The business of the Gu family's main branch was relatively stable. This was because they had previously acquired many rare treasures from Ye Qianning at once, items that now served as the shop's prized centerpieces.
Many families of officials would patronize the shop for gifts whenever they needed to enter the palace for birthday congratulations.
As the saying goes, an antique shop could go three years without a sale, but one good sale could sustain it for three years.
This past year, Gu Shuo had spent his time either at the border or in Nanyuan, dedicating more than half the year to studying Nanyuan's topographical maps and conducting field assessments.
The Beili Emperor had observed Nanyuan for over half a year, and Gu Shuo for just as long. He had even sent men to investigate the situation in Nanyuan, only to find it was even more impoverished than imagined. He failed to see what grounds for cooperation there could be.
