Chapter 77 A man as shrewd as him, if the Cui family falls from power one day, what will he do then…?

In a private room on the second floor of Juxianglou, wisps of tea smoke curled upwards. Meng Lingyao sat upright at the table, her delicate hands gently holding a cup of Biluochun tea, quietly listening to Manager Qian report on the recent affairs of the shop.

Several blueprints were spread out on the table, marking the locations of several shops in Jinling City. The drawings were clear and the handwriting was legible.

“Miss, I’ve roughly selected three locations for the Jinling branch, all in prime locations.” Manager Qian pointed to the blueprints. “This one is near the Qinhuai River, with plenty of foot traffic, but the rent is a bit higher. This one is near the Confucius Temple, a gathering place for literati and scholars, which is also suitable. And this one…”

Meng Lingyao nodded slightly, her gaze sweeping over the blueprints. "These are all good locations. Site selection is crucial; we must be meticulous. How about the manpower?"

"Miss, I've finalized a few candidates." Manager Qian took out a list from his sleeve and explained each name in turn, "Li Xinggui is diligent and keeps accurate accounts. Lü Liang is quick-witted and knows how to please customers. And Qiao Xiangsong..."

“Wait,” Meng Lingyao suddenly raised her hand to interrupt, her brows furrowing slightly, “I remember this man’s ancestors all lived in the capital, and now he only has his mother at home, whose health seems to be not very good. If we send him all the way to Jinling, wouldn’t we be leaving the old lady behind?”

Shopkeeper Qian quickly explained, “Miss has a good memory. I also asked him. His mother’s cough has become more and more severe in recent years. The climate in the capital is dry, and the doctor said that if she could go to the Jiangnan area, the moist soil and water might be more beneficial to her condition. He is planning to take his mother south this time and settle down in Jinling.”

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Qiao Xiangsong is meticulous in his work. I plan to have him work as a minor steward in Jinling, where his monthly salary will be higher. His mother can find an easy job there so that the two of them can take care of each other."

Meng Lingyao nodded upon hearing this, secretly praising Manager Qian for his thoughtful consideration. "That's for the best. Please take good care of the mother and son. Make sure the shop makes proper arrangements for the food and lodging of all the employees going to Jinling, so that no one suffers any grievances in a foreign land."

"Miss is kind and benevolent, I will remember that." Manager Qian bowed and replied, feeling a warmth in his heart. Although the owner was young, his consideration and meticulousness towards his subordinates was rare.

“The Jinling branch is Juxianglou’s first branch, and we cannot afford to lose it.” Meng Lingyao pondered for a moment and said, “I intend to go there myself. Didn’t you say that the location has not yet been finalized? I’ll go and take a look so I can have a better understanding of the situation.”

Upon hearing this, Manager Qian felt a great weight lifted from his heart, and his face immediately broke into a wide smile. "Oh dear! It's wonderful that Miss is willing to personally take a look. I've been so worried about this matter these past few days! I've been wanting to invite Miss over, but I haven't dared to ask..."

This shop may be just one of the properties under the young lady's name, but for this old man, it is the means to make a living in his later years. How could he not care about it?

Seeing his relieved expression, Meng Lingyao couldn't help but chuckle. "Manager Qian, Juxianglou is also my life's work, and my concern for it is no less than yours."

Having grown up in such a smooth and uneventful way, this was the first time she had ever put so much effort into something. Even when she was looking for a husband, she had never been this dedicated.

However, a shop is much more reliable than a man. Every penny earned is a penny earned, unlike what looks like a handful of silver that turns out to be a pile of rotten leaves.

Manager Qian was unaware of what the young lady was thinking, but upon hearing that she was also so concerned, he was overjoyed and couldn't stop smiling as he scratched the back of his head.

After laughing, he suddenly became serious and said, "By the way, Miss, there is another important matter. Yesterday, someone came to the door and ordered hundreds of bottles of Yaotai Qin in one go. This is a big deal."

"Hundreds of bottles?" Meng Lingyao raised an eyebrow slightly.

"That's right. But there are a lot of mosquitoes in the summer, and this Yaotai Qin is selling like hotcakes lately. We're short on stock right now, so I asked the customer where he lived, saying that we could deliver it to his door once we had the goods ready. But he said he was from out of town and was staying at the Yunlai Inn. He told us to send someone to let him know when the goods were ready, and he would bring people to pick them up himself."

Shopkeeper Qian initially thought the man was a middleman from out of town, as there had been quite a few like him lately. However, the man's manner of speaking and demeanor was unlike that of an ordinary merchant, so he became suspicious and had a young shop assistant who rarely appeared in the outside world follow him for a while.

