Ouyang Yue looked at Fu Meier. Mu Cuiwei wasn't wrong; ever since Mu Cuiwei called her Miss Fu, Ouyang Yue had known who this person was. Mu Cuiwei was proud and wouldn't associate with ordinary people. Among officials, farmers, artisans, and merchants, merchants were at the bottom of the social hierarchy in this era. But merchants were good at saving money, and money was always a valuable thing. The struggles between princes naturally required financial support. Mu Cuiwei naturally wanted to have more contact with Fu Meier.
The Fu family, the foremost imperial merchant family of the Great Zhou Dynasty, has made their living through commerce for generations. Their shops are scattered throughout the Great Zhou Dynasty. In every era, the Fu family has been a target of the imperial court's efforts to win them over. In the past, the Fu family rarely participated in the struggles for princely positions, and their reputation as the foremost imperial merchant family has always been established. But seeing Fu Meier walking with Mu Cuiwei now, does the Fu family intend to change the status quo, or is it simply a problem with Fu Meier herself?
"Why aren't you saying anything? You've been proven right, haven't you? Ouyang Yue, when did you become such a coward? You used to be so bold!" Mu Cuiwei said loudly, looking at Ouyang Yue with disdain. Those who had heard of Ouyang Yue's name couldn't help but change their expressions and look at her.
Ouyang Yue chuckled, "Miss Mu, don't you know that fighting over a mere argument is like wild dogs fighting over food? I'm not willing to lower myself to such a lowly thing. Why is Miss Mu so fixated on me? Does Miss Mu want to be compared to wild dogs? Well, I'm sorry, I have no interest in associating with you..." Ouyang Yue then shrugged, feigning helplessness, which nearly made Mu Cuiwei's hair stand on end with anger!
"You! How dare you call me no different from a stray dog! Ouyang Yue, how dare you!" Mu Cuiwei shouted angrily.
Ouyang Yue shook her head and said, "Miss Mu just called me a coward. How could I be so bold?"
She spoke with utmost innocence, but this only made Mu Cuiwei even angrier. Fu Meier calmly looked at Ouyang Yue, but a glint of light flashed in her beautiful eyes: "Alright, Cuiwei, let's go to another place. Why bother arguing with Miss Ouyang over this room?"
Mu Cuiwei was not one to back down. She hadn't even had a chance to torment Ouyang Yue after making such a fool of herself at the Ning residence. Now that they'd finally met outside, she was determined to get her revenge double. But Ouyang Yue was sharp-tongued, and Mu Cuiwei could only fum in anger: "No way! You won't leave until you win this private room!"
Ouyang Yue smiled, and the guests at Babaozhai all turned to look at Mu Cuiwei. They didn't want to compete with her, but she was unwilling and insisted on having a contest. What kind of domineering person is she!
Ouyang Yue was quite helpless. She looked at Fu Meier and then at Mu Cuiwei. Even Fu Meier felt uncomfortable being stared at and tried to pull Mu Cuiwei away, but the latter didn't care.
Ouyang Yue had no choice but to say, "Since Miss Mu insists, then let's bid for the private room. Whoever bids the most money will automatically withdraw."
Mu Cuiwei immediately looked at Fu Meier, who had no choice but to nod. Mu Cuiwei then held up one finger: "Ten taels."
Ouyang Yue quoted a price: "Twenty taels."
"Fifty taels!"
"One hundred taels!"
"One hundred and fifty taels!"
"Two hundred taels!"
Mu Cuiwei and Ouyang Yue continued their bidding relentlessly, leaving the other guests stunned. Just reserving a private room was costing so much money; Babaozhai had certainly gotten a great deal today. The Babaozhai manager, who had initially wanted to intervene, now remained quietly to the side. After all, it wasn't the first time two young ladies had competed at Babaozhai, and since Babaozhai would ultimately benefit, he naturally wouldn't interfere.
“Four hundred taels!” Mu Cuiwei’s voice rang out again.
Ouyang Yue frowned, looking somewhat hesitant: "Four hundred and ten taels."
Seeing Ouyang Yue's expression and the price she quoted, Mu Cuiwei immediately sneered, "Five hundred taels!"
