The second person to enter was Xuan Mu.
Upon seeing her, Xu Chen’s expression instantly softened, a stark contrast to the look she had worn when facing Lü Jingming.
“Aunt Mu, thank you for your hard work.”
“The Princess’s residence has suffered heavy losses; it is entirely thanks to you that we have managed to hold out.” ”
Xuan Mu was a woman of strict principles; she was the person the late Empress had left to protect the original owner.
However, the original owner had been deliberately raised by Emperor Yongji to distrust and loathe her. Yet, because of her connection to the late Empress, she couldn’t be killed, so she was marginalised instead. When Xu Chen first arrived, she was dressed in coarse hemp robes, working as a menial labourer in the Crown Princess’s residence.
For a capable person to be reduced to menial labour, and to be constantly bullied by the good-for-nothings indulged by the Crown Princess—it was nothing short of a slow torture of the soul.
The original host’s contempt and neglect caused Xuan Mu great anguish, whilst the favour bestowed by the late emperor’s consort prevented her from leaving the Crown Princess’s residence. This only deepened her suffering, causing her to become utterly taciturn.
She had long since lost all hope, reduced to little more than a walking corpse.
Who could have foreseen that on an ordinary day, Xu Chen would suddenly appear before her?
Gaining Xuan Mu’s trust was no easy feat. Even if the original host was a complete nightmare, she was still the young mistress Xuan Mu was sworn to protect. If Xuan Mu were to realise that Xu Chen was not the original host, Xu Chen would likely be killed on the spot.
Therefore, when Xu Chen went to see Xuan Mu, she uttered a single sentence that would send shockwaves through the other’s heart.
“Aunt Xu, I know that the death of the late Empress Consort was no accident. There is a true culprit behind it who sought to kill my father, is there not?”
In Xuan Mu’s mind, this single sentence explained all of Xu Chen’s unusual behaviour.
For she, too, had harboured suspicions regarding the death of the late Empress Consort.
Alas, Xuan Mu possessed no evidence. Her master—the War God of Great Zhou, and later Empress Consort—had sustained numerous hidden injuries upon returning from the battlefield.
Back then, the Yun family had summoned every physician they could find—whether court physicians, private doctors from prominent families, chief physicians from clinics, or folk healers—and without exception, they all claimed that the late Empress had long suffered from hidden ailments.
These ailments had sapped the Empress’s strength; once removed from the battlefield environment, they gradually manifested.
Even a modern-day master healer would have been powerless to help.
Following the Empress’s demise, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager left the position vacant; even though she favoured Chun Gui Jun greatly, she did not allow him to succeed as Empress.
At the same time, she treated the original protagonist—as the Crown Princess—with even greater severity. It was plain to all that Emperor Yongji placed immense hope in the original protagonist, leaving no room for anyone to find fault with her.
Even Xuan Mu, who did not believe the former Empress had died of natural causes, suspected none other than the Noble Consort Chun and the forces behind her. Whilst she harboured a vague apprehension towards Emperor Yongji, she had never managed to uncover any evidence linking the Emperor to the Empress’s death.
She had never imagined that Xu Chen, who had been so young back then, would also harbour suspicions regarding the former Empress’s death.
This fully explained why Xu Chen had become increasingly dissolute over the years; it was a cover to conceal the truth.
Xuan Mu dispelled all her suspicions regarding Xu Chen almost instantly and willingly agreed to her request to return to active service.
In truth, the reasoning Xu Chen had provided was far from flawless. To say nothing of other matters, the original host’s habit of killing servants at the drop of a hat—that brutal and tyrannical conduct—could not be explained by mere pretence alone.
Yet people are always willing to believe what they wish to see.
To Xuan Mu and the others, Xu Chen’s most significant identity was not her own person, but that of the late Empress’s daughter.
The daughter of the late emperor’s consort—this was a status symbol. The more she behaved in a manner that aligned with Xuan Mu and the others’ expectations and imaginings of this role, the more Xuan Mu would trust her.
After all, compared to a stranger’s soul occupying the original host’s body, wasn’t it far more convincing that she, as the daughter of the late emperor’s consort, had been naturally precocious and had simply been biding her time all these years?