"And then?" Meng Lingyao had a feeling that something was amiss.

"That merchant did enter the Yunlai Inn, but he came out shortly afterward and then went to the Princess's Mansion in the east of the city!" Manager Qian said solemnly, "Miss, this matter is a bit strange."

Princess's Residence?

Meng Lingyao paused, tapping her fingers lightly on the table as she fell into deep thought.

The eldest princess is going to take care of her business?

If that's the case, why go through all this trouble and secrecy? Besides, the shop has many valuable items, so why specifically buy this Yaotai Qin, which has mosquito-repelling properties?

After pondering for a long time, she finally spoke, "You must carefully inspect this batch of goods. The effectiveness must be up to standard, and the packaging must be extremely careful to withstand long-distance travel."

As she spoke, she picked up paper and pen and began to write furiously on the table. Manager Qian glanced at it curiously, then immediately turned pale with shock, "Miss, this...this is the recipe for Yaotai Qin?"

“Not bad.” Meng Lingyao put down her pen after writing the last word. “I sent a bottle to Her Highness the Princess before. With mosquitoes rampant in the southwest, Yaotai Qin might come in handy.”

Hundreds of bottles... This quantity is definitely not for personal use.

She carefully folded the paper. "I've heard that the climate in the southwest is hot and humid, which is very suitable for the growth of plants. The ingredients in the recipe are not hard to find, so they should be able to be prepared locally. When you arrive, please put this recipe in the shipment."

Manager Qian looked troubled. "Miss, Yaotai Qin is our signature dish..."

"It's just a prescription." Meng Lingyao waved her hand, her expression indifferent. "In the capital, this is nothing more than a convenient and elegant addition to summer. But if it can be of use in the southwest, it's worth giving everything for."

Manager Qian nodded silently. He wasn't an unreasonable person. He asked, "Then should we just not accept this payment?"

Meng Lingyao shook her head. "Since Your Highness doesn't want people to know that she made the purchases, then let's pretend we don't know for now."

As the two were talking, they suddenly heard hurried footsteps downstairs. A waiter rushed upstairs and knocked lightly on the door. “Miss, Manager Qian, Miss Zhao and… His Highness the Third Prince are coming to our door. We are afraid we may not be able to entertain them properly. Please give us your instructions.”

Meng Lingyao's brow twitched slightly. "I understand." She stood up, straightened her skirt, and walked downstairs with a composed gait.

As soon as I stepped downstairs, I saw a bright, pale yellow figure standing in front of the door. Zhao Ruxuan was fiddling with a plum vase on the antique shelf. Hearing footsteps, she turned around and said arrogantly, "Oh, Miss Meng, you've finally deigned to condescend to your status? I think the threshold of your shop is harder to cross than the palace gate."

Meng Lingyao remained calm and composed, curtsying politely. "Miss Zhao, you flatter me. It was my fault for not welcoming such an honored guest. May Your Highness be well."

"Miss Meng, please don't stand on ceremony." The Third Prince smiled and nodded, his demeanor gentle and refined. "It was just a whim of Ruxuan's and mine, and we came to bother you without informing you. Please don't take offense."

Zhao Ruxuan snorted coldly, her gaze sweeping across the shop like a hook. "If you're going to do business, you should at least bring out something decent. These boxes look neat on the outside, but the contents are nothing special. Everyone says you're clever and resourceful, but look at these perfumes and balms, their color and fragrance are mediocre at all."

“And this face powder,” she said, picking up a box of pearl powder, opening it, taking out a small amount, rubbing it, and holding it up to the Third Prince. “Your Highness, look, it’s not even half as delicate and translucent as the one you gave me before.”

Meng Lingyao's smile remained unchanged as she said gently, "Miss Zhao has discerning eyes and naturally has extraordinary taste. It's understandable that ordinary things don't catch her eye. His Highness is even more accustomed to rare treasures. The trinkets in my little shop are merely novel and ingenious ideas, just for novelty and fun. How dare I compare them to the tributes from the palace?"

"Eloquent flattery!" Zhao Ruxuan hated her calm and composed demeanor the most, like punching cotton, only causing frustration. Her face darkened, and she said directly, "Stop with the empty words. I heard that your Yaotai Qin is barely passable. These days, the mosquitoes are bothering me. Give me... fifty bottles, send them to my residence."

The young shop assistant standing nearby quickly stepped forward and bowed deeply. "Miss, please forgive me. As I just told you, all the Yaotai Qin in the shop was ordered yesterday by a customer from out of town. We are out of stock now, but as soon as the new stock is ready, we will personally deliver it to your residence!"

"They're all sold out?" Zhao Ruxuan, who was deliberately looking for trouble, raised her voice even higher upon hearing this. "What a coincidence! Why is it that when I wanted it, it was gone?"

