18 Chapter 18

◎Eunuch. ◎

In Yunzhou City, there is a three-story building facing the street. A brand new plaque was hung at the door with the three words "Beihuohang" inscribed on it, carefully outlined in dazzling vermilion.

The New Year's Day had not been long over, and the dazzling red lanterns under the eaves of the lazy houses had not yet been taken down. However, this small shop in an excellent location was clean and tidy. The waiter tiptoed carefully to take down the window grilles that had been torn at the corners by the wind and snow last year, and then replaced them with new ones while blowing on white air.

The shopkeeper, a kind-looking middle-aged woman, was dusting the floor with a feather duster, muttering to herself, "Opening business this spring is crucial. My mistress will be sending someone over in a couple of days to check on it. Please make sure it's done. I'll treat everyone to a good meal after we close today..."

The waiter nodded quickly. As he spoke, a nondescript carriage quietly stopped at the shop entrance. A delicate hand lifted the curtain, and a middle-aged man with a fair complexion and a rather unconventional goatee stepped out. He was well-dressed, and his gestures were elegant. But his eyes, like a venomous snake spitting its message, were narrow and long, giving off a tinge of discomfort at first glance.

The waiter smelled a faint floral fragrance that didn't belong to this season. He turned around and saw him. He was distracted and almost slipped and fell off the small stool.

"Young Master, how could you be so careless?" The man raised his hand to his lips, his breath fragrant with orchids, and said with a forced smile, "We've just finished celebrating this festival happily, so don't let anything unlucky happen."

"I..." The waiter shuddered and was about to reply, but the shopkeeper raised his hand to stop him.

The shopkeeper stepped forward, bowed, and said with a smile, "I wonder what this customer would like to see? Our shop hasn't officially opened yet, and I'm afraid I'd be neglecting you."

The man waved his hand and said, "Just take a look, it's all right."

I saw a stall-like counter built on the street side of the store, probably for receiving customers. The first floor was divided into two halves, one half was divided by such a small counter, with some tables and chairs; the other half was regular shelves, with a cash register.

The shopkeeper thought his goatee was very strange. He stared at him for a while but didn't say anything. He just let him go.

The man strolled slowly around the shop, then absentmindedly stopped and asked, "Just now, when I was in the car, I heard the shopkeeper say from afar that the lady wanted to send someone to check it out?"

"Perhaps she's talking about some lady who wants preserved fruit. Our preserved fruit and jams are very popular in the city," the shopkeeper said with a smile, but she was actually shocked when she heard this. She spoke not loudly, and with the shop door and the carriage curtain between them, how could this person hear her so clearly?

"Well, I've heard of sea buckthorn jam before." The man stroked his beard and said, "I heard that our Great Sheng Dynasty doesn't grow this kind of crop, and it's only found on the grasslands to the north?"

Although he spoke with a smile, his venomous eyes were still fixed. The shopkeeper suddenly clenched his fingers on his sleeves and was about to answer: "This..."

There was a long creaking sound at the door, accompanied by the lively voice of a young girl: "Manager Qian, this time I am here with my wife!"

The man turned around with a slightly stiff pronunciation of Chinese, and his smile became increasingly malicious. "Or is it that even those barbarians from Beidi want to buy the shopkeeper's sea buckthorn jam?"

Li Hengqing listened to the thin, pretentious voice in the car, and also reached out to lift the curtain, staring at the shaky goatee thoughtfully.

A few days ago, she received news that the paperwork of several shops in the city had been checked several times. Then she heard that there was news last year that the noble man was about to take office, so she decided to go and take a look in person.

I didn't expect to meet a real eunuch before I even entered the store. It was interesting.

"What barbarians are you talking about, eunuch?" Li Hengqing got out of the car, and the voice came before he even arrived. He was not in a hurry. "It's only a day or two's walk to Yunzhou City, and you didn't even tell me."

She also spoke with a smile, a tone of reproach, and a familiarity. The middle-aged eunuch turned around and saw Li Hengqing's half-smile, and quickly lowered his eyes and bowed. Where was the arrogant spirit just now?

"Your servant, your servant..." The eunuch put on a submissive smile and said hurriedly, "It's because I had important matters to attend to that I didn't inform His Highness Shunyang in time. His Highness Prince Gong ordered me to investigate the city's business. Who would have thought that the flood would wash away His Highness's Dragon King Temple? All of this is the property of the royal family..."

