Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
The winter festival had beco the talk of the entire capital.
People from nearby towns and villages continued arriving every day.
The streets remained crowded.
The inns were completely full.
rchants couldn’t stop smiling.
And most importantly—
Every single product prepared for the festival had been sold.
Not one item remained.
Not a single box.
Not a single sack.
Not even the smallest trinket.
Everything was gone.
---
Inside a large warehouse near the marketplace, dozens of workers stared at the empty shelves.
One worker scratched his head.
"It’s all gone."
Another nodded.
"I’ve never seen anything like this."
A third worker laughed.
"We prepared enough stock for months."
"And it disappeared in three days."
The warehouse manager looked around proudly.
"This will be rembered for years."
---
anwhile—
Prince Liang’s rchant friend sat inside his office.
Account books were stacked everywhere.
Several accountants were still calculating profits.
The rchant looked exhausted.
But happy.
Very happy.
One accountant finally stood up.
"Master."
"The final count is complete."
The rchant straightened imdiately.
"How much?"
The accountant handed him a scroll.
The rchant opened it.
Then froze.
His eyes widened.
He looked again.
Then again.
To make sure he wasn’t imagining things.
"...This much?"
The accountant nodded.
"Yes."
The rchant burst into laughter.
The entire room beca lively.
Even the accountants couldn’t hide their smiles.
The rchant shook his head.
"If soone had told this would happen a month ago, I would have called them crazy."
---
After calming down, he carefully prepared another box.
Inside was a portion of the profits.
Twenty percent.
A large amount.
An amount capable of making ordinary nobles faint.
After all—
Without imperial support, the festival would never have reached this scale.
The rchant closed the box carefully.
Then headed toward the palace.
---
Imperial Palace
The Emperor had just finished reviewing reports when a servant announced the visitor.
"Your Majesty."
"The rchant requests an audience."
The Emperor raised an eyebrow.
"Let him enter."
Monts later, the rchant entered and bowed deeply.
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
The Emperor nodded.
"You may rise."
The rchant stood.
His face couldn’t hide his excitent.
The Emperor noticed imdiately.
"It seems the festival was successful."
The rchant laughed.
"Successful?"
"Your Majesty, successful doesn’t begin to describe it."
The Emperor looked amused.
"Tell ."
The rchant imdiately began reporting.
Every product sold.
Every stall emptied.
Every warehouse cleared.
The Emperor listened quietly.
The more he heard—
The more satisfied he beca.
Not because of money.
But because the plan had worked.
The villagers had benefited.
Trade had increased.
The economy had improved.
That mattered far more.
Finally, the rchant placed the wooden box onto the table.
"Your Majesty."
"This is your share."
The Emperor glanced at it.
Then at the rchant.
"Share?"
The rchant nodded.
"Twenty percent."
"The agreent."
The Emperor remained silent for several monts.
Then—
He pushed the box back.
The rchant blinked.
"Your Majesty?"
The Emperor shook his head.
"Keep it."
The rchant froze.
"...What?"
The Emperor repeated calmly.
"Keep it."
The rchant stared.
For a mont he wondered if he had misheard.
"Your Majesty..."
"This is a large amount."
The Emperor smiled faintly.
"I know."
The rchant looked completely confused.
"But why?"
The Emperor leaned back slightly.
"The purpose was never profit."
The rchant fell silent.
The Emperor continued.
"The festival succeeded."
"The people benefited."
"The rchants earned money."
"The villages prospered."
"That is enough."
The rchant looked at the Emperor for a long mont.
Then—
For perhaps the first ti—
He truly understood why this man sat on the throne.
Not because he desired wealth.
Not because he desired luxury.
But because he understood responsibility.
The rchant lowered his head respectfully.
"This humble one understands."
---
The Emperor glanced toward the window.
The festival lanterns could still be seen from parts of the city.
The celebrations had continued longer than expected.
Children laughed.
Musicians played.
The capital was alive.
For once—
The reports on his desk weren’t filled with disasters.
No famine.
No rebellion.
No plague.
Just prosperity.
The Emperor felt strangely relaxed.
Then he spoke.
"Let’s end the festival tomorrow."
The rchant nodded imdiately.
"It has already exceeded expectations."
The Emperor smiled slightly.
"The people have celebrated enough."
"They need rest."
The rchant laughed.
"That is true."
So rchants had probably forgotten what sleep felt like.
---
The two continued discussing the final arrangents.
Closing ceremonies.
Cleanup efforts.
Distribution of remaining resources.
Everything was planned carefully.
By the ti the rchant left—
The sky had already begun darkening.
Before departing, he bowed deeply.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
The Emperor looked at him.
"For what?"
The rchant smiled.
"For believing this could work."
The Emperor remained silent.
Then he nodded once.
"Travel safely."
---
As the rchant departed the palace, he looked back once.
The imperial palace stood proudly against the setting sun.
For the first ti in many years—
The kingdom felt hopeful.
