The man's eyes suddenly curved into a smile: "Just take off the cloth?"
“Yes!” Ouyang Yue blinked and smiled.
"Fine, as you wish!" As soon as the leader in black finished speaking, he immediately touched his ear and ripped off the cloth. Ouyang Yue's smiling face suddenly froze. "You're playing me!" But the man in black had removed the cloth, but he still had a silver iron mask on his face, only revealing his eyes.
The leader in black raised his voice slightly: "You said it was fine as long as the cloth was removed, and I've confirmed that."
Ouyang Yue glared at her and said seriously, "Let's not talk about that. If you want the picture, I can give it to you right now. How much do you want for it?"
The leader in black took out a simple, dark black token from his waist: "With this token, you can go to Baohao Money Shop to withdraw silver at any time. As for the limit, it will not exceed 100,000 taels. You can withdraw it at any time."
Ouyang Yue picked up a black iron token. The token was shaped like half a sword tip. The four characters "Baohao Qianzhuang" on the front were very strong and powerful. A string of copper coins was drawn on the back. The token looked very simple, even less nice than the tokens distributed by some small money shops.
Seeing Ouyang Yue's disdainful look, the man in black said indignantly, "This is the top-tier brand of Baohao Money Shop. There are less than five of these in the Great Zhou Dynasty. And you're still complaining?"
Ouyang Yue was somewhat surprised, gave a light "Oh", then looked at it again, put it in her bosom, and said lightly, "Actually, I don't really care about these tokens. Let me tell you my prices first. One token is worth 50,000 taels, or a fully stocked and decorated shop. Two tokens are worth 100,000 taels, or a shop in a mid-to-high-end location. Three tokens and so on."
The man in black said urgently, "This is robbery! A shop in a mid-range location is fully furnished and equipped with luxury goods. Can 100,000 be enough?"
Ouyang Yue looked at him, a gentle smile on her face, and walked gracefully toward the black-clad guard: "Actually, my request is a little excessive, so I have a better solution. You can give me a thousand or eight hundred taels less, but you can lend me a few people to help me set up the shop, which will save you money, and you won't lose too much. How about that?" Before the two could speak, Ouyang Yue added, "As for the people to run errands, you'll do it!" As she spoke, Ouyang Yue suddenly looked up and quickly pulled off the black-clad guard's cloth.
"You dare!" The man in black instinctively covered his face with his hands, but Ouyang Yue jumped back and smiled sweetly, "Oh, isn't he quite handsome? Why are you covering your face with a cloth? Your master is too delicate for me to boss around. In the future, I'll need someone to contact me when I'm procuring goods for my shop. I can't possibly not even know what my contact looks like, can I?"
Just as Ouyang Yue had described, the man in black had regular features, a healthy wheat-colored complexion, slightly upturned eyes, extremely bright pupils, and an alluring diamond-shaped mouth. Ouyang Yue clicked her tongue and laughed.
The man in black felt extremely uncomfortable under her gaze, as if he had fallen into a wolf's den. He couldn't help but turn around and ask, "Master, I... I'm sick!" When he saw the leader of the black-clad men's cold, narrowed eyes, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Master, I haven't done anything wrong, why are you looking at me like that?
But then the leader in black said, "He's no good!" If the man in black isn't good, then someone else is? This meant he agreed to Ouyang Yue's deal.
Ouyang Yue laughed and said, "If he can't do it, why don't you try?"
The leader in black frowned, his eyes fixed on Ouyang Yue. For some reason, Ouyang Yue sensed that he seemed very unhappy. "Next time, take the map to Baohao Money Exchange to make the transaction. Leng Can, let's go!" After saying that, the leader in black jumped out of the window. Leng Can was stunned for a moment, looking at Ouyang Yue with displeasure. He could clearly sense that his master was dissatisfied with him because of this woman!
"snort!"
With a cold snort, Leng Can jumped out of the window and left.
