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Three Marriages

1. First Encounter: Second Master's Arrogance

Long Er's real name is Long Yue, and he is twenty-six years old this year.

Few people called Long Er by his real name; everyone simply called him Master Long Er.

Master Long the Second was a prominent figure in the capital. Not only him, but all three brothers of the Long family were outstanding individuals. The eldest was a general protecting the country, the youngest was a famous chivalrous knight in the martial arts world, and Master Long himself was a wealthy and influential imperial merchant.

Long Er's current reputation is not only due to his position as the head of the Long family, but also to his good relationship with the new emperor. The new emperor's ability to stand out from the princes and seize the throne was inseparable from the support of the Long family and Long Er's assistance.

Therefore, everyone knew that Long Er had powerful backing, even if they didn't say it to his face. In addition, Long Er was adept at social maneuvering and was very shrewd. Everyone knew about his cunning and manipulative methods, so officials and businessmen alike would give him some face.

Now, in the second year of the new emperor's reign, the country is peaceful and prosperous, and the weather is favorable. Long Er's business is also getting better and better.

Given his circumstances, Master Long should have been living a comfortable and carefree life, but he also had his troubles.

The problem is: marriage.

It should be noted that in the Xiao Kingdom, men could marry at the age of fifteen, so Long Er was already considered an "old man" at that time. Long Da and Long San were already married, but Long Er had always shown little interest in settling down. He wasn't in a hurry, but his elders were very anxious.

The three Long brothers were orphaned, but Granny Yu and Steward Tie had watched them grow up. Long Er's single status gave the two elders opportunities to nag him from time to time, and these nagging sessions became more frequent as Long Er grew older. Although Long Er was ruthless to outsiders, he was extremely protective of his family. The two elders, though servants, had actually helped him like family for many years, and no matter how much he disliked their opinions, he couldn't refuse them. Therefore, he always found this matter a headache.

That day, Long Er went to inspect his family's Shenglong Tea Shop. As soon as he entered the shop, he was "bumped into" by a young woman. This young woman was none other than Ding Yanshan, the second daughter of Ding Sheng, the Minister of Justice.

Out of respect for the Minister of Justice, Long Er couldn't be too impolite to Ding Yanshan. So, at her invitation, he spent some time chatting with her in the elegant tea room of the tea house.

The conversation was going nowhere, and Long Er was feeling frustrated. He was lost in thought about the jade business when he suddenly heard a question.

"Shan'er, if you dare ask, why is Second Master still unmarried?"

For a young woman, this was indeed a rather abrupt question. Long Er paused for a moment, thinking to himself, "Whose Shan'er are you?" while maintaining a smile on his face. He poured himself a cup of tea and slowly replied, "Because I don't want to give the matchmaker a tip."

Ding Yanshan's face stiffened, and her smile almost faltered. What reason could she possibly have for not wanting to give the matchmaker a tip?

“If I, Long Er, want to get married, I will do it on my own merits. Why would I need a matchmaker with a silver tongue to help me find a wife? But if that’s the case, I still have to pay the matchmaker money. Don’t you think this is a bad deal?”

Ding Yanshan's laughter vanished. Even marrying a wife could be described as a business transaction, a calculation of profit and loss—truly the Second Master Long! Suppressing her temper, she covered her mouth and feigned a smile, saying, "Second Master is truly witty."

Long Er pursed his lips and replied politely, "Not funny, just stingy." He'd said enough; anyone with sense should have left, right?

But Ding Yanshan didn't leave. She lowered her head, drank her tea, composed herself, and didn't intend to give up.

Taking advantage of Ding Yanshan's lowered head, Long Er coldly glanced at the tea shop assistant accompanying him. This Shenglong Tea Shop was one of the Long family's properties; he had only come to inspect the shop, yet Ding Yanshan had caught him red-handed. He didn't believe in any chance encounters or coincidences. It must be that the tea shop assistant had been bribed and revealed his whereabouts.

Being cornered by a girl is a small matter, but betraying his master is a big deal. Long Er already had a plan in mind. Once this matter is investigated, the perpetrator will be severely punished.