Peaceful.
Prosperous.
And sowhere in the bustling capital—
The Empress and Princess Zhi were still enjoying the final days of the festival.
Unaware that hidden eyes continued watching from the shadows.
Waiting.
Patiently.
For their next opportunity.
The winter morning was quiet.
A light layer of frost covered the gardens of the Duke Residence.
Servants moved through the courtyards carrying warm tea and charcoal braziers.
Inside her chamber, the Empress sat beside the window.
A book rested in her lap.
But she wasn’t reading.
Instead, she was watching the snow-covered branches sway gently in the wind.
For the first ti in many months—
Her heart felt peaceful.
No plots.
No punishnt.
No fear.
Just peace.
Then—
A maid hurried into the room.
"Your Majesty!"
The Empress looked up.
The maid’s face was glowing with excitent.
"A letter has arrived from Whisper Bowl."
Imdiately—
The Empress sat straighter.
"From them?"
The maid nodded eagerly.
"Yes."
The Empress accepted the letter.
The mont she saw the familiar handwriting—
She smiled.
Her friend.
Only her friend would write letters with ink stains on the corner because she was too excited to wait for it to dry.
The Empress carefully unfolded the paper.
And began reading.
---
"To my dear friend,
If this letter reaches you, then please prepare yourself before reading further.
You may faint from happiness."
The Empress laughed.
Only her friend could begin a business report like that.
---
Princess Zhi happened to enter at that mont.
"What happened?"
The Empress handed her the first page.
Princess Zhi read it.
Then laughed too.
"She really writes whatever cos to her mind."
---
The Empress continued reading.
As she did—
Her expression slowly changed.
Surprise.
Then disbelief.
Then pride.
---
The letter detailed everything.
The festival had brought an unbelievable number of custors.
Not just commoners.
rchants.
Travelers.
Scholars.
Officials.
Even nobles.
Everyone wanted to visit Whisper Bowl.
The restaurants had beco famous throughout the kingdom.
People traveled days simply to taste the food.
---
One paragraph read:
"The queue outside the Capital Branch was so long that one custor thought we were distributing gold."
Princess Zhi burst into laughter.
The Empress shook her head helplessly.
---
Another section reported:
"The northern branch sold out before noon every day."
"The western branch earned three months of profit in three days."
"The southern branch hired fifteen additional workers because they couldn’t handle the crowds."
---
The Empress stared.
Then reread it.
Then reread it again.
---
"That’s impossible," Princess Zhi whispered.
The Empress nodded.
"It should be impossible."
Yet the numbers were there.
Written clearly.
Verified.
---
The letter continued.
Every branch had broken records.
Every manager had submitted excellent reports.
Custor satisfaction remained high.
Staff performance was exceptional.
And profits—
Profits had exceeded every expectation.
---
Even the usually serious accountants had celebrated.
According to the letter, one accountant had smiled.
Which apparently shocked the entire restaurant.
---
The Empress laughed so hard she nearly dropped the letter.
Princess Zhi was laughing too.
---
Then ca the final report.
The total earnings.
---
Silence.
---
The Empress froze.
Princess Zhi leaned closer.
Then froze as well.
---
For several monts—
Neither woman spoke.
---
Princess Zhi finally whispered,
"That’s enough money to buy a district of the capital."
---
The Empress folded the letter slowly.
Then unfolded it again.
Just to make sure she wasn’t imagining things.
---
The profits were enormous.
Far greater than even her most optimistic predictions.
---
Princess Zhi stared at her.
"What are you going to do?"
---
The Empress smiled.
The sa smile she always wore when planning sothing.
Which usually worried everyone around her.
---
"Expand."
---
Princess Zhi groaned.
"I knew you would say that."
---
The Empress laughed.
"There are still many towns without branches."
"Many people need jobs."
"Many opportunities remain."
---
Princess Zhi shook her head.
"Most people beco rich and buy mansions."
"You beco rich and open more restaurants."
---
The Empress smiled.
"Restaurants help more people."
---
The letter contained one final note.
---
"Everyone misses you.
The cooks keep arguing over which dish you would approve of.
The twins are competing to see who can increase sales the most.
The staff have started a betting pool on when you’ll visit next.
And if you don’t return soon, I may personally drag you here."
---
The Empress laughed softly.
For a mont—
The palace.
The politics.
The dangers.
All felt far away.
---
Because Whisper Bowl wasn’t just a business anymore.
It was a family.
A ho.
A place where people worked together.
Grew together.
Succeeded together.
---
Outside the window—
Snow continued falling gently.
---
Inside the room—
The Empress folded the letter carefully.
Then placed it beside her heart.
---
A small smile remained on her face.
Because she knew—
This was only the beginning.
Whisper Bowl had already conquered the capital.
Soon—
It would spread throughout the entire kingdom.
And sowhere inside a bustling restaurant filled with laughter and the sll of fresh food—
Her friend was probably already planning the next impossible dream.
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