The room fell silent. Ouyang Su's ghostly figure flashed out, his little bottom perched on Ouyang Yue's shoulder, his short legs swinging back and forth. "Mom, this isn't like you at all! You trust them so easily. What if they really betray you? They don't look like good people to me. And that lecherous leader, he even tried to grab your breasts! Humph! Doesn't he know only I can touch your breasts? Something's wrong with you. Are you really bewitched by him? Look at him, wearing a black cloth is bad enough, but he even has an iron mask underneath. He's clearly ashamed to show his face. I think he's really, really ugly, and this is the only way he can hide it. Mom, even though you've never been in a relationship before and are easily tempted by men, you have to remember, there aren't any good men in ancient times. Only your precious son is your lifelong support. Don't let yourself be bewitched by men, or you'll regret it!"
At first, Ouyang Su's words sounded plausible, but they became increasingly absurd. In the end, he even held Ouyang Yue's head and stared at her intently with an air of mature worry. Ouyang Yue's lips twitched slightly, and she almost rolled her eyes.
"Mom, you don't believe me? I'm your most precious son. All men in the world are fickle. You only need me. Can't you be a little smarter?" Ouyang Su blinked his big eyes and earnestly lectured Ouyang Yue.
"Fine, I was just doing business with him. Where did you get all this nonsense? Which eye of yours saw me as someone who was interested in him?" Seeing that Ouyang Su would continue to make wild guesses if she didn't explain, Ouyang Yue could only say helplessly. Although her son was usually mischievous and sometimes liked to tease her, he was still the most concerned about her when it mattered. Ouyang Yue always felt happy when she thought about this.
"It's not him, could it be that man with the diamond-shaped lips? He's not that good-looking either, he's actually quite ugly. How could he be worthy of you? He's absolutely not someone I can consider!" Ouyang Su became even more nervous, his eyes wide and sparkling like a puppy about to be abandoned, his eyes gradually welling up with tears. If Ouyang Yue were to nod in agreement, he would be guaranteed to burst into tears immediately!
Ouyang Yue's lips twitched even more: "What are you thinking in that little head of yours? I'm thinking about the future of us, mother and son. He's just a gofer, how could that be!" However, Ouyang Yue was still speechless at Ouyang Su. That Leng Can was considered a handsome man, but in his mouth, he was an ugly man? What kind of aesthetic sense is that?
"Oh?" Ouyang Su blinked, tears welling up in her eyes, but before they fell, she sniffed, looking somewhat incredulous.
“Silly boy, how could your old lady be that stupid? This is called getting something for nothing. I get paid and can boss people around. They're all pretty good at martial arts. Having people like them run errands for me is much easier than doing it ourselves. We need to set up a stable and profitable shop first, then things will be easier,” Ouyang Yue said with a smile.
"But they're not one of our own, what if they leak the secret?"
"As long as they still want to buy things from me, there is nothing to fear. When you arrive in an unfamiliar place, the first thing you must do is learn to know people and make good use of them."
"Oh." Ouyang Su nodded as if he understood, then floated back to sit on Ouyang Yue's shoulder, holding Ouyang Yue's head in his arms, and leaning his little head against it, pouting, "If only Mom could be like the Virgin Mary and give birth to me all by herself."
Ouyang Yue twitched her lips and looked up at Ouyang Su: "What have you been learning lately?"
Ouyang Su counted on his fingers and obediently replied, "I just looked through the catalog of ancient tourist attractions below."
Ouyang Yue had a bad feeling: "What were they talking about?"
Ouyang Su blinked his big, bright eyes: "It's about picking up girls, flirting with women, going to brothels and stuff like that... well."
Ouyang Yue's face darkened, while Ouyang Su shrugged and said, "Mom is actually quite interesting. How about we go check out a brothel sometime? I've heard brothels are very profitable, maybe we should open one too!"
Ouyang Yue's lips twitched, and she slapped him away with her large hand: "Whose son are you? You're not learning anything good!" No one could accept this. Her son was only a few years old, yet he wanted to learn from spoiled brats and go to brothels!
Ouyang Su squatted in the corner, drawing circles on the wall, his big eyes sparkling with discontent as he muttered, "Mom's a shrew, Mom's a shrew, no one's going to marry Mom..."
