Mu Yuchengs Abkommen

Kapitel 4

I unexpectedly found a failed scholar to be my accountant and shop manager, helping me run the shop. To prevent anyone from causing trouble, I specially hired bodyguards to stand guard near the entrance to ensure safety and help with deliveries.

The clothes were all hung up for people to choose from, and the prices were set in advance with price tags. If a wealthy family ordered a custom-made item, the price would be even higher.

Moreover, our clothes all have special patterns painted on the hem, which are our brand logos. Later, some merchants also began to imitate our style. When it comes to those unscrupulous merchants who use my brand to cheat people, we never show mercy. At best, they will be ruined, and at worst, they will never be able to make a name for themselves in this industry.

As expected, business was booming as soon as it opened.

But just as things were starting to look up, a few small gangs of thugs came to cause trouble. At first, I secretly dealt with them, but gradually the underworld bosses who were hiding above found out and hired powerful figures to deal with our small shop. The shop was vandalized several times. I wasn't afraid of the bad guys, but I was afraid that as the behind-the-scenes boss, I wouldn't be able to show myself and deal with them. Otherwise, if any rumors got out, my reputation would be ruined by these local thugs.

The thought that the patriarch knew his most timid and cowardly fourth daughter not only showed her face in public but also became a merchant, a profession despised by high society, made me wonder if he would skin me alive.

So this matter has put me in a bit of a bind.

However, after one of Demon Child's slips of the tongue, I finally learned the name of this idler.

The master of Jianxian Manor, known as the number one manor in the martial arts world, is none other than the handsome young man in front of me, Sang Qin, who is acting like a child and asking me to make dumplings for him.

To be honest, his impressive background didn't scare me, but my wicked thoughts just popped into my head: if he could step in for me, wouldn't everything be solved?

No matter if you're the best in the world or not, you still got outsmarted by me.

Looking at the guy wolfing down his food, I said with a sorrowful expression and a hint of resentment, "Master, I don't know how long you're going to stay with me. I think you've taught me all your martial arts, shouldn't you be leaving now? Isn't that right, Master—" My earnest voice finally caught someone's attention.

He looked up at me in alarm, his mouth stuffed full of dumplings, his face filled with disbelief. He swallowed hard before stammering, "You, you...you brat, you're trying to get rid of me..."

I looked at him innocently, my big, clear eyes almost overflowing with tears, and pouted, saying in a coquettish voice, "Master, you've misunderstood your disciple. How could I bear to send you away? But you've been here so long, and your living expenses, lodging fees, and other expenses must be quite substantial. Your disciple is so young and so poor, and I'm afraid of neglecting you in the future. How could I dare to keep you here..."

"You brat, you think I don't know what you're thinking? You just want me to get out of here, don't you...?"

"How could that be? If Master has something fun to exchange for it—um..."

"Fine, fine, my reputation as Sang Qin has been ruined by you, you little brat. You've got me cornered. You always say it's inconvenient to go out, right? When I was young, I traveled around and accidentally learned a disguise technique, which I'll teach you. Are you satisfied now?" He looked helpless.

I covered my mouth and laughed triumphantly, but still hooked my arm around his in a coquettish manner and said, "Don't say that, Master. I knew you were the best to me."

"No, no, don't try to sweet-talk me, I don't want to get indigestion." As expected of my master, even his speaking style is starting to resemble mine.

Disguise. Not bad, not bad. This way I can strut around the streets with a completely unfamiliar face, making it much easier to check on the business of the shops. I don't want to end up like those heroines in those stories who are disguised as men and are immediately recognized. I can't hide it from anyone; that would be too lame.

Finally, we can go out and have fun openly and legitimately.

It's been almost a year since I came here. To celebrate my first birthday here (I still used my modern birthday; nobody remembers this fourth young lady, let alone her birthday), I've decided to take my career to the next level and have some fun with Yunying. As for the other random people, I won't bother with them.

It was during this trip that I met someone who was very important to me.