Ouyang Yue frowned even more deeply: "Five hundred and ten taels!"
Mu Cuiwei was very pleased with herself: "Seven hundred taels!"
Ouyang Yue's expression changed. After a moment of silence, she gritted her teeth and said, "Seven hundred and ten taels."
Fu Meier sensed something was wrong and was about to call out to Mu Cuiwei when the latter shouted, "One thousand taels!"
Ouyang Yue sighed, "This private room is for Miss Fu now."
Seeing Ouyang Yue's dejected expression, Mu Cuiwei laughed triumphantly: "Ouyang Yue, if you don't have the money to compete, then don't compete. You're still a long way from wanting to fight me."
Ouyang Yue simply looked at Mu Cuiwei calmly: "But Miss Mu, do you really have the money to pay the bid? Otherwise, this private room in Babaozhai is still mine."
Mu Cuiwei snorted coldly, "Of course we have it." With a wave of her hand, a personal maid immediately came over. The maid hesitated for a moment, then whispered in Mu Cuiwei's ear, "Miss, we only brought five hundred taels of silver with us, not enough for a thousand taels." The maid looked worried, and at the same time, she couldn't help but mutter to herself about her mistress. It was just for a room to eat in, yet she had to spend a thousand taels of silver. Her monthly salary was only two taels, and her mistress only had ten taels. What a spendthrift!
Mu Cuiwei's expression changed, and her heart tightened. How could she have forgotten about this? But looking at Ouyang Yue, who was waiting for her reply, Mu Cuiwei hardened her heart. She had finally managed to beat Ouyang Yue today, and next time they met, she would use this incident to humiliate her severely. How could she back down now that she had succeeded? That was not in her nature!
Mu Cuiwei looked at Fu Meier: "Meier, I didn't bring enough money today. How about you pay for the rest for me first? I will definitely pay you back the rest when we get back to the manor." Fu Meier was the daughter of the number one royal merchant in the Great Zhou Dynasty, so she naturally carried a lot of money. As for her clothes and jewelry, none of them were ordinary items.
A strange glint flashed in Fu Meier's eyes as she glanced at Ouyang Yue, who stood quietly to one side. Her lips were tightly pressed together, and her brows were furrowed, clearly indicating her reluctance. Mu Cuiwei immediately added, "Miss Fu, didn't you still want to visit the Second Princess? Don't you want to go anymore?"
Fu Meier paused, then immediately beckoned her maid to fetch the silver. Ouyang Yue, however, laughed and said, "What? So Miss Mu isn't paying for this herself?"
"Don't say anything unnecessary. You have a bad character and no one to rely on. When it matters, no one is willing to lend a helping hand. Why should you care where my money comes from?" Mu Cuiwei's face flushed slightly. She had been so focused on arguing that she wouldn't have acted so impulsively if she had known she didn't have enough money.
Mu Cuiwei and Fu Meier had scraped together enough silver. Mu Cuiwei looked triumphantly at Ouyang Yue, and with a "smack," she slapped ten hundred-tael silver notes onto the counter of the Babaozhai shop. The shopkeeper's eyes lit up, and he was about to go over to take them with a smile. But a fair, jade-like hand was faster, directly picking up the silver notes from the counter, carefully counting them—exactly ten—and checking them to make sure they were all valid. He nodded in satisfaction, then carefully folded them twice and stuffed them into her purse!
...
The manager of Babaozhai was stunned. This… wasn't this blatant robbery?! The other customers watched with disdain. Fu Meier glanced at Ouyang Yue, while Mu Cuiwei burst into laughter, pointing at Ouyang Yue and sneer, “So Miss Ouyang is not only stupid and brainless, but also greedy and arrogant! To openly rob someone in front of so many people! You truly live up to the reputation of General Ouyang's mansion and your own nature. A thousand taels of silver is no small sum. Hand it over, and I'll show you leniency and not send you to the authorities!” Then she looked at Ouyang Yue with a smug and mocking smile. This time, Ouyang Yue had truly lost face!
Ouyang Yue chuckled and said, "Miss Mu, what are you saying? Do you think that spending one thousand taels of silver was not worthwhile? Are you regretting it?"
