Chapter 39

Mu Yulu was so engrossed in these thoughts that she didn't notice the passage of time. When she finally heard someone calling her, a man in a crimson robe was already leaning against the door frame, gently waving an ivory fan in his hand, looking at her with a half-smile in the sunlight.

Although his robes were red, they were not gaudy; on the contrary, they accentuated his fair complexion. Sunlight streamed in from behind, gilding his entire body with a golden edge, making his crimson robes seem to blaze as if they were on fire.

This refined yet wealthy young man was undoubtedly Qi Zhizhi.

He appeared refined and gentlemanly, but his tongue was incredibly sharp: "Sir, it seems your hearing isn't very good?"

Mu Yulu composed herself, picked up the copper coins one by one, and then gestured for Qi Zhizhi to come inside and sit down.

Qi Zhizhi walked in slowly, his robes fluttering as he carried a faint scent of sandalwood.

He sat down opposite Mu Yulu, snapped his folding fan shut, and revealed a pair of smiling eyes: "My name is Qi Zhizhi. I have long heard that your divination is extremely accurate, and I have come here to ask for your guidance."

Mu Yulu looked at him through the mask: "I wonder what you wish to calculate, young master?"

Qi Zhizhi smiled slightly: "I am a businessman, so naturally I want to calculate matters in the business world."

Mu Yulu nodded, laid out the copper coins in a row, and then took out three and pushed them in front of Qi Zhizhi: "Young master, please be more specific about what business matters you would like to ask about."

Qi Zhizhi stretched out his hand, his slender fingers gently tracing the edge of the copper coin. After pondering for a moment, he suddenly leaned forward and asked directly, "Our Qi family's business in the Vermilion Bird Kingdom is already quite large. I plan to expand our business to the Black Tortoise Kingdom. I wonder what the prospects will be?"

Mu Yulu thought to herself, "Wow, this young master Qi really has great ambitions. His Qi family controls nearly half of the commercial territory of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom, and he's still not satisfied with that. He wants to expand his business to other countries."

To be honest, Qi Zhizhi is indeed a business genius. He must have done a lot of research before setting his sights on Xuanwu Kingdom.

After all, the most important skill for a businessman is not reading between the lines or being eloquent, but rather having a keen political eye.

The four most powerful countries at present, apart from the Vermilion Bird Kingdom, are the Black Tortoise Kingdom, the Azure Dragon Kingdom, and the White Tiger Kingdom. If the Qi family wants to develop transnational business, they will definitely choose from these three powerful countries.

These three countries naturally have varying strengths. Currently, the strongest country in terms of overall strength is the White Tiger Kingdom, while the weakest is the Black Tortoise Kingdom.

However, doing business is not just about how strong a country is; it requires taking into account factors such as the ruling party's style of governance, current policies, and the quality and atmosphere of the people.

Although Xuanwu Kingdom is currently the weakest of the major powers in terms of overall strength, if you take a long-term view, you will find that it is the one with the most potential.

The ruler of Xuanwu Kingdom has been seriously ill for the past two years. Since he had not yet appointed a crown prince, a new round of struggle for the throne began in the court as soon as he fell seriously ill.

In the past two years, Xuanwu Kingdom has been embroiled in fierce internal strife and has no time to attend to other matters. However, Mu Yulu knows that this internal strife will soon come to an end, with Princess Jiang Wangshu ascending the throne and becoming the first female ruler in history.

Jiang Wangshu was truly remarkable. He was a man of both literary talent and military prowess, capable of bringing peace to the world with his pen and conquering the world on horseback. He was a rare talent for governing the country and a military genius who could command troops with divine skill on the battlefield.

If she weren't such a formidable figure, she probably wouldn't have been able to win over so many ministers, gain their support, form factions, and carve out a path to the throne from among a group of princes.

Jiang Wangshu becoming the new ruler of Xuanwu was a major event that occurred six months later, and even Mu Yulu, who was usually unaware of world affairs, had heard about it.

Of course, she also heard about this important matter from Mu Qinhan.

At that time, Mu Qinhan had already married Liu Wenshuang. Fearing that she would be bored in the mansion, he would tell Liu Wenshuang about the day's events every day when he returned home.

Mu Yulu overheard Mu Qinhan mentioning this matter while serving tea to Liu Wenshuang.

“Actually, I started paying attention to the struggle for the throne in Xuanwu Kingdom as early as two years ago.” Mu Qinhan’s words showed a degree of apprehension towards Jiang Wangshu, but at the same time, he couldn’t hide his admiration: “If one of those princes ascends the throne, then Xuanwu Kingdom will be nothing to fear.”

"But it is precisely Jiang Wangshu who has ascended the throne. She will soon promulgate new policies, and this corrupt country will be revitalized."

Liu Wenshuang asked curiously, "Then, Your Highness, can you predict what new policies she will promulgate?"

Mu Qinhan's eyes were sharp: "First, she will eliminate the old party that has deep roots in the court, and then, while emphasizing agriculture, she will vigorously develop commerce."

Mu Yulu still remembers the resentment and regret in Mu Qinhan's tone when he said this: "This is something I've always wanted to do, but I've been unable to get it done for a long time."

Coming back to her senses from her previous life, Mu Yulu glanced calmly at Qi Zhizhi sitting opposite her.