Her chest heaved slightly as she turned to Meng Lingyao, a small flame burning in her eyes. "Meng Lingyao, are you deliberately trying to embarrass me? In your eyes, is my Wuxing Marquis's mansion not even as valuable as a stranger from out of town?"

Manager Qian's face flushed, and his lips moved slightly, but Meng Lingyao silently stopped him with a look.

She calmly replied, “Miss Zhao, you flatter me. In business, the most important thing is keeping your word. No matter the customer’s status, once a deal is made, it is a contract. In our shop, we do not consider people’s face or status, but only follow the rules and order. This is by no means a slight to Miss Zhao or the Marquis of Wuxing’s mansion.”

Zhao Ruxuan raised her voice and said, "Your words sound nice, but who knows what you're really thinking? I don't care what people say, I only care what they do. Do you have this fragrant dew today?"

The Third Prince spoke up at the opportune moment, "Miss Meng, that is true, but sometimes rules must be adjusted according to the circumstances. Ruxuan truly desires this, and it also concerns the Marquis's mansion and... my dignity. I wonder if you could think of a way to make an exception?"

While he spoke for his fiancée, the look in his eyes towards Meng Lingyao still contained just the right amount of helplessness and apology, as if everything was just something he had been forced into.

Meng Lingyao sneered inwardly, but her expression became even more amiable. "It is precisely because of Your Highness's and the Marquis's mansion's reputation, as well as Miss Zhao's noble status, that we must uphold business ethics and abide by the rules. Otherwise, what credibility will our shop have when distinguished guests patronize us in the future? Besides—"

She changed the subject slightly, a faint smile playing on her lips, "Miss Zhao is such a distinguished person, how could she possibly argue with an ordinary merchant over a few bottles of perfume? That would be beneath her dignity."

Zhao Ruxuan was flattered by Meng Lingyao's constant use of terms like "respectable," "precious," and "of high status," and the anger that had been suppressed for days was strangely soothed somewhat. In addition, Meng Lingyao's eyes were clear and frank, a gentleness that Zhao Ruxuan rarely saw in her, and her pretentious and difficult attitude instantly became unsustainable.

She pursed her lips, the knot of frustration in her heart gradually dissipating, and she let out a deflated hum, "Fine! There's really nothing to fuss about."

Meng Lingyao smoothly diverted the conversation, "Since Miss Zhao is here, why don't you take a look at these newly made cosmetics? Your outfit... should be a new tribute satin from Yanxia Pavilion? Why don't you also take a look at the lipstick and cheek color that would complement it?"

She casually picked up a box of rouge; its hue was cool yet warm. "This color is elegant, perfectly complementing Miss Zhao's fair skin and beautiful complexion. It also tones down the bright brilliance of the satin, adding a touch of noble grace. Miss Zhao, would you like to try it?"

Zhao Ruxuan's gaze fell on the rouge box, indeed attracted by the color. In addition, she had just been subtly flattered by Meng Lingyao, and now that the other party was so proactive in guiding her, her tense face relaxed a little. She reached out and let Meng Lingyao lightly dab a little on the inside of her wrist.

After the rouge spread, it blended surprisingly well with her skin tone.

She examined it closely under the light and was truly amazed; this was the color she had been searching for for so long!

She said something else entirely, "...It's...okay enough. It's not as good as you say." But her gaze couldn't help but linger on the inside of her wrist a few more times. Before Meng Lingyao could say anything more, she casually picked out a few more rouges and several beautifully packaged perfumes, saying, "Wrap these up."

Only when the shop assistants started packing did she casually glance at the box of rouge she had tried, as if bestowing a favor, and casually say to the maid beside her, "The box I just tried... well, never mind, just take it too, so that no one will say I'm picky about even a box of rouge."

The Third Prince watched with a smile, gently stroking her arm and saying in a tender tone, "I'm glad you like it."

Only after the pale yellow figure was finally escorted away by a group of servants and disappeared outside the gate did the tense atmosphere in the hall gradually dissipate.

Manager Qian glanced at the stack of silver notes on the counter, far exceeding the value of the goods, then at the figure strode away through the door, unsure whether to be angry or amused. "This Miss Zhao... she really is..."

"But what they said was so unpleasant!" the young waiter still complained.

"What's wrong with that?" Meng Lingyao said calmly. "It saves her face, relieves her frustration, and also makes a good deal out of real money. We suffer no loss, so why bother about a few words?"

As for the Third Prince, she originally thought he was reasonable, but now it seems that his excessive smoothness has become hypocrisy.

What will become of such a person if the Cui family falls from power one day?