"Hmph, stop trying to confuse the issue. That silver was clearly money for booking rooms at Babaozhai. You took it; what else is that but robbery!"
Ouyang Yue asked in confusion, "Huh, that's strange. Wasn't the private room on the second floor that Miss Mu and I were bidding for?"
"Of course!"
Ouyang Yue nodded emphatically: "That's it. You can choose any dish when dining in the private room of Babaozhai. Do you need to pay extra to reserve it? If so, wouldn't Babaozhai be cheating people?"
The manager of Babaozhai immediately shook his head: "Babaozhai truly accepts all dishes as long as they are selected, and there are absolutely no additional fees charged. Of course, tips from customers cannot be included in this amount." The manager of Babaozhai looked at Ouyang Yue with a pleading expression. In his view, the thousand taels of silver were precisely the tip money.
Ouyang Yue smiled and said, "That's it. Since Babaozhai didn't charge extra, and I entered the shop before Miss Mu and Miss Fu, I was the most qualified person to use the private room. Miss Mu was very eager to use my private room, so we had no choice but to auction it off. In the end, Miss Mu is wealthy enough to win the auction, and the private room is yours, but it was won voluntarily by me. In the end, it was me who gave it to you, and the auction money is naturally compensation for any losses I suffered as a result. If this thousand taels of silver didn't belong to me, who else deserves it?!"
Ouyang Yue's charming smile instantly brought her face to life, making her bright eyes shine even brighter. When she smiled, her crescent-shaped eyes were as sweet as moons, a smile that could melt anyone's heart. But Mu Cuiwei found it extremely irritating. A surge of anger rose in her chest; she felt utterly betrayed by Ouyang Yue. How dare she claim the room was given to her, and that she had spent a thousand taels of silver for nothing! If that thousand taels had gone to Babaozhai, Mu Cuiwei wouldn't have uttered a word. But to give it to Ouyang Yue, and seeing her smug, petty expression, Mu Cuiwei felt a tightness in her chest, an unbearable feeling of suffocation.
"No, you can't take this silver!" Mu Cuiwei shouted. Even Fu Meier, as the legitimate daughter of the No. 1 Imperial Merchant, was very dissatisfied with losing five hundred taels of silver for nothing and having to let others give it to her in the end. Naturally, she agreed with Mu Cuiwei's request for the silver.
Ouyang Yue's expression suddenly turned cold: "What! Miss Mu, you're just the daughter of a third-rank official, do you dare to act lawlessly in this capital! I don't want to compete with you, I offered you the room first but you refused, now I'm bidding to take back what you owe me, and you still disagree! Miss Mu, do you think you can do whatever you want in the capital and look down on everyone! Today's money, no matter how you look at it, is something you owe me, let's see who dares to block my way!"
Ouyang Yue's voice was deep and cold. Despite being just a pretty young woman, she exuded an aura of dominance. Not only Mu Cuiwei, Fu Meier, and the manager of Babaozhai, but even the diners in the main hall remained silent and dared not speak!
"You! You got the benefit and you still act like a fool!" Mu Cuiwei felt even angrier because she felt she had been frightened by Ouyang Yue, and she gritted her teeth and said angrily.
“Miss Mu, don’t forget, everything we’ve said from beginning to end was consensual. If you think I’ve cheated you out of your money, you can report me to the Prefect of the Capital. Or if you’re really short of this thousand taels of silver, I might as well give it to you as charity today.” As she spoke, Ouyang Yue reached into her purse to get the silver notes!
"No need! Just pretend I didn't check the almanac before going out today, and my things were stolen, or I bought steamed buns to feed the dogs!" Mu Cuiwei said coldly. If this kind of thing were to be brought to the Jingzhao Prefecture, it would be a huge loss of face. Even if her father doted on her, he would still scold her. Mu Cuiwei wasn't stupid enough to get herself into trouble for the sake of loyalty.
Ouyang Yue snorted coldly: "Wouldn't it have been better to do this earlier? You've wasted so much of my saliva, and I even have to buy tea to moisten my throat. What a waste of money."
At this moment, Chuncao interjected with a smile, "Miss, don't be upset. Anyway, you got that thousand taels of silver for free."