By this time, Ding Yanshan had quickly rallied her spirits and started chatting with Long Er about tea, which only fueled his impatience. This girl was, after all, the daughter of a high-ranking official; her family's power and influence were undeniable, and she was beautiful and virtuous—truly a top-tier marriage prospect. Yet, Long Er simply didn't want to marry her.

In his view, the more outstanding a woman is, the more troublesome she is, because she has more demands than the average woman, and the more demands she has, the more difficult she is to get along with.

What Ryuji dislikes most is trouble.

Ding Yanshan naturally noticed that Long Er seemed somewhat distracted, but she was pleased that he was willing to patiently talk to her. She remembered that when the two young ladies from the Liu and Lü families visited the garden last time, he had dismissed them with just a few words.

Thinking of this, Ding Yanshan couldn't help but smile, and she poured Long Er another cup of tea.

Actually, those two were just clueless. Master Long was entertaining guests in the garden; why would he be accompanying some young lady to admire flowers? Ding Yanshan was much smarter. She had already inquired about Master Long's schedule for the whole day and knew that he had no other plans. In addition, she said she wanted to choose good tea for her father, so Master Long naturally had to patiently accompany her.

Ding Yanshan secretly glanced at Long Er again while raising her teacup. He had clear, bright eyes, a straight nose, and thin, slightly pursed lips, giving him a stern look that only accentuated his air of authority as the head of the household. She knew Long Er had a temper, and that he was notoriously difficult to deal with, but she still wanted to marry him. This wasn't just her father's wish, but hers as well.

Just as Ding Yanshan was about to find another topic, Long Er's guard, Li Ke, came in to report that a young lady was waiting outside and had been waiting for a long time.

Long Er had given Li Ke a meaningful look earlier, hoping he would come in to report something and find an excuse for him to leave. Li Ke had followed him for many years and naturally understood his meaning. But seeing the look in Li Ke's eyes now, Long Er knew that the visiting girl was real.

Long Er's face was grim. He was already losing patience with the girl in front of him, and now another one had appeared?

Ding Yanshan was also very annoyed. It was a rare opportunity to be alone with Long Er, and she was naturally unhappy to be disturbed, especially since it was a girl! She knew how popular Long Er was in the city, and she didn't want any annoying obstacles to appear out of nowhere.

Ding Yanshan looked at Long Er, hoping to hear him say "I won't see you."

Long Er nodded to Li Ke, who then left to carry out the order. Ding Yanshan was disappointed, but still smiled slightly and said first, "Second Master, please rest assured to receive your guest. Shan'er will wait here for you."

Anyway, she just intended to stay put. Long Er's eye twitched; maintaining composure required skill. Ding Yanshan was utterly boring; he needed to find someone else to meet.

Long Er smiled and said to Ding Yanshan, "Excuse me, I'll be back in a moment." Then he got up and walked to another private tea room diagonally opposite.

Soon, a tea servant brought over a young woman. Long Er looked at her and was taken aback.

The girl was dressed in light green, and looked to be under twenty years old. She was of medium height, slender and delicate, with refined features, and exuded an air of elegance.

Before seeing her, Long Er didn't know that the word "refined" could be used to describe a young woman. But what surprised him wasn't her demeanor, but the bamboo cane she was carrying—a bamboo cane used by the blind.

The girl followed the tea servant to a private room. The servant parted the beaded curtain for her and whispered that there were steps on the ground. She tapped them with her bamboo cane and then slowly stepped up. After taking two careful steps, her cane bumped into a chair. She reached out and felt her way to the back of the chair.

Long Er watched her slow movements, and the impatience he had been building up with Ding Yanshan surged up again. He pursed his lips, thinking that he would just exchange a few words with the girl in front of him, and then go back and get rid of Ding Yanshan.

Having made this plan, he said coldly, "Sit."

The tea servant hurriedly whispered a reminder: "Miss, the man in front of you is Master Long the Second."

The girl nodded her thanks, then curtsied in the direction of Long Er and said, "Greetings, Master Long Er. My name is Ju Mu'er..."

Before she could finish speaking, Long Er interrupted her, saying, "No need for formalities. What brings you here, young lady?"

Ju Mu'er turned her head slightly, not intimidated by Long Er's rudeness, and quickly continued, "I've come to ask Second Master for a favor."