Li Hengqing waved his hand and said, "That's fine. When you get back, please talk to my sixth brother. Maybe we can even meet him to reminisce about the past."

The eunuch felt his smile almost stiffen. Everyone in the palace knew that Li Hengqing's biological mother and the Sixth Prince's biological mother, Concubine Lan, were not on good terms. How could they possibly have such a close relationship and want to meet and talk?

But even if the other party was exiled to the Northern Di, it was not something a eunuch like him could interfere in. He secretly clenched his fists in his sleeves and made up his mind to go back and talk to Prince Gong about this matter.

After sending away the eunuch with a half-fake goatee, Li Hengqing ordered Langyue to bring wooden boards to close the shop door.

The confident smile on his face relaxed slightly, and he leaned back in his chair, holding the teacup and sighed almost inaudibly.

"Your presence is ill-intentioned," Li Hengqing said. "Have you checked all the paperwork? Is it done?"

Shopkeeper Qian said quickly, "There is absolutely no mistake."

The faint trace of melancholy between Li Heng's brows remained lingering. How could there be so many floods that destroyed the Dragon King Temple? Prince Gong, Li Rongyu, this move was clearly aimed at her. So far, the paperwork hurdles seemed insignificant, but who knew what else that person might have in store.

Last year, thanks to the bountiful harvest buff, Silver Moon Valley and the entire Canglang Tribe enjoyed a bumper harvest. The surplus product naturally had to be disposed of through foreign trade. Meat, milk, and other items weren't necessarily traded by the other tribes on the grasslands, and the entire Northern Di tribe wasn't accustomed to commodity trading. Therefore, Li Hengqing set his sights on Nansheng as his first export destination.

Her goods were of good quality and low price, making them a huge hit in the market. However, the formalities for acquiring the shop were quite a hassle. Lang Yue, who was in charge of accounting and other miscellaneous tasks, was already eager to make a big splash.

But at this critical moment, Prince Gong appeared and watched covetously.

According to the laws of the Dasheng Dynasty, the royal heir was not allowed to do business, but Li Hengqing's identity happened to have a bug. When Beidi and Nansheng negotiated a marriage alliance, they also included many friendly cooperation treaties. One of them stipulated that Beidi people could do business in a limited number of dozens of border cities, including Yunzhou City, after being guaranteed by local wealthy families.

Although Li Hengqing's holdings in these shops were more similar to indirect holdings through the Falcon Guards left behind by her original mother, it wasn't much different. The Sixth Prince had clearly set his sights on her, so instead of cowering and hiding, it would be better to show up and send him away.

After all, listening to that damn eunuch talking in a weird way in her shop really affected her mood.

Li Hengqing slowly sipped his cup of tea, and with a plan in mind, he turned to Langyue and said, "Send a letter back by Feishun, saying that I might be delayed for a while. Everything has been arranged, and if there is any emergency, he can handle it himself."

Lang Yue quickly said, "Okay."

This "he" is naturally Helian Xiao.

On one side of the shelf stood various jam jars, some of them in clear glass bottles. These were Li Hengqing's latest creations. She stood up and inspected the store's layout, adding, "As usual, we'll set aside some for customer tastings. Regular customers can also take some if they don't buy the new products."

Shopkeeper Qian nodded repeatedly, flipping through the account book in his hand quickly, and suddenly felt a little embarrassed: "Many people have already placed orders, and I'm afraid there is not much stock in the store. Look at this..."

"Of course, I won't let you lose out." Li Hengqing scooped a spoonful of sea buckthorn jam and sank it to the bottom of the teacup. The sour, sweet, and slightly astringent fruit aroma spread in the warm water. "Increasing production will take some time. You can do it. I trust you."

Shopkeeper Qian was flattered and agreed immediately.

When she first heard that the employer was from the Northern Di people, she had some doubts, but there were not many people willing to hire a woman to take the lead in a store, and the salary was really generous, so she gritted her teeth and agreed.

Unexpectedly, the other party not only trusted her very much, but also relied on the royal family of the Dasheng Dynasty... How many people would be eager to get in touch with this group of wealthy people?

*

The courtyard is deep and has been abandoned for a long time somewhere in Yunzhou City. Now it has welcomed its owner. The eunuch sneaked in through the side door with his eyes and nose carefully watching his heart. He stood aside with his head down and waited for the message. He still had cloves in his mouth, for fear of disturbing the delicate prince inside.