Ouyang Yue nodded in agreement: "If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten. We can't eat at Babaozhai, but this free thousand taels of silver is enough for us to eat there several times. Ah, it's foolish not to take advantage of a bargain. Today is really lucky; as soon as I stepped out, some idiot was handing me silver. Ah, maybe I should do this every day from now on. I just wonder how many fools like this there are in the capital. Wouldn't I be making a fortune without even sitting down? That would be wonderful!" Ouyang Yue clapped her hands with a beaming smile.
Originally furious and about to go upstairs for dinner, Mu Cuiwei turned around angrily: "Ouyang Yue, who are you calling stupid? How dare you slander me like this! Watch what I'll do!" As Mu Cuiwei was about to rush forward, Fu Meier stopped her, "Cuiwei, let it go. Bad luck is likely to happen in the future. In the future, if we encounter greedy and sharp-tongued people, let's just stay away. You are kind and straightforward, so naturally you are no match for those crooked and evil people."
Mu Cuiwei sneered, "That's right. I naturally wouldn't stoop to comparing myself to those who only think about dirty things all day long. Let's go! Let's go to another place!" Mu Cuiwei stared coldly at Ouyang Yue. Having been defeated by Ouyang Yue again today, Mu Cuiwei's hatred had deepened even further. She would definitely get her revenge.
Fu Meier's gaze towards Ouyang Yue was also quite unfriendly. She had been swindled out of five hundred taels of silver. Although she didn't care about the amount of silver, the incident still made her feel uneasy. Before leaving, she gave Ouyang Yue a cold look, and then she and Mu Cuiwei stormed out of Babaozhai.
The main hall of Babaozhai fell into complete silence.
Ouyang Yue smiled and said to the manager of Babaozhai, "Since Miss Mu doesn't need it, please lead the way. Don't waste the private room and affect your business." Then, Ouyang Yue turned to Chuncao and Qiuyue, "You two can order whatever you want to eat later. Miss is not stingy, so don't worry about eating your young lady out of house and home."
Spring Grass and Autumn Moon smiled and replied in unison, "Yes, Miss!"
The manager of Babaozhai and the guests in the hall twitched at the corners of their mouths. "Of course you're not afraid of eating your fill, or going broke! You just received a thousand taels of silver, and all the dishes at Babaozhai only amounted to about this much. You're really using other people's money to treat others, and acting all generous! What a show-off!"
The manager of Babaozhai retracted his previous statement. This Miss Ouyang is not extraordinary at all, but rather very cunning!
"Ouch!" Mu Cuiwei, who was walking outside, had obviously heard what was going on inside. Her foot probably slipped because of her anger, and she fell on the maid. She looked very disheveled. She glared at Ouyang Yue in front of the hall and gritted her teeth, saying, "Ouyang Yue, I'm not done with you yet." After saying that, she hurriedly got into the carriage, obviously feeling that she had lost face.
"Hahaha! I wondered why Babaozhai was so lively. It turns out it was you! I knew it! Who could have made Mu Cuiwei so angry? Hahaha! This is hilarious!" At this moment, a hearty laugh came from the corridor on the second floor of Babaozhai, and everyone looked up.
But then they saw a dashing young man dressed in white with large, bright chrysanthemums embroidered on his clothes, looking at Ouyang Yue with a smile on his face. Who else could it be but Leng Caiwen, who always had such a flamboyant demeanor!
Seeing this, Ouyang Yue smiled and said, "Alright, we can save on food expenses today. Let's go!" Ouyang Yue led Chuncao and Qiuyue straight to the stairwell. The manager of Babaozhai twitched his lips. How could this Miss Ouyang be so stingy? He had gone through all that trouble with her, but he hadn't earned a single penny. He finally understood how frustrated Miss Mu felt!
Feeling unwilling to give up, the manager of Babaozhai followed her upstairs to the second floor. He refused to believe that he couldn't make money off Ouyang Yue today!
The manager of Babaozhai followed with a smile. When they reached the door, which was slightly ajar, he immediately said with a smile, "I wonder what Miss Ouyang would like to eat? Babaozhai's dishes are all unique and will surely satisfy you."