Upon seeing Ouyang Yue's even more gloomy expression, Ouyang Su immediately floated back, looking at Ouyang Yue with a fawning expression: "Mom, I was just joking..."
"Tell me, who taught you all this? You think you can do it just by looking at an ancient travel catalog?" A strange, dangerous aura flickered in Ouyang Yue's eyes.
Ouyang Su immediately straightened his face and shamelessly said, "It's XXX, XX, and XXXX, right? I was originally very innocent, but they led me astray. Mom, I know I was wrong, please don't be angry with me anymore. Su'er won't do it again." Ouyang Su became even more disloyal, twisting the truth.
Ouyang Yue's lips twitched. Her son was so young, yet she was teaching him such things. Those people should be punished!
Ouyang Yue angrily said, "If I ever associate with those bastards again, I'll immediately slit my wrists and go down to the underworld to hunt them down!"
Ouyang Su immediately softened: "Okay, okay, I was just a little curious, I don't really want to go. Mom, please don't commit suicide, or you won't be able to reincarnate. You have to live well, otherwise I'll be a ghost forever, and I don't even feel anything when I hold you now."
Ouyang Yue looked at Ouyang Su and sighed. Now was indeed not the time to give birth to Ouyang Su. The original body was only twelve years old. If she were an adult, she might just find someone she liked, knock him unconscious, force herself on him, and directly borrow a seed to give birth to a son...
Outside the back alley of the General's Mansion, a black carriage quietly came to a stop. Soon after, two black figures flew over and entered the carriage one after the other. Then, a person suddenly stood up from the carriage. It turned out that the person was also dressed in black. He had been quietly hiding, blending into the night, and people thought he didn't exist. He raised his whip, and the horse's four hooves clattered.
Inside the carriage, as soon as Leng Can entered the compartment, he sensed that his master seemed somewhat angry today. He sat near the carriage door, head down, not daring to speak.
The man in black raised his head, looked at Leng Can, and his eyes seemed even darker: "One zhang away."
"Huh?" Leng Can was taken aback, then got up, pulled up the carriage curtain to leave, clearly thinking that the black-clad leader's "one zhang away" was directed at him. Just then, the black-clad leader said again, "In the future, when you are with her, keep one zhang away."
Leng Can paused, his mind racing for a moment before he came to his senses. He looked at the black-clad leader in surprise. His master had instructed him to keep a distance of at least ten feet from Ouyang Yue in the future? Did his master dislike Ouyang Yue? Then why had he agreed to so many of her unreasonable demands? It was all very strange. To him, the worst that could happen was that he could simply capture Ouyang Yue and torture her. It was incredibly easy for them. Could a delicate young woman like Ouyang Yue withstand such torture? She would confess everything then. Now, he had to pay a hefty sum to appease her. How frustrating…
"Didn't you hear me?" Seeing Leng Can remain silent and not reply, the black-clad leader's eyes darkened further. "You like Ouyang Yue?"
"Ah, no, no, no! I would never like that female hooligan. How dare she be disrespectful to my master! If it weren't for my master being here, I would have taught her a lesson long ago!" Leng Can explained repeatedly.
The leader in black frowned and narrowed his eyes coldly: "You must show her sufficient respect. In the future, if she contacts you, you can simply report her actions to me afterwards."
"Yes, Master!" Leng Can lowered his head even further. Why did it feel like his master was even angrier?
The man in black leaned against the car wall, his eyes deep and unfathomable. After an unknown amount of time, his eyebrows curved into a smile, as if he had thought of something happy. His eyes were filled with boundless beauty, blooming brilliantly and breathtakingly!
Inside the mourning hall, Aunt Ming stood up, took the incense from Mama Qi's hand, and quietly offered it to Ouyang Hua. Then, Mama Qi helped her leave. As she walked outside, looking at the small house where another couple had made sacrifices, the surroundings were very desolate, and Aunt Ming's smile grew even colder!
Madam Qi looked at Aunt Ming and sighed, "The eldest young lady died a truly unjust death!"
