Up on the second floor of the East Market Tea House, the air was warm and smelled faintly of fresh cedar wood.
Sitting in a quiet, private corner near the carved wooden railing was a young man in dark purple silk robes with fine silver embroidery. His posture was relaxed, one elbow resting on the table while his long fingers spun a small ceramic cup.
This was Young Master Xiao Xiao Jun the son of the Minister of War. He frequented the East Market simply out of boredom, but today, he had stayed far longer than usual.
Standing right behind him in the shadows was his personal guard, Ah Hei, holding his sword tightly against his chest. His eyes were fixed on the first floor below, where An Yimei stood near the counter discussing new recipes with Liu Fang.
"Is that the same young lady from last time, Young Master?" Ah Hei whispered in a low voice. "The one who fired manager Zhao De with a single token?"
Xiao Jun chuckled softly, taking a slow sip of his tea. His sharp, handsome eyes remained locked on Yimei.
"The very same," Xiao Jun murmured, a hint of amusement dancing in his gaze. "Last time, she sat down there as quiet as a mouse while that foolish woman tried to slap her. She didn’t panic or scream. And when she finally spoke, she stripped that manager of his position before he could even blink."
He glanced at the empty ceramic cup on his table. That day, when Zhao De’s arrogant wife had raised her hand to strike Yimei, Xiao Jun had casually flicked an empty cup over the wooden railing, striking the woman’s wrist from above. He had expected the young lady to run away crying. Instead, she had taken full control of the entire business in ten minutes.
"Her maid is covering her shoulder," Ah Hei noted quietly. "It looks like she had a fight before coming out today."
"She is the new bride of the Bai Manor," Xiao Jun said smoothly, setting his cup down with a quiet clack. "The concubine’s daughter who was forced to marry Bai Zhengyu, the crippled eldest son."
Ah Hei nodded slowly. Everyone in the capital knew about Bai Zhengyu, the brilliant young master of the Bai family whose legs had suddenly been ruined by illness three years ago, leaving him stuck in a wheelchair.
"Everyone thought she would be crushed inside that dark courtyard," Xiao Jun said, a slow, intriguing smile spreading across his face. "But look at her. She leaves the estate, slaps down bad workers, and plans to change her entire menu with special winter tea blends."
Down below, Yimei was handing a small list of ingredients to Liu Fang, explaining her plans to buy fresh honey, dried ginger, and plum blossoms from the local market vendors.
Xiao Jun leaned back against his chair, his dark eyes shining with clever mischief.
"Her idea for fruit and herb tea is brilliant," Xiao Jun murmured. "If she buys her supplies from random market sellers, the quality will be uneven. But if she relies on me..."
He turned his head toward Ah Hei, his tone growing sharp and decisive.
"Go down to the market right now," Xiao Jun ordered in a low voice. "Buy up every single bit of dried ginger, honey, hawthorn, and plum blossom from all the sellers on this street before her manager gets there. Leave nothing behind."
Ah Hei blinked in surprise. "Young Master, why are we buying out the market?"
"So she can’t find a single ingredient in the East Market," Xiao Jun smiled smoothly. "Then, tell one of the market sellers to ’secretly’ recommend that she go to Wenlong Tea House to buy her supplies."
Ah Hei’s eyes widened in realization. Wenlong Tea House was the largest tea supply house in the central district and it belonged entirely to Young Master Xiao.
"You want to become her only supplier?" Ah Hei asked.
"I want to be the only one who can give her what she needs," Xiao Jun corrected with a knowing smirk. "If she wants to build her business, she will have to deal with me. Now go, before her manager steps out the door."
Ah Hei bowed deeply. "Understood, Young Master."
Down on the first floor, Yimei handed twenty silver taels to Liu Fang. "Take this silver to the market stalls down the street. Buy all the fresh ginger, dried fruit, and honey you can find so we can prepare the first batch."