The private room where Leng Caiwen was located was the third one on the left. There were four people in the room: the flamboyant Leng Caiwen, the aloof and unapproachable Dai Yu, Baili Chen, dressed in white and sitting to one side, and a black-clad guard standing next to Baili Chen. The appearance of the black-clad guard made Ouyang Yue pause in surprise.
She recognized the man; he was the black-clad man who had helped her and Dongxue escape from the Ning residence, the one who had cleaned up the mess afterward. Ouyang Yue's heart skipped a beat. Clearly, this man was Baili Chen's subordinate, meaning Baili Chen had instructed her to save her back then. Why? This wasn't the first time. What was Baili Chen's purpose in helping her so much?
Ouyang Yue then smiled and said, "Shopkeeper, you've asked the wrong person. Today, it was Young Master Leng who invited me. I'm just a guest. You'll have to ask Young Master Leng what he wants."
The shopkeeper smiled at Leng Caiwen, who chuckled and raised an eyebrow at Ouyang Yue, saying, "I didn't expect Miss Ouyang to be so shrewd and calculating. I admire you!"
Ouyang Yue clasped her hands in a fist and palm salute: "You're too kind, Young Master Leng, you've gone to so much trouble!"
"Hey, I didn't say I was treating today!"
Dai Yu coldly retorted, "It's just a meal, how stingy!"
"What are you saying? I didn't come here today because I wanted to, but that person wanted to come, so I can't exactly pay for it," Leng Caiwen said, dissatisfied.
Baili Chen remained silent, Leng Sha was indifferent, Dai Yu didn't even glance at him, and Ouyang Yue smiled, but they all seemed to think, "If you don't pay, who will?" Dai Caiwen gritted her teeth and snorted, "We already ordered the things, hurry up and prepare them, what are you asking!"
The manager of Babaozhai twitched his lips. This guy suffered a loss but took it out on him. What did he do to deserve this? He was wronged to death!
He had to smile and say, "Please wait a moment, gentlemen, the dishes will be ready soon." After all, the manager of Babaozhai was a shrewd and worldly man. He knew Leng Caiwen's name and dared not easily offend this charming young master. However, as he turned to leave the room, he couldn't help but take a deep look at Ouyang Yue.
The manager of Babaozhai was quite knowledgeable. Although he had never seen the frail-looking young man before, his demeanor and the instinctive respect shown by everyone in the room suggested he was of extraordinary status. He also recognized Leng Caiwen and Dai Yu. With these three men, each with distinct characteristics yet possessing remarkable presence, accompanying her, this Miss Ouyang was indeed no ordinary woman. Furthermore, judging from their interaction, the three seemed to know each other well, which made him suspicious.
So, Miss Ouyang's reputation is so bad that, in his opinion, she is not worthy of being associated with these three people. Yet these three people value her so much. Indeed, appearances can be deceiving!
"Bang!" As soon as the manager of Babaozhai left, Leng Caiwen snapped his fan shut and threw it on the table. He chuckled and said, "Miss Ouyang is really stingy. She just got a thousand taels of silver for free. Does she expect me to treat her? In my mind, Miss Ouyang is a generous and magnanimous woman. Alas, I was wrong."
Ouyang Yue smiled faintly at Leng Caiwen, who was pretending to be polite: "It's fine if I treat you!"
"Really!" Leng Caiwen's eyes lit up. He was also eager to experience the feeling of getting something for nothing; just thinking about it was exhilarating. Dai Yu, Ming Lichen, and even Leng Sha all looked at Ouyang Yue. Baili Chen's eyes were dark and bright, and the corners of his mouth were slightly curved.
Ouyang Yue smiled and nodded: "What's the problem? As long as you're willing, Young Master Leng, it's perfectly fine for me, a humble woman, to invite you!"
Leng Caiwen's expression froze instantly. He, a man of stature, had been invited by a mere woman like Ouyang Yue; if word got out, people would laugh at him. He looked at Ouyang Yue's gentle smile, which suggested everything was negotiable, chuckled, and remained silent.