It's likely that this business prodigy, like Mu Qinhan, had been paying attention to the struggle for the throne in Xuanwu Kingdom for a long time. However, since businessmen prioritize profit, his focus was different from Mu Qinhan's.

If Jiang Wangshu ascends the throne, Xuanwu Kingdom will have a brand-new look and will definitely open up cooperation with other countries. He will take advantage of the new policies to do business in Xuanwu Kingdom at this time.

However, if she fails to seize the throne, given the behavior of those princes and the old faction in the court, not to mention implementing new policies, they are very likely to close the country off from the world, and the Qi family's business in Xuanwu Kingdom will naturally be impossible.

So when Qi Zhizhi asked her about the fortunes of expanding her business to Xuanwu Kingdom, he was essentially asking when the internal strife in Xuanwu Kingdom would end and what the outcome would be.

Having figured this out, Mu Yulu calmly met Qi Zhizhi's gaze: "Please think about what you want, and then toss the coin."

Qi Zhizhi did as instructed.

The copper coin spun on the table and finally stopped. Mu Yulu and Qi Zhizhi both looked down at it.

Seeing that the copper coin had two heads and one tail, Mu Yulu raised her hand, signaling Qi Zhizhi to toss it again.

After tossing the coins twice more, Mu Yulu collected the copper coins on the table, raised her head, and pretended to observe Qi Zhizhi's face.

Qi Zhizhi asked curiously, "How is it?"

Mu Yulu then withdrew her gaze and nodded gently: "The divination indicates that although the road ahead is uncertain, the clouds will eventually part and the moon will shine. If we can wait for the right opportunity, we can achieve great things."

After a pause, she added, "I think the matter will be resolved within about six months. You can make preparations in advance, so you will be safe."

The shop fell silent for a moment, and Mu Yulu could feel Qi Zhizhi's gaze lingering on her face, as if trying to see through something.

After a long pause, he repeated, "Will we really see the outcome within six months?"

Mu Yulu knew perfectly well why he asked that question.

The struggle for the throne has always been brutal, and the situation in the Xuanwu Kingdom's court is constantly changing. Even Mu Qinhan is not sure if they will be able to decide the winner in six months.

However, Mu Yulu was certain.

Because she's already lived once.

She nodded firmly: "The divination indicates that the outcome will be clear in six months at most."

Seeing her so confident, Qi Zhizhi approached her with great appreciation, took out a silver ingot and placed it on the table: "Sir, you truly live up to your reputation."

Mu Yulu leaned back subtly, creating distance between herself and Qi Zhizhi, but her hands moved swiftly as she quickly slipped the silver into her sleeve: "Then I wish Young Master Qi a successful trip and a triumphant start."

After the divination was finished, she naturally began to urge the guests to leave.

However, Qi Zhizhi did not seem to be in a hurry to leave. He was still watching Mu Yulu with great interest, his slender fingers tapping the fan ribs occasionally.

He stared intently at Mu Yulu, making her feel uneasy. She coughed awkwardly twice, and Mu Yulu's tone became more reproachful: "Does Young Master Qi have any other questions?"

Qi Zhizhi shook his head, then suddenly tapped her wrist lightly with the tip of his fan: "I just suddenly noticed that your hands seem much more slender than those of an ordinary man."

Mu Yulu abruptly pulled her hand back, but he gently lifted the wide cuff of her sleeve with his fan, revealing half of her snow-white wrist. Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly pulled down her sleeve, only to find his eyes already filled with laughter when she looked up.

Mu Yulu glared at him angrily: "Young Master Qi, you..."

Before she could utter a word of reproach, Qi Zhizhi interrupted her, saying, "There are quite a few sharp-eyed people in the capital. Miss, you'd better be even more careful with your disguise."

Qi Zhizhi's voice was very soft, but his words were like a thunderclap in Mu Yulu's ears, giving her another jolt.

He figured it out?

When did he figure it out?

Moreover, judging from his eyes and the meaning behind his words, he not only realized she was a woman, but also guessed her true identity.

She subconsciously raised her hand to touch her mask and began to frantically review the events in her mind.

At what point did I expose myself?

Seemingly guessing what Mu Yulu was thinking, Qi Zhizhi smiled as he watched her, casually playing with the folding fan in his hand: "That day, when Miss threw the embroidered ball at the No. 1 Pavilion in the world, I was also there. I heard Miss's voice and saw the little things you did when you were upset."

As he spoke, he looked down at Mu Yulu's fingertips, and she quickly released her fingers that were fiddling with her sleeve.

Yes, he is the young master of the No. 1 Restaurant in the world. It's reasonable that Mu Yugang was present when he booked the entire restaurant that day.

He heard her voice and saw her various actions that day. As a top businessman, it's perfectly reasonable for him to remember these details.

Thinking of this, she broke out in a cold sweat. Although she had put on a disguise and deliberately lowered her voice when she spoke, how could these pretenses escape Qi Zhizhi's eyes? He probably recognized her the moment she opened her mouth.

Seeing that Mu Yulu remained silent, Qi Zhizhi stood up, turned around, and walked towards the door.

Mu Yulu quickly called out to him, "Young Master Qi, please wait!"