Long Er looked into her eyes, then at her bamboo cane, softened his tone, and said, "Sit down and talk."

Ju Mu'er thanked him, ran her hand down the back of the chair until she found the armrest, then slowly moved to the front of the chair, reached behind her to check, and then slowly sat down.

Taking advantage of the moment, the tea servant quickly brought out a pot of tea and filled both Long Er's and Ju Mu'er's cups. He placed the teacup next to Ju Mu'er, gave her a reminder, and then withdrew.

Ju Mu'er slowly touched the cup with her hand, grasped it, but did not drink.

Long Er asked again, "What do you need from me, young lady?" He couldn't imagine what a blind man could possibly want from him.

Ju Mu'er said softly, "All the shops on East Street belong to Second Master. I would like to ask Second Master to build eaves in front of all the shops."

This request greatly surprised Long Er. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "Does it mean that eaves should be installed in front of all the shops on the street?"

"Yes," Ju Mu'er answered honestly and without hesitation.

Long Er laughed; this was indeed interesting. He asked softly, "Miss Ju, we are complete strangers, we have never met before. What makes you think I would listen to you and build eaves over all the shops on the street?"

"Master Long will definitely not suffer a loss in this matter of building the eaves."

"Is that so?" Long Er laughed again. "Does the young lady have any more abrupt, unreasonable, or absurd requests?"

Ju Mu'er pursed her lips, a look of embarrassment on her face. Indeed, it was simply unreasonable to ask a complete stranger for money to do something for no reason. Ju Mu'er froze, unsure of what to do. Second Master Long was even more difficult to talk to than she had imagined. All the excuses she had prepared before coming here were now useless.

Long Er smiled on the surface, but was inwardly furious. He hated being swindled out of his money. So he was determined to make things difficult for Ju Mu'er. He asked with a sneer, "Does the young lady know how many shops are on East Street?" She would surely answer that she didn't know, and then he could continue to mock her ignorance and wishful thinking.

“There are thirty-seven households from east to west, and thirty-three households from west to east.”

Long Er was immediately surprised. He never expected that Ju Mu'er would answer so calmly, and that all the numbers were correct.

Ju Mu'er seemed to know his doubts and explained, "I am blind, so I like to count while walking to avoid getting lost."

Long Er fell silent, carefully observing Ju Mu'er's face. When talking to people, he could always discern truth from falsehood in their eyes and expressions. Of all Ju Mu'er's features, her eyes were actually the most beautiful, but unfortunately, beneath her long eyelashes, her dark pupils lacked any captivating spirit. This made her appear remarkably calm and composed when her facial expressions remained largely unchanged.

At this moment, Long Er couldn't discern anything from her face.

Long Er then asked, "Do you know how much silver it would cost to build eaves over all seventy shops?"

Ju Mu'er shook her head: "I don't know about that, but no matter how much it is, I can make Second Master Long earn it back."

Long Er looked at Ju Mu'er's coarse clothes and her blindness, and laughed, "I believe that my ability to make money is no less than yours." As he said this, he saw Ding Yanshan frequently glancing in his direction from the tea room across the corner. Long Er thought about the girl in front of him who had angered him, and that he would have to go back and deal with this boring girl later, and he felt very unhappy.

Long Er's series of questions brought Ju Mu'er back to her senses. She quickly seized the opportunity to say what she had prepared: "Second Master is a wealthy and powerful merchant, so naturally he would look down on my little tricks. But I wonder what Second Master's requirements are? If it is something I can do, I am willing to ask Second Master to build a canopy for this East Street."

"Tell me, why do you want this East Street to have a canopy?"

Ju Mu'er bit her lip. The request she made was absurd to Long Er, but her reasoning was probably utterly ridiculous to him.

"Tell me about it?" Long Er stared at Ju Mu'er's face and finally saw her embarrassed and awkward. Long Er wondered if there was something she was ashamed to say.

Ju Mu'er bit her lip again. She thought it over and over. Given the situation, she was afraid that even if she made up a reason, it would be difficult to persuade him. So she might as well tell the truth.

