A while later, Yun Zhiyue walked out of the palace gates carrying a brocade box.
Inside were the five thousand taels Xiao Zhaoning had given her.
Lüliu helped Yun Zhiyue into the carriage. As the servant boy drove the carriage past a restaurant, mocking voices drifted faintly from inside.
“I heard that arrogant fake daughter of the Pingyang Marquis Household already left the manor.”
“Hmph, she should’ve left long ago. She was occupying someone else’s nest anyway.”
“Hey, what do you think she was thinking? Why leave all of a sudden?”
“What ‘all of a sudden’? The marquis household probably got sick of her arrogant attitude and kicked her out.”
“Tell me, how does it feel to fall from a marquis’s daughter to a merchant’s daughter?”
“Hahaha! I bet within three days she’ll come crying back to the marquis household.”
Yun Zhiyue lifted the carriage curtain.
The restaurant’s name came into view:
Gathering Worthies Pavilion.
Lüliu’s face burned with anger.
“Miss, don’t listen to them! They’re talking complete nonsense. Just watch me go down there and tear their mouths apart!”
She immediately moved to jump off the carriage.
Yun Zhiyue stopped her.
“Do you know who they are?”
Lüliu clenched her fists.
“Hmph. Those four are the capital’s Four Great Playboy Heirs.”
“The one in blue is the eldest illegitimate son of the Right Deputy Director of Communications.”
“The sharp-faced one beside him is the second legitimate son of an Academician Reader from the Hanlin Academy.”
“The one in dark teal is the second illegitimate son of the Deputy Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.”
“And the last one with the large mole on his face is the legitimate eldest son of General Zhongwu.”
Understanding immediately, Yun Zhiyue lowered the curtain.
“Let’s go. Your young miss is only a merchant’s daughter now. Their fathers all hold official ranks around the fourth rank. We can’t afford to provoke them.”
Lüliu puffed up in anger.
Back then, not only would they never dare gossip about her mistress—even seeing her in person would have been impossible.
What a bunch of snobs.
Seeing her expression, Yun Zhiyue laughed softly.
“All right, stop being angry. Why don’t you tell me some interesting things about the capital instead?”
Still fuming, Lüliu grumbled:
“The so-called Four Great Playboy Heirs are just pests. They spend all day fooling around without learning anything. They’re not even worthy of carrying shoes for the Capital’s Four Great Handsome Men.”
Yun Zhiyue became interested.
“There are Four Great Handsome Men too? Who are they?”
At that, Lüliu’s eyes sparkled.
“Of course! The foremost among them is the heir of the Grand Princess’s residence—handsome as jade, refined and noble.”
“The second is His Highness the Crown Prince, majestic and graceful like a dragon and phoenix.”
“The third is the second young master of the Cavalry General’s residence—gentle and elegant.”
“And the fourth is the young commandery prince of Prince Rong’s residence—spirited and wildly charismatic.”
Oh.
The original owner had probably seen them from afar during banquets before, though the memories were blurry now.
Seeing her mistress genuinely interested, Lüliu continued eagerly:
“There are also Four Great Beauties in the capital.”
“The first is the Grand Tutor’s legitimate granddaughter—both talented and beautiful, known as the Capital’s Greatest Talented Lady.”
“The second is…” Lüliu paused awkwardly and glanced at Yun Zhiyue’s expression.
“What’s wrong? Continue. Who’s second?”
Lüliu hesitated.
“Uh… Miss, originally, the second-ranked beauty was you. But after all the rumors about your bad reputation spread, your ranking was removed.”
“Oh. Continue.”
Yun Zhiyue touched her own face thoughtfully.
Well, this face really was beautiful.
“So the second place became Princess Mingzhu of Prince Gong’s residence—bright and dazzling as vermilion.”
“The third is Third Princess, breathtakingly beautiful.”
“And the fourth is the eldest young miss of the Pingyang Marquis Household—graceful and dignified.”
“The capital really is a wonderful place,” Yun Zhiyue smacked her lips lightly. “So many nobles, so many beauties.”
Then she suddenly remembered something.
“Right. Was there anything unusual about that protective charm?”
The moment the topic came up, Lüliu became even angrier.
“The physician said it carried the scent of mandrake. Wearing it regularly would cause dizziness and headaches, and in severe cases could even threaten one’s life.”
“Miss, the eldest young miss personally gave it to you. One really can never lower their guard around people. Who knew she’d be so vicious?”
