmiths. Looms aren't just wood—there are iron parts too. Someone has to make those."
Qiu Qianfan closed his mouth.
At this point, advising them would be pointless.
How many industries will this one textile factory stimulate? he thought.
As Magistrate, he could not—must not—interfere with something that would benefit so many people.
Fine, he decided. Spend all you want. Whether you profit or lose is none of my concern. The people of Puzhou come first.
Just as he reached that conclusion—
A bailiff rushed in, shouting, "Magistrate! Terrible news! There's been an accident at the Jiguanshan Iron Mine near Shuiyukou! The mine shaft collapsed—over fifty miners are trapped inside!"
Qiu Qianfan's face went pale.
"Oh no! Quickly—organize men to dig them out!"
The Jiguanshan Iron Mine was Puzhou's most important source of iron. Its surface deposits were shallow by mining standards—but still deep enough to swallow lives whole.
Centuries of digging had turned it into a labyrinth beneath the earth.
A collapse like this meant only one thing.
Even in modern times, survival would be unlikely.
In this era?
It was a death sentence.
Though Qiu Qianfan spoke of rescue, in his heart he had already given up hope.
Gao Yiye frowned.
Then she heard a faint, familiar voice from near her left collarbone.
"Let's go save them."
She looked down at the embroidered image of Dao Xuan Tianzun, stitched close to her skin.
She nodded.
Raising her head, she said to Qiu Qianfan, "Magistrate, where exactly is the Jiguanshan Iron Mine? I'd like to go see if we can help."
Qiu Qianfan shook his head immediately. "The mine has collapsed. The area is extremely dangerous. Lady Li, you shouldn't go."
Gao Yiye gestured calmly toward the hundred armed guards behind her.
"I have manpower," she said. "Perhaps we can still do something."