Amidst a veil of green gauze, wisps of smoke curled and swayed, an intense scent of desire permeating the air. Two naked bodies were entwined, heavy breathing mingling with soft moans, the faint sound of a zither, beads of sweat glistening on the skin, the passion finally dissipating. The crescent moon glowed red, and dappled pale yellow moonlight filtering through the windowpanes fell upon the face of the weary yet exquisitely beautiful woman. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, her eyes filled with shyness, happiness, and a touch of bewilderment.

All of this won't last long before it ends.

The man propped himself up, his fair and slender body covered in beads of sweat. He coldly rose, ignoring the alluring and beautiful body still reclining on the bed.

"Someone, escort Consort Wang back."

"Your Majesty," she said sweetly, "I don't want to go back yet."

The man turned around coldly, and in an instant, Consort Wang involuntarily shivered. His icy, merciless gaze was a far cry from the tender, gentle gaze she had shown moments before. She hurriedly rose and, accompanied by eunuchs and maids, quickly left, her clothes disheveled.

The man casually used his fair, jade-like hands to gently lift a white gauze robe and drape it over himself, coldly saying, "Come in."

She slowly walked to the soft couch not far away, lay down lazily, and played with the jade pendant in her hand intentionally or unintentionally.

A dark figure swiftly emerged from the shadows and knelt before the man, saying, "Your subject, Tong Weiyu, pays his respects to Your Majesty."

"Hmm. Did you find out what I asked you to investigate?"

"Yes. The mysterious hidden force that has recently appeared within our territory has been confirmed to be a tribe of the Xianbei."

"Xianbei? I understand. You may leave. Continue to investigate how many forces have infiltrated our territory."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The man summoned the maids waiting outside the door and allowed them to groom and tidy him up. His perfectly fair and strong body, exposed to the elements, made the young maids blush involuntarily.

The man kept his eyes closed and paid no attention to the strange behavior of these people.

"How interesting, huh? I wonder what the final result will be." The man chuckled softly after thinking about it.

"Chen Wen," the man called softly.

"Yes. Your Majesty, please proceed to Hanguang Palace." The old eunuch shouted in understanding.

The man turned and left, the old eunuch quickly following. His tall, strong figure soon disappeared into the night.

Volume 1, Chapter 7: Like Chrysanthemums

A new day has begun. Look at this body, she's 13 years old and starting to develop. Her breasts are small enough to be easily encircled by a hand, her waist is slender, and her figure is curvaceous. After a year of dietary adjustments, she is completely different from her previous sallow and thin appearance. The outline of a beauty is beginning to emerge. I look at myself in the yellowed bronze mirror from left to right and find that she is truly as beautiful as an angel. Although she may not be a beauty that could topple kingdoms, she is even more elegant and graceful than my second sister.

Sometimes I noticed that Third Brother and Sixth Young Master were staring at me blankly, and Demon Child's gaze was getting deeper and deeper. Hehe, is it because they felt guilty for not realizing I was a beauty before, and only thought of me as a mischievous girl?

Hmph, to me, the invincible little witch is more attractive.

Today, I'm going on a city-wide tour with Yunying, which will give me a chance to test the effects of the disguise technique I just learned.

After spending a long time alone in his room, fiddling around, a handsome young man appeared before Yunying. He wore a dark red robe with peacock patterns and gold-threaded cloud trim on the sleeves. His features were striking and his expression was radiant, yet his face possessed a gentle and refined air rarely seen in other young men.

Yunying looked somewhat astonished, seemingly unable to believe that this unfamiliar man was the young lady she served, even the Adam's apple on his neck looked exactly like hers.

However, if it's a man, this "man" is far too beautiful.

I smiled sweetly, and the old devil chuckled mischievously beside me, but there was an unfathomable look in the depths of his eyes that I could not fathom.

I chuckled smugly, "How was it? Not bad, right?"

"From this day forward, I shall be An Jin."

The voice was low, hoarse, and deep, which startled Yunying so much that she almost fainted.

She managed to stammer, "Miss, what's wrong with your voice...?"

I smiled sweetly and glanced at the demon beside me who was laughing happily. "You'll have to ask my dear master. Thank goodness he found the voice-changing pill for me. As long as I don't take the antidote, my voice won't change back. That's safe enough, right? Nobody will recognize me. Hey, hey, Yunying, stop daydreaming. Don't fall in love with me, okay?"