Li Yuyao, you truly are a poisonous snake.
Yun Zhiyue narrowed her eyes, her expression turning colder.
Master Yun sat beside the table with a worried expression, flipping through the account books.
Why was the teahouse losing more money the longer it operated?
The moment Yun Zhiyue entered, she saw the scene.
“Father, is something troubling you?”
Master Yun sighed heavily.
“I’m afraid this teahouse can’t continue much longer. Daily profits are less than five taels.”
“Could Father take Daughter there to have a look? Perhaps Daughter has a way to revive the teahouse.”
Master Yun looked up at her, hope flickering in his eyes.
“All right.”
The teahouse was completely empty at the moment.
A man dressed in a dark gray robe was leaning against a table, dozing off.
The moment Master Yun entered, he slapped the table sharply.
“Changsheng, what are you doing?”
Startled awake, the shopkeeper Chen Changsheng immediately stood and bowed.
“Greetings, Boss. What brings you to the teahouse today?”
Master Yun glared at him.
“If I hadn’t come, how would I know you were slacking off and sleeping here?”
Chen Changsheng looked miserable.
“Boss, business at the teahouse is terrible nowadays. This humble one is worried sick. Every night I stay awake thinking of solutions, so during the day I end up dozing off.”
Master Yun snorted and flicked his sleeves.
“Hmph.”
Behind them, Yun Zhiyue quietly surveyed the layout.
The teahouse itself was fairly spacious, but the seating on the first floor was packed too tightly together. The overall color scheme was dark brown and gloomy, making the place feel lifeless and dull.
“Shopkeeper, what’s the layout upstairs?”
Chen Changsheng glanced at Yun Zhiyue, then at Master Yun.
“Boss, this young lady is…?”
Master Yun snorted proudly.
“Remember this well. She is my biological daughter—the eldest miss of the Yun family.”
Chen Changsheng nodded repeatedly.
“Yes, yes, understood. Greetings, Eldest Miss.”
“In reply to Eldest Miss, the second floor consists entirely of private rooms—twenty in total.”
“The teas we commonly sell are Biluochun, West Lake Longjing, Wuyi Rock Tea, and Keemun black tea.”
Yun Zhiyue thought for a moment.
“Do we have entertainment performances? And where is everyone else?”
“We have storytelling performances—usually tales of talented scholars and beautiful ladies, or gossip from the capital—but the results are poor. Business remains terrible.”
“As for the others, I dismissed several workers. The accountant is on leave, and I sent some waiters out to purchase supplies.”
Chen Changsheng wiped his face in frustration.
Yun Zhiyue had already been wondering where to sell lemon-based foods. Now she roughly had a plan.
“Father, if you trust your daughter, then hand the teahouse over to me.”
“In less than ten days, the teahouse will become famous throughout the capital.”
Though hesitant, Master Yun still laughed heartily.
“It’s rare for my daughter to have such confidence. Of course Father trusts you.”
“Then Father shall wait for your good news.”
“Changsheng, from now on you will obey Eldest Miss’s commands and assist her fully.”
Chen Changsheng clearly wasn’t optimistic.
“Yes, Boss.”
“Mother, I really want to leave the palace! Just for a little while. Please?”
Xiao Zhaoning squatted beside the Empress, tugging at her robe while swaying back and forth.
Her voice sounded pitifully spoiled.
“Mother~ dear Mother~ please?”
The Empress was so pestered she became helpless. She lightly poked Xiao Zhaoning’s forehead with a slender finger.
“You mischievous girl. Why do you suddenly want to leave the palace?”
Xiao Zhaoning pouted.
“Mother, it’s a secret. Please don’t ask. When I come back, I’ll definitely bring you delicious food.”
The Empress was unconcerned.
What delicious things could possibly exist outside the palace?
Still, being nagged endlessly left her helpless, so she ordered someone to fetch a palace token.
“Go on, then. But take more guards with you.”
Receiving permission, Xiao Zhaoning jumped up excitedly.
“Thank you, Mother! Mother is the best! Your daughter won’t disturb you any longer—I take my leave!”
Then she hurried away in a rush.
The Empress shook her head.
“I truly don’t know whether this personality of hers is good or bad.”
The palace matron beside her responded:
“Her Highness is innocent and lively. Naturally, that is a wonderful thing.”
The Empress merely smiled without replying.