Such meticulousness, a meticulousness that should have been reserved for the imperial court, had been brought to this remote village. He lowered his head and remained submissive, not daring to utter a single complaint, his previous arrogance and sarcasm completely gone.

Who among those who have made it big in the deep palace isn't a shrewd person? If they can make people feel uncomfortable, it's probably intentional.

After about two quarters of an hour, the plump, white servant came out and said to the eunuch with a smile, "Eunuch Tong, His Highness invites you."

It was daytime, but the study was dim, lit by a flickering candle. The carefully tended bamboo in the courtyard completely blocked the excellent light from the south-facing building. The window paper reflected a faint, rich green. A large water tank stood in the corridor. Though he was in the famously dry northwest, Eunuch Tong felt a ghostly aura around him, as if the air was dripping with water.

A young man sat casually at a desk in front of a chair not far from the window, a rosin-smoke emanating from a nearby incense burner. Lee Yong-yu heard the voice and turned, meeting Eunuch Tong's venomous eyes. He gave a gentle, calm smile.

Eunuch Tong, however, was terrified. The most celebrated feature of the Li royal family was their slightly slanted phoenix eyes, as seen today with His Highness Shunyang and His Highness Prince Gong.

"Speaking of which, eunuch, you've been dawdling for so long today," Li Rongyu asked. "Who did you meet?"

"In reply to His Royal Highness Prince Gong." He trembled with fear, not daring to meet Prince Gong's gaze. "I ran into His Royal Highness Shunyang in that little shop. She seemed to have traveled without many people, and she looked very familiar with Yunzhou City..."

"Oh?" Li Rongyu's tone changed slightly. "There's more. Tell me something I don't know."

"Your Highness Shunyang's shop still has some clear glass bottles, shaped like colored glaze, casually displayed on the shelves. I just didn't have time to ask in detail..." Eunuch Tong gritted his teeth and continued, but was interrupted rudely by Li Rongyu raising his hand: "If you ask in detail before you have time to ask in detail, will this prince blame you for this moment?"

The servant boy also echoed in a condescending manner, "You don't need my Highness to teach you how to do things."

Eunuch Tong lowered his head to accept the lesson, and kept agreeing and admitting his guilt, but he couldn't help but complain in his heart: You left me alone for a long time, and then asked why I came so late. Wasn't it you, His Royal Highness Prince Gong?

"Don't scare Eunuch Tong." Li Rongyu waved his hand and said with a pleasant face, "I've already asked someone to book Zuiyunlou. They're all acquaintances, so it's convenient for us to get things done. Eunuch Tong doesn't have to run around all that hard today. Someone will take over. You can just take your punishment and rest."

Eunuch Tong swayed slightly, his face pale. Just as he was about to squeeze out tears and make a few emotional excuses for himself, he was covered by his mouth and dragged away by several shadowy figures who had been guarding the door. "Eunuch Tong, I'm sorry."

Li Rongyu opened the lid of the incense burner and fiddled with it a few times, adding new incense slices. He was too lazy to lift his eyelids and smiled without saying a word.

*

The falcon's cry was clear and melodious. The personal guard subconsciously reached out to take the letter, but then he remembered Helian Xiao's instructions a few days ago, and hurried into the tent to prepare the report.

Helian Xiao, who always had sharp eyes and ears, had already walked out of the tent. He stretched out his hand to hold the sturdy falcon steadily. He seemed to be impatient to take off the letter tube. He glanced at the letter at a glance, and the excitement in his eyes gradually died down.

It was news from Li Hengqing, but it was not written in Li Hengqing's unforgettable and vigorous handwriting.

He caught a glimpse of the pale-faced scholar outside and sneered. Turning to his personal guard, he said, "Go tell Mr. Cen that the princess won't be home for quite some time. Tell him to relax and keep a close eye on the iron mine."

Although Helian Xiao had many suspicions in his mind, after careful observation, he was convinced that there was no personal relationship between his princess and this handsome scholar who also came from Nansheng.

As for the scholar in the distance, his cheeks flushed when he heard the news about Li Hengqing. The eloquent scholar became stammering and could not speak...

Humph, the scholars from the south are always full of tricks.

Fortunately, he is Qing.