It's a complete injustice! Thanks to Aunt Ming's teachings, she knows very well that Ouyang Hua is just another version of herself—selfish and greedy, willing to gamble anything for her own future. Aunt Ming made a scene today about Ouyang Hua; it's not that she was entirely without ulterior motives, but she knows very well that this is the kind of behavior she needs to project at times like this.
Although Aunt Ming was raised as the legitimate daughter in the Ministry of Revenue's mansion, she was not born of the main wife, so there was still a layer between them. From childhood to adulthood, Aunt Ming lived in a play, and even towards Ouyang Hua, her biological daughter, she always seemed to be separated by a layer.
Now that Ouyang Hua is dead, although she is heartbroken, she cannot afford to give up. She still needs to survive; after all, she can have another child. If she is completely suppressed because of this, then she will truly be without hope. Today, she will make a scene, the bigger the better, to highlight her pathetic state. She wants everyone in the mansion to know that Ouyang Hua is dead, driven to her death, and that they will forever owe her something. Since Aunt Ming still has doubts about Ouyang Hua's death, but just as the servants in the mansion have investigated, there are no suspicious points; it seems as if Ouyang Hua committed suicide. Knowing she cannot find anything, she naturally has to do the opposite, completely portraying herself as the victim!
"Yes, Hua'er died unjustly. If she didn't commit suicide, who do you think did it, Mother Qi?"
Madam Qi pursed her lips: "Anyone in this household could do it, but none of them have the ability."
Taking advantage of the darkness, the person was killed without anyone noticing. In fact, Madam Qi thought that Ouyang Hua was very likely to commit suicide. However, she had been by Aunt Ming's side for many years and had come from the same dowry family as the Minister of Revenue. She knew very well that once Aunt Ming made up her mind, no amount of persuasion would work. If she said something unpleasant, it would only annoy Aunt Ming. So she naturally had to go along with what she said.
"Yes, all of them are possible! Let's try them one by one then." Aunt Ming smiled coldly.
Mother Qi looked intently at Aunt Ming. As the two walked along the dark road, she could only make out Aunt Ming's expression by the moonlight. Her heart skipped a beat: "Aunt, who do you want to test first?"
Aunt Ming walked leisurely, as if taking a stroll. The moonlight dappled down, illuminating her lips and making the upturned corners of her lips appear even longer...
After the man in black left, Ouyang Yue couldn't sleep. She called Chuncao, Qiuyue, and Dongxue over: "Dongxue, have you dealt with those people?"
Dongxue immediately replied, "Don't worry, Miss. Those are just beggars. They're not afraid of getting dirty or tired. We'll give them silver and new clothes, and if we just ask them to carry manure, of course we'd agree. Even the Prefect of Hong Prefecture was splashed with mud, and they're terrified of themselves. They wouldn't dare say a word." Dongxue couldn't help but laugh at this. She couldn't believe her mistress had come up with such a brilliant idea; it was truly delightful!
Even Chuncao and Qiuyue had their lips pursed, smiles on their faces. Ouyang Yue's lips curled into a smile; she knew perfectly well that dealing with Hong Yicheng wouldn't be easy based on this matter, but how could she let it go so easily! She also wouldn't allow Hong Yicheng to marry Ouyang Hua. If Ouyang Zhide then aligned himself with the Crown Prince's residence, it would be a fatal mistake. Wasn't Hong Yicheng most concerned about his reputation? Couldn't he have killed the original owner of this body because of his reputation? Then let him be infamous!
After everyone had finished laughing, Ouyang Yue asked again, "Chuncao, how's the shop I asked you to look at coming along?"
“Miss, I’ve looked at several shops on Juyuan Street and Chenghua Street, and even had a matchmaker help me check them out. In the end, I’ve selected two from each street, and I’m just waiting for you to have some free time to take a look. Some of these four shops are for sale as a whole store, and the other two are empty shops, so they’re relatively cheaper,” Chuncao replied earnestly. Ouyang Yue trusted her completely in this regard.