“My neighbor’s daughter makes a living selling flowers on East Street. There’s nowhere to shelter from the sun and rain on this street, so she’s exposed to the elements every day, which is very hard for her. Because she wears coarse clothes and has no gold or silver ornaments, she can’t go into the shops on the street to take shelter when it’s windy or rainy. She’s been sick several times because of this. A couple of days ago, she was caught in a heavy rain and collapsed on her bed after getting home. She almost lost her life. She has an elderly mother at home who needs to be taken care of. I can’t do much to help her, so I thought I’d come to ask you, Second Master, to build a shelter on this street so that she won’t have to suffer from the sun and rain when she goes to work.”

Long Er was dumbfounded and asked after a long pause, "That's it?"

Ju Mu'er nodded, and Long Er wanted to laugh again. He said, "Miss Ju, your neighbor's sister fell ill from being exposed to the sun and rain. What does that have to do with me? Let alone your sister, if all the merchants on East Street get sick, are you going to blame it all on me?"

Ju Mu'er's face stiffened: "That's not what I meant..."

Long Er wouldn't let her finish speaking: "Girl, you think I should be a great philanthropist, but I'm not willing to be a sucker. There's no need to discuss this anymore; I'll tell you now, it's impossible!"

Just because a little flower girl has a place to shelter from the sun and rain, does Long Er have to build eaves for the entire street? Does she even know who she is?!

He didn't want to hear it, even though Ju Mu'er dared to bring it up.

“Second Master, building the eaves is also a good way for you to make money.” Ju Mu’er was a little anxious when she heard that Long Er was about to leave.

"I have hundreds, even thousands, of ways to make money, this one won't make a difference." Long Er said rudely, "Miss Ju, please go ahead." He was about to send her away.

"Second Master," Ju Mu'er called out urgently. She pursed her lips, somewhat annoyed and anxious, and lowered her voice, saying, "Second Master, if I have a way to give you a legitimate reason to leave here and not have to go back to deal with those annoying social engagements, then you will agree to build a canopy, how about that?"

Long Er raised an eyebrow, inwardly surprised. This blind woman was quite interesting. He couldn't reason with her, nor could he bribe her; was she now resorting to reverse psychology?

Unable to hear Long Er's reply, Ju Mu'er hurriedly whispered, "While I was waiting outside, the tea shop waiter said that Second Master had a distinguished guest. I heard a woman's voice once or twice, so I knew it was a female guest. When Second Master finally had time to see me, there was no joy in his voice, so I dare to deduce that Second Master was not happy talking to the person. How about I use this to make an offer to Second Master? If I can get Second Master to leave without offending that distinguished guest, Second Master can build a canopy on East Street, how about that?"

Seeing how logically Ju Mu'er was speaking, Long Er suddenly found the matter quite interesting. Intrigued, he said, "I have my own way of getting out of here. Why do you need to interfere?"

"Second Master's method is to have a servant report that there is an urgent matter in the manor that requires Second Master's return to handle. Although this method can work, Second Master knows that it will arouse suspicion. Given Second Master's status, this trick must have been used many times. That distinguished guest will surely think that Second Master is making excuses. My method is simple and convenient, the reason is legitimate, and there is absolutely no perfunctory. Second Master will be able to leave openly and honestly, and the distinguished guest will have to rush to see you off."

Long Er found this increasingly amusing. He didn't care if Ding Yanshan thought he was being perfunctory and making excuses; even if he was, what could she do? They could just exchange polite formalities on the surface, but everyone knew the real story. However, Ju Mu'er's words piqued his curiosity. She had made such a boast with such confidence, and he was very curious to know what her plan was.

"Then tell me, what's your brilliant idea?"

2. The blind girl cleverly used a scheme to gain the upper hand.

But at this moment, Ju Mu'er shook her head and said, "Second Master has not yet agreed to my exchange conditions. If I mention this method and Second Master uses it himself, wouldn't I be at a disadvantage?"

Who cares about your methods?!

Long Er raised an eyebrow, somewhat displeased by her words, but he couldn't think of any way she could come up with, his curiosity already piqued. So he replied, "Alright, I'll grant your request. If you can do what you just said and give me a proper and respectable reason to leave, I will build a canopy on East Street."

Ju Mu'er was satisfied. She nodded and confirmed again, "Is Second Master Long a man of his word?"