Dai Yu turned to scrutinize Ouyang Yue. This Ouyang Yue was truly a cunning woman. Earlier downstairs, she had overheard Ouyang Yue's argument with Mu Cuiwei, and she had wondered then how Ouyang Yue could be so easily swayed. Although Dai Yu hadn't had much contact with Ouyang Yue, her judgment was accurate. Sure enough, a short while later, Ouyang Yue stuffed a thousand taels of silver into her purse—a woman who refused to suffer a loss! However, among the self-proclaimed noble ladies of the capital, who demanded elegance and refinement in everything, such a woman was unprecedented. She was vibrant and unique, making her impossible to ignore!
Ouyang Yue raised her head and looked at Baili Chen, who was sitting in the main seat.
Despite being a prince, Baili Chen didn't act like one at all. At least when he was with Leng Caiwen and Dai Yu, he was very approachable and made people feel comfortable around him.
He was still dressed in white today, a pure white without a trace of other colors, which only made his face appear even paler and bloodless. It was said that Baili Chen had been ill since birth; the former empress died shortly after giving birth to him. If it weren't for Emperor Mingxian's lingering affection for his wife and love for his son, she believed Baili Chen would have died long ago in that ruthless palace. Yet Baili Chen was indeed pale; his exquisite features seemed sculpted from jade. Every time Ouyang Yue looked at him, she couldn't help but marvel at how handsome he could be. Perhaps it was precisely because of this that Heaven had made him ill; it couldn't allow anyone to be too perfect!
Ouyang Yue fell silent. For some reason, she thought of her past life. She had been an orphan since childhood, completely unaware of the meaning of family. From the moment she became aware of things, she had to be different and live a different life; she had to climb very high. When she became the captain of the SSS Special Agent Team, she had already reached a height that most people could hardly achieve. While some people needed half a lifetime to reach that position, judging by their words and actions, she had shortened her life by a full third.
But after becoming the captain of the SSS Special Forces, she felt inexplicably empty, which is why she wanted to have her own flesh and blood. So… Ouyang Yue touched the gold bracelet on her wrist, and Ouyang Su seemed to sense it as well, the bracelet trembling slightly. A smile played on Ouyang Yue's lips. Having Su'er was enough!
This is why she was able to transmigrate here, despite being protected by Ouyang Zhide, but not completely trusted, and also why she was able to take action against the people of the General's Mansion.
However, she wasn't one to like owing people things, especially favors, which were the hardest to repay. Ouyang Zhide was one such example, as were Baili Chen's several instances of helping her. Ouyang Zhide was one thing, since he was the original owner's father, and they were blood relatives.
They had only met Baili Chen a few times; it was their first meeting at the palace when he rescued her. After their subsequent interactions, she felt their relationship wasn't particularly deep, yet he had still intervened at the Ning residence. Although she was confident she could handle the situation, she had no one else at her disposal. In that situation, Dongxue couldn't be reassigned, and dealing with Hong Yicheng's servant discreetly was quite difficult. Therefore, her ability to escape unscathed from the Ning residence and stir up trouble was inextricably linked to Baili Chen.
This is a huge favor!
As Ouyang Yue thought this, she looked at Baili Chen with a deep gaze. Leng Caiwen, who had been smiling at her, suddenly pursed his lips and said, "Hey, hey, hey, although the Seventh Prince is the most handsome man in the world, you can't be so arrogant. Leng and Dai Yu are both handsome young men of our generation. You are being too biased in your comparison. This is not fair!"
At Leng Caiwen's shout, Ouyang Yue immediately snapped out of her daze and looked up, only to see Baili Chen's dark eyes. Leng Caiwen suddenly tilted his head, blocking Ouyang Yue's view, and said with a smile, "Differentiated treatment, huh!"
Ouyang Yue smiled faintly: "Young Master Leng has a great reputation, and the noble ladies who like you could line up from one end of the street to the other. Has that made you so arrogant? Chuncao, quickly tell Young Master Leng, what is the difference between him and the Seventh Prince and Young Master Dai?"
Chuncao, being quick-witted, naturally understood Ouyang Yue's words. Besides, Baili Chen was the seventh prince, so he had to be said to be superior. Moreover, few could match Baili Chen's appearance. Chuncao immediately said seriously, "Although the difference isn't that great, Young Master Leng still needs to work harder!"