Even among noble families, the servants were quite well-appointed. For example, the Ning family, like the old Ning family, had four first-class to four third-class servants according to custom. The concubines in the mansion only had two first-class to two third-class servants. Of course, depending on their favor, the master, grandmother, or mistress of the mansion would arrange servants separately. The young ladies in the mansion had two first-class servants and four second-class and four third-class servants according to custom. The servants of others were assigned separately according to the situation of each courtyard.
As the legitimate daughter, Ouyang Yue wouldn't mind taking one or two more maids, especially since Qiuyue and Dongxue were brought into the household by her. The masters and servants in the mansion all looked down on Qiuyue and Dongxue's backgrounds, and Old Madam Ning and others couldn't be bothered to care. Now it seems that Ouyang Yue made the right decision in rescuing these two maids, at least for the time being, as they are very useful to her.
Like Chunyuan, who was also rescued by Ouyang Yue in the mansion. She was a maid who had been scolded by the head maid. She was very grateful and loyal to the original owner of the body. Moreover, she was a servant born into the mansion, so she was more cautious and meticulous in her actions. She was efficient and knew how to be tactful.
Dongxue is skilled in martial arts. She can do things that others cannot do without anyone noticing. In this general's mansion, it is unlikely that anyone can be a threat to Dongxue.
As for Qiuyue, after entering Mingyue Pavilion, she has always been very dutiful and diligent. When she first arrived, she could command all the servants in Mingyue Pavilion. She had an instinctive sense of inferiority, but her excellent embroidery skills made her the most outstanding in the mansion.
Ouyang Yue's recent outfits were all made by Qiu Yue. Ouyang Yue naturally valued Qiu Yue's talent and had already promoted Qiu Yue and Dong Xue to first-class maids to keep by her side. Although Qiu Yue did not have Chun Cao's composure and prudence, nor Dong Xue's martial arts skills and competence, she was gentle and meticulous in her work, and Ouyang Yue was very good at using her.
After hearing Chuncao's words, Ouyang Yue couldn't help but look at Qiuyue. Ouyang Yue's silence made the three maids stare in a daze.
Now that someone is running errands for Ouyang Yue, she doesn't need to worry about sourcing goods or decorating. She now feels that the fully-equipped shop is not very useful because she suddenly thought of a business opportunity.
"Qiuyue, how about I let you leave the manor?"
Qiu Yue stared at Ouyang Yue in surprise, her eyes immediately reddening. She knelt on the ground with a thud, sobbing uncontrollably, "Miss, please forgive me! If I've done anything wrong, please scold or beat me as you please. I would never utter a word of complaint. Please don't abandon me, Miss. I don't want to go back to that place. I'd rather die than go back there again. Waaah!" She cried as she spoke, which startled Ouyang Yue. Then she realized that Qiu Yue's words were too harsh.
Ouyang Yue immediately helped Qiu Yue up: "Qiu Yue, don't cry. I didn't mean to sell you back to the brothel. Please don't cry."
With tears welling in her eyes, Qiuyue asked in disbelief, "Is it true, Miss? You really don't want to give up on Qiuyue?"
Ouyang Yue sighed, "What are you saying! If I give up a maid with such good embroidery skills as you, where else can I find another one? You are a talented person, and I, Miss, can't bear to part with you."
Qiu Yue breathed a sigh of relief, but still glanced at Ouyang Yue with some reproach. If her mistress hadn't said she would be escorted out of the manor, she wouldn't have lost her composure like that. She was really embarrassed just now. Thinking this, Qiu Yue blushed slightly, which made Ouyang Yue, Chuncao, and Dongxue laugh. This made Qiu Yue blush even more. She looked at the three of them with a shy smile and her lips were very cute.
Ouyang Yue laughed for a while before saying, "Qiuyue, I'm planning to open a shop and I need a skilled embroiderer. I'll provide the design, and you can embroider it. If it turns out well, I'll give you a share of the profits."
Qiu Yue smiled gently: "Miss, what are you saying? It is Qiu Yue's good fortune that you need Qiu Yue's help. Qiu Yue will definitely do her best."