"Yes, Young Miss! I will be right back!" Liu Fang said happily, taking the silver pouch and hurrying out the front door into the snowy street.
Up on the second-floor balcony, Xiao Jun watched Liu Fang rush out, then turned his gaze back down to Yimei. He raised his teacup toward her quiet, unsuspecting back, taking a slow, satisfied sip.
Xiao Jun set his porcelain cup down onto the table with a soft clack. He rose smoothly from his seat, dusting off his purple silk robes, a satisfied smile playing on his lips. Without making a sound, he glided down the back stairs and vanished into the snowy street, leaving behind only the light scent of warm cedar wood.
Meanwhile, at the bustling East Market, the icy wind blew relentless gusts across the stalls.
Liu Fang wrapped her cloak tightly around her shivering shoulders, her face pale and dripping with sweat despite the freezing cold. She hurried from one wooden stall to the next, her small silver pouch clutched tight in her trembling hand.
"What do you mean it’s sold out?!" Liu Fang gasped at the third merchant, her voice tight with panic. "All of it? Every last jar of honey and dried ginger?!"
The vendor, a fat man wrapped in a sheepskin coat, blew warm air into his hands and shrugged lazily. "I told you, girl, some wealthy servant came by ten minutes ago and bought every single jar I had. Paid double the price in pure silver too! Go ask Old Zhang down the street."
Liu Fang’s heart sank like a heavy stone. She practically ran down the slippery, snow-covered cobblestones to the next stall, then the next, and the next.
Dried hawthorn? Sold out.
Plum blossoms? Bought out.
Sweet honey? Not a single drop left on the entire street.
By the fifth stall, Liu Fang leaned against a wooden pillar, completely exhausted, stressed, and near tears. Her chest heaved as she stared blankly at the empty market tables. How was she going to return to the tea house? Young Miss had trusted her with her very first big assignment, and she couldn’t even buy a single root of ginger!
"Looking for winter tea supplies, little girl?" a rasping voice suddenly called out from the shadows.
Liu Fang jumped, turning her head quickly.
Standing beside a narrow alleyway was a weird-looking woman. She wore a patched, oversized grey wool cloak wrapped tightly around her stooped shoulders. Her face was half-hidden beneath a deep hood, revealing only a pair of sharp, darting eyes and a crooked, yellow-toothed grin.
Liu Fang stepped back instinctively, her hands tightening on her coin pouch. "Who... who are you?"
The strange woman chuckled softly, a harsh, dry sound that cut through the cold wind.
"Doesn’t matter who I am," the woman muttered, leaning in closer with a knowing wink. "I saw you running around like a headless chicken. You won’t find a single plum blossom or honey jar in the East Market today, girl. Someone swept the whole place clean."
"How do you know that?" Liu Fang asked, her eyes wide with suspicion and worry.
"I have eyes and ears," the woman sneered, pointing a long, dirty finger down the main avenue toward a grand, three-story wooden building with bright red lanterns. "If you are truly desperate for high-grade dried fruit, honey, and rare herbs, stop wasting your breath on these small street vendors. Go to Wenlong Tea House."
Liu Fang blinked in surprise. "Wenlong Tea House? But isn’t that the largest supply house in the central district? Their prices are usually far too high for small shops..."
"They have the best stock in the entire capital," the woman interrupted smoothly, taking a step back into the shadows. "And right now, they are the only ones who have what your shop needs. If your boss truly wants to launch her new drinks today, that’s your only choice."
"How did you know about..?"
Before Liu Fang could ask another question, the strange woman pulled her deep hood further down over her face, turned on her heel, and quickly melted away into the crowded, snowy crowd.
Liu Fang stood frozen in the cold street, staring toward the tall, grand sign of Wenlong Tea House in the distance. Her mind spun with doubt and desperation. She wiped her cold cheeks, took a deep breath, and turned around to hurry back to the East Market Tea House to report the strange news to Yimei.