"Miss--"

"What should I call you? Not Miss, but Young Master An. Remember that."

"Yes, An Xiao—no, An Gongzi."

"Good, good, let's go, let's set off. Oh, and don't forget to hang up the rest sign." My only request to my third brother and Huan Wen was that as long as the rest sign was hung up, it meant I had something to do, and they couldn't bother me no matter how important it was.

I locked the door from the inside, helped Yunying choose my latest men's clothing and put it on her. I casually painted some makeup on it, so that even acquaintances wouldn't notice unless they looked closely.

I lifted Yunying over the back wall and climbed over (thanks to my master, the benefits of ancient light-body skills!), and strolled with Yunying all the way to my shop.

They had never seen my true face before; they were only told that seeing my token was the same as seeing me. It was a jade seal, similar to a stamp, that I had made at a jade processing shop. It was covered with eerie black lotus flowers, and when my name was engraved, a unique totem was used. I believe no one else could imitate it.

The shop manager was a young man with a round face, delicate features, and a youthful appearance. One day, while I was traveling, I happened to save his life from some thugs. I heard he was a failed scholar who had nowhere else to turn, and out of gratitude, he stayed to be my accountant, helping me manage the shop's business—essentially my representative. I made a special waist tag for him, based on the totems of the four auspicious beasts: the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Black Tortoise, and Vermilion Bird; I gave him the Vermilion Bird one. Later, he became my right-hand man in the clothing and silk business, practically family and a trusted confidant. Moreover, I discovered he had a remarkable business acumen. I roughly taught him modern accounting methods and business concepts, and to my surprise, he soon applied them skillfully, developing his own set of methods. In this respect, I was truly humbled.

Mai Qi. He would later become the nationally renowned Suzaku King in the business world. My butler.

Once inside the shop, I didn't make a fuss. I casually showed him the jade seal, and he nodded knowingly. Although he seemed excited, he didn't overtly express it. I smiled at him, went to the inner reception room, and casually found a place to sit. He quickly brought over the ledger, which I glanced at. Actually, his handwriting was very neat, and these simple arithmetic tasks were too easy for me. I finished calculating the accounts in the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea. The profits were pretty good; at this rate, expanding the business would be just around the corner.

"You've really worked hard, Xiao Qi."

“Boss, this is Xiao Qi’s duty. It’s my honor to be able to help you. Besides, I haven’t had a chance to thank Boss An for saving my life yet.” He lowered his head, his face full of respect, and his tone sincere. He knelt on the ground with his back straight.

"Just call me An Jin. No need to be so formal." When doing business, I can't exactly use my real name, so I had to use my modern name. To be honest, although I've seen him many times when I'm out on business, he's usually wearing a veiled hat and has never shown his true face. Perhaps he's also excited to see his boss for the first time. Look, his hands are trembling at his sides.

"Xiao Qi wouldn't dare. Boss is my savior, so naturally I can't overstep my bounds." His tone became even more respectful.

I sighed helplessly, thinking how old-fashioned people were. "Then just call me Young Master, Boss. It's a bit awkward."

"Yes, Xiaoqi understands."

"By the way, how's the new shop going?"

"The shop, decoration, and workers have all been taken care of. I have also followed your instructions to make it more accessible to ordinary people, which I believe will bring a lot of convenience to many ordinary households."

"Hmm, that's right. We can't just focus on making money off the rich. It's also good to be able to provide ordinary people with nice clothes. Isn't that what we call sharing happiness with the people?"

Yunying, who had been silent all along, suddenly burst out laughing. "Young Master, you can't just say things like that. These are words that the Emperor himself should say. Don't scare us."

Xiao Qi, who was lying on the ground, was also struggling to hold back her laughter.

"Really? Xiao Qi, get up quickly. Have you gone to see the mansion I asked you to find?"

He stood up as instructed, walked to the side, and replied, "I've visited a few, and they're all quite nice. I think when you have some free time, we can go and see them together before making a decision."

"Alright, I'll come with you in a few days. Not today, though, because it's my birthday. We're going to Yichun Garden later. Little Qi, would you like to come along?"