Perhaps this is what one might call the most deadly form of self-delusion.
“Your Highness need not worry. Over the years, aside from Xuan Yu and Xuan Ying, I have also trained several disciples. I have already placed them within the Princess’s Mansion’s guard unit; I now have virtually complete control over all the guards in the Eastern Palace.”
Xu Chen nodded; she had faith in Xuan Mu’s capabilities.
Xuan Mu was a contingency plan left behind by the late Empress to protect his daughter; she was certainly no ordinary figure.
With Xuan Mu by her side, coupled with the purge of the Eastern Palace, Xu Chen’s current situation was far better than when she first arrived in this world.
At the very least, she no longer had to be on her guard against spies every day, unable to relax for a moment, nor did she have to deal with those detestable men in the inner quarters.
Xu Chen thought for a moment, then said to Xuan Mu, “Aunt Mu, I’ll have Uncle Lin transfer a sum of silver to you. Use it to pay this month’s wages to the guards in advance, and give each of them an extra five taels as a bonus. Tell them you secured this for them from me. That way, you’ll have the support of virtually all the guards in the mansion.”
“They’ve devoted their literary and martial skills to the imperial household; who wouldn’t want to earn a little extra silver? The former captain of the guards used to skim off their pay, but you’re paying them early and giving them more. Even the most scheming among them will have to respect you.”
Xuan Mu was momentarily taken aback, almost believing she was seeing the late Empress himself.
When the late Empress commanded his troops, he never withheld soldiers’ pay; indeed, he went out of his way to provide extra compensation for the wounded and fallen. Whatever spoils were captured on the battlefield or rewards granted by the court, he was never stingy, distributing it all among his subordinates. Thus, the former Empress commanded the Yun Family Army—a force that was utterly loyal and invincible.
Xuan Mu had, of course, been won over by such a ruler, and now she witnessed the exact same approach.
“Yes, Your Highness,” she replied, her resolve set.
Xu Chen had instructed her to take the credit for herself, but she would not do so. Instead, she would tell the guards that the money had come from the Crown Princess, and she would lead them all in complete loyalty to Xu Chen.
……
Soon, Lu Jingming returned to inform Xu Chen that she had arranged everything.
Xu Chen changed back into plain clothes, had Xuan Ying and Xuan Yu dress as ordinary guards, and, boarding that unremarkable carriage, left the Crown Princess’s residence.
The location Lu Jingming had arranged was the Zhou family’s only remaining textile workshop. It was of medium size, and because they were to receive Xu Chen, Zhou Yan had granted the entire workforce two days’ leave to return home.
Inside the workshop, Zhou Yan was pacing restlessly. Dressed in a plain gown, she looked around the workshop with curiosity, wanting to speak but holding back.
After a long while, Zhou Yan finally couldn’t resist asking, “Sister Lu, can’t you really tell me who it is I’m supposed to meet?”
Lu Jingming turned to look at her and said with a smile, “You’ll be meeting my master very soon, won’t you? There’s no need to rush.”
Zhou Yan took a deep breath. “Then let me ask another question: can your master truly save the Zhou family?”
Lu Jingming put aside her smilling expression, walked over and sat down beside Zhou Yan, and said solemnly, “That depends on whether you have the sincerity.”
“Zhou Yan, do you know why you’ve been driven to this point?”
“Because you’re too indecisive. Of course, it’s not your fault; you’re too young. You’ve always lived under your parents’ protection and haven’t experienced any major events, so naturally you can’t be decisive.”
“But you can’t expect my master to save the Zhou family and seek justice for you and your father, yet refuse to hand over the Zhou Cloth Merchants to her.”
“I really shouldn’t have said so much to you, but I feel for you and I admire you, so I hope you’ve already made up your mind. Once you meet my master, you’ll be glad you’ve made the wisest decision of your life.”
No sooner had Lu Jingming finished speaking than the sound of rolling carriage wheels could be heard from outside. Lu Jingming immediately sprang to her feet and hurried to open the door, with Zhou Yan following close behind, her curiosity about the visitor growing by the moment.