"Alright, Qiuyue, come here. Here are some embroidery patterns. Follow the patterns and embroider a few bibs for me first, then I'll see how they turn out." Ouyang Yue beckoned and took a few patterns from the desk. Qiuyue picked them up and her eyes lit up. She immediately flipped through a few and exclaimed, "I never imagined that Miss's painting skills were so superb! This 'Flowers Blooming and the Moon Reflected' is simply too lifelike. I'm afraid I can't reach Miss's level of mastery, but Qiuyue will definitely do her best."
"Don't overwork yourself. I need to check out the shop with Chuncao in the next couple of days. You can embroider one or two patterns then. There's no rush," Ouyang Yue said with a smile.
Qiu Yue smiled gently and nodded earnestly.
Over the next few days, Ouyang Yue and Chuncao would occasionally leave the mansion, mostly under the pretext of sightseeing. Now that Ouyang Zhide had returned to the capital, with him in charge, Ouyang Yue didn't even have to deal with Ning Shi's cold-faced behavior. In just two days, they secured three shops on Langhuan Street and Chenghua Street. Of course, Leng Can also contributed significantly; he provided the money, and no one knew how he did it, but all three shops were purchased at extremely low prices. Of course, Ouyang Yue also lost two weapon detail diagrams as a result.
Once the shop deal was done, Ouyang Yue naturally wanted to see Qiu Yue's results. Of Ouyang Yue's three shops, Langhuan Street and Chenghua Street were to be a chain store, selling only various kinds of women's bellybands and exquisite embroidered shoes, nothing else. And if she was going to do it, Ouyang Yue wanted to make it unique.
These two items may not seem as valuable as outer garments and are therefore not highly regarded, but the bellyband is a woman's intimate clothing, and it needs to be comfortable and novel. In the palace, for the ladies and concubines of various households, this is something they wear for their men, and it is often more important than their fancy outer clothes. Of course, Ouyang Yue actually wanted to open a modern lingerie shop, but she figured the people here wouldn't accept it. However, she believed that if she could create a bellyband shop with all sorts of novelties, she could definitely achieve extraordinary success and make a fortune.
However, just as Ouyang Yue and Chuncao returned from outside and approached Mingyue Pavilion, they heard a commotion. Ouyang Yue's eyes darkened slightly. Since Ouyang Hua and Ouyang Rou had their accident, no one in the mansion had dared to cause her any trouble. The two quickly left.
As soon as they arrived at Mingyue Pavilion, they heard a commotion inside: "You whore from a brothel! I knew you were a thief with dirty hands! You actually stole things from the manor and took them out! I'll beat you to death today!"
Ouyang Yue waved the people aside and entered Mingyue Courtyard. She saw that Aunt Ming, Aunt Hua, Aunt Hong and Ning were all there, while Qiuyue was being pulled by two rough maids. Her clothes and hair were all messed up, and she was crying her eyes out.
"Mother, what's going on? Why are you treating the maids in my courtyard like this?"
Ning looked coldly at Ouyang Yue: "You are the servant you are in charge of. I never agreed to you bringing disreputable servants into the manor. Now this maid has been caught stealing things from the manor and handing them over to outsiders. According to the rules of the manor, servants with such shady hands should have their hands cut off and be thrown out of the manor!"
Qiu Yue hasn't been here long, but because of her special circumstances and her renowned embroidery skills, everyone in the manor knows it. Cutting off Qiu Yue's hands and then driving her out of the manor would be a complete pushover! Besides, this is the time when Ouyang Yue needs Qiu Yue the most, and we absolutely cannot let anything happen to her!
Meanwhile, Aunt Ming, Aunt Hua, and Aunt Hong all glared at Ouyang Yue with hostility. They had arrived earlier and were now waiting to see her make a fool of herself!
"The evidence is overwhelming, so no one should plead for this lowly person. And you, Yue'er, are incapable of managing the servants in the courtyard. I think you should ask to be punished. Half of the servants will be removed so you can suffer and realize your mistakes!"