“Ah—Yichun Garden,” his face flushed red, and he awkwardly refused, “Young master, I am a scholar and it is not appropriate for me to go with you. I wish you success in your career and continuous promotion.”

Seeing his amusing expression, I couldn't help but smile and deliberately said, "Little Qi, what are you thinking? We're just going there to listen to some music and experience the charm of the courtesan. Why can't you go?" Seeing his face almost turning red, I let him off the hook. "Just teasing you. I won't force you if you don't want to go. You're busy, I'm leaving."

Yunying, standing beside her, burst out laughing without restraint. "This girl, under my tutelage, is becoming more and more arrogant and has no manners whatsoever."

As I was leaving, I turned back and gave him a deep look, then said softly, "After some time, bring your elderly mother from your hometown over."

Mai Qi stood there, stunned. His eyes trembled with tears, and he choked out, "Thank you, young master."

Mai Qi looked at the master she had chosen to follow for life through teary eyes.

His deep, clear eyes and magnificent robes accentuated his unparalleled nobility and extraordinary aura. It was as if anyone who dared to offend him would be committing a desecration.

I remember being robbed in a dark alley. Because my mother had given me a family heirloom jade pendant when I left home, I clung to it desperately, enduring their punches and kicks without uttering a sound. Then, he suddenly appeared like a celestial being, coldly glancing at the thugs. Because he wore a black veil and a bamboo hat, and because it was late and the light was dim, the blood trickling from the corner of his eye blurred my vision, making it impossible to see his face clearly. I only remember him saying in a cold voice, "So many people bullying a weak scholar, they deserve to die." Before Mai Qi could recover, those men collapsed, groaning in pain.

Mai Qi felt that he was as elegant as a chrysanthemum and as ruthless as a sword. Those people were spared their lives, but all of them had their right arms severed. Strangely, he, who had always hated bloodshed, did not dislike this side of him. On the contrary, he was full of respect for him.

Finally, he said softly in a voice devoid of any warmth, "Get out." Although his voice was gentle and pleasant, Mai Qi felt as if the air around him had frozen into ice, making him shiver.

Mai Qi staggered to his feet, but he didn't seem to care about his bruised and swollen face. He walked over and handed Mai Qi a pure white handkerchief embroidered with black lotus flowers.

He stared at Mai Qi for a long time. Mai Qi only remembered being so nervous that he held his breath, afraid to move an inch. He smiled gently, his voice unusually gentle: "Scared? Don't be afraid, I'm here. No one will bully you anymore. Tomorrow, bring this note to 'Jin Jun' shop on Huiren Street. I'll make your life different. One day, I'll stand over those guys and see how they beg you." His tone was calm, but Mai Qi felt his whole body boil, as if he had found his idol. At that moment, Mai Qi felt that failing the exam didn't matter, losing his travel money didn't matter, what mattered was that for the rest of his life, he belonged to him. No matter what happened, he would be with him.

Mai Qi stared blankly at his departing figure, but unexpectedly he suddenly stopped and said with a faint smile, "I like your stubbornness. Never giving up or compromising is what makes a man. Hehe."

He came like the wind, and left like the wind. Mai Qi didn't know who he was, but she clutched the strip of paper and the snow-white handkerchief tightly in her hand, secretly hoping that she could see him again when she arrived there the next day.

The next day, he indeed saw him. Although he was still wearing a cloak and his face was obscured, his heart was filled with gratitude. He handed him a token, and Mai Qi looked at the totem and knew it was the Vermilion Bird.

As he handed it to me, he said casually, "You've packed it all; this is your future status."

Although Mai Qi did not understand the deeper meaning, he nodded firmly.

He Yunying left the store.

Wandering around, I wasn't as curious about the things the street vendors were selling as I had been the first time I disguised myself. I had Yunying buy me two skewers of candied hawthorn, and as I licked them, I attracted quite a bit of attention. It was indeed a bit unusual for a grown man to be eating a skewer of candied hawthorn like a child on the street, but I couldn't care less. I'd already done most of the fun things here.

After walking around for a while, I got hungry. Although Yunying had been reluctant to eat at restaurants ever since I started cooking, I thought the food in restaurants was much better than the Chinese and Western dishes I made.