Xu Chen stepped into the workshop and immediately spotted Zhou Yan trailing behind Lu Jingming.
Zhou Yan looked utterly haggard; she had grown terribly thin. Though she wore a rather fitted style of clothing, she still appeared as though she were floating within it—it was clear she had suffered greatly during this time.
Upon seeing Xu Chen, Lü Jingming immediately bowed respectfully.
“Greetings, my lady.”
He then introduced Zhou Yan to Xu Chen.
“My lady, this is Miss Zhou Yan of the Zhou Family Textile Shop.”
“Zhou Yan, do not delay in greeting Miss Xu.”
Zhou Yan hastily raised her hand in a curtsy. “Greetings, Miss Xu.”
Xu Chen had no intention of telling Zhou Yan that she was the Crown Princess; she planned to go about her business in public under the guise of Miss Xu.
Zhou Yan quietly observed Xu Chen. From the quality of the fabrics Xu Chen wore, she could tell that Xu Chen was either wealthy or of noble birth, but she did not entertain the notion that she might be a princess, let alone the Crown Princess—that was far too distant a prospect for her, utterly impossible!
Xu Chen sat down at a stone table, with Xuan Ying and Xuan Yu standing behind her. For some reason, Zhou Yan, seeing Lu Jingming and the two guards standing there, dared not sit down either. Standing before Xu Chen like a little girl undergoing training, her hands were sweating with nervousness.
It was only then that she realised what Lu Jingming had meant when she said she had never been through anything.
After all, until then, she had believed that having weathered the hardships of her parents’ deaths, the betrayal of her kin, and the seizure of her family’s assets, she was no longer the naive country girl she once was.
Paying no heed to Zhou Yan’s nervousness, Xu Chen spoke: “Miss Zhou, I believe Jingming has already conveyed my intentions to you clearly.”
“I wish to acquire Zhou’s business. What do you think?”
Zhou Yan felt her voice being forced out of her throat.
“Zhou’s is the family business my parents passed down to me. If it changes hands, I cannot face my mother.”
Xu Chen glanced at her and continued in her unhurried manner: “You misunderstand me. Zhou’s will remain Zhou’s; it is simply that you, along with your Zhou’s, will serve me in the future.”
“If you agree today to become mine, the moment you step through that door, you will be able to draw upon my power to reclaim everything that was taken from Zhou’s.”
“Afterwards, you may also use this power to manage the Zhou textile business—a world you have never even imagined.”
“Now, the choice is yours: agree or refuse.”
Zhou Yan instantly realised the other’s identity. The Xu family bore the imperial surname; the Miss Xu before her must be connected to the imperial household, possessing power that reached the heavens. And power, she thought, was the most terrifying yet most wonderful thing in this world.
Had she not experienced this all too keenly over the past few months?
Ever since her mother’s untimely death, the vast Zhou family estate had been stripped bare. Apart from her youth and inexperience—which left her no match for the old foxes lurking both within and without—it was largely because those coveting the Zhou estate were all backed by towering powers.
Thus, she was utterly powerless to defend herself.
If she had powerful backing, would those ravenous wolves have been able to get their hands on it so easily?
Whenever this thought crossed her mind, Zhou Yan’s eyes would fill with tears.
“I want to know, once I agree, how much of the Zhou family’s profits will I still receive?”
Xu Chen: “Eight percent goes to me; you may dispose of the rest as you see fit.”
This was already Xu Chen’s greatest concession, for she did not actually need Zhou Yan specifically; she had approached Zhou Yan merely because it was more convenient, and she also required someone to manage her business affairs.
Zhou Yan was her first choice.
She could have a second or even a third candidate.
Offering Zhou Yan a 20% share was already the treatment reserved for a business partner.
Zhou Yan knew full well that Xu Chen had no intention of negotiating with her; she had only two choices: to accept or to refuse.
For only by securing Xu Chen’s support would she have a chance to take revenge on those wolves who had seized the Zhou family estate and caused her father’s tragic death!
So Zhou Yan chose to bow her head and, kneeling on one knee, said, “Zhou Yan is willing to serve Miss Xu.”