"What business?" she asked, puzzled. Wasn't this supposed to be his birthday banquet? Why had it turned into a business event?
“You don’t understand, silly Yao’er,” he stroked her nose. “Celebrating my birthday is just a pretext. With this excuse, people who want something from me or want to curry favor will send me gifts. Apart from the New Year, I get the most money and rare treasures on my birthday.”
After hearing this, You Shuyao understood. He had actually turned his birthday banquet into a "money-making banquet." This person... it turned out that he did love money, but he just wanted to find a pretext to do so through seemingly legitimate channels.
She said that when the manager came to ask about the birthday banquet, he always seemed too lazy to pay attention and would ignore it if he could avoid it. He didn't seem to care about organizing the banquet. Now she realized that he was waiting to make money through this.
She covered her lips, unable to resist making a sarcastic remark.
"Isn't the treasure obtained from confiscating your property enough, sir?"
Huo Jingsha chuckled and bit her earlobe as if punishing her, his breath brushing against her neck as he flirted with her without restraint.
“How can they be the same? Confiscating property is an official business commissioned by the Emperor, and it must be handled strictly according to the law. Everything confiscated must be handed over to the national treasury without exception. That money belongs to the Emperor, and it is illegal to embezzle it. You might even be executed immediately. But birthday gifts are different. The birthday gifts they give me are my personal property. I have so many people to support, and I have to do this business.”
She glared at him. "Pah! Openly accepting bribes is considered business?"
Don't think she doesn't know that there's no such thing as a free lunch. These gifts must be from people who want something from you and are using them as a way to gain personal benefits.
Huo Jingsha not only didn't take her sarcasm to heart, but also felt that hitting and scolding were a sign of affection, and that Shu Yao was flirting with him when she scolded him.
"So my Yao'er is so smart, she even understands the ins and outs of our officialdom."
After saying that, he pinched her most sensitive spot on her waist, making her shiver from the tickle. She couldn't help but puff out her cheeks and glare at him. Unable to openly scold him, she pinched him back, which made him chuckle and bite her lips.
You Shuyao deliberately turned her head away and ignored him, but the corners of her mouth involuntarily curved into a smile.
In the latter half of the banquet, Huo Jingsha rewarded several subordinates for their merits and sent four women out as gifts. Occasionally, some officials would come to chat with him with wine glasses in hand, and he would raise his glass to drink with them. Her task was to refill his wine glass and, occasionally, when he leaned in to drink, she would obediently feed him a few bites of food, dutifully playing the role of his attendant.
While socializing with those who came to offer toasts, he used his free hand to put his arm around her waist, half-pulling her into his embrace. Whenever there was a moment, he would whisper sweet nothings and flirt with her, just like before. The officials and wealthy businessmen, looking at her, were surprisingly polite and courteous, even saying that next time they shouldn't just focus on currying favor with the officials, since choosing what a woman likes is much easier than choosing what a man likes.
Upon hearing this, Huo Jingsha threw her head back and laughed heartily, seemingly very pleased. Then she said solemnly, "Hmm... if you can make her happy, that's much better than making me happy directly. If she's happy, I'm happy too. Thank you all on behalf of my Yao'er."
Even if You Shuyao were slow-witted, she would understand the hidden meaning in their conversation. They were clearly testing her, trying to see what position she held in Huo Jingsha's heart. Was she currently a favored concubine, or someone he truly cared about? That's why they said they wanted to give her a gift. If it was just a casual fling, Huo Jingsha would never owe them a favor for such an insignificant woman.
Unexpectedly, he personally acknowledged her importance and even made it clear that currying favor with her was better than currying favor with him. In just two short sentences, it was clear that he had actually placed this woman in a position above himself, a treatment that only a principal wife could receive. Therefore, he dared not underestimate You Shuyao.
She could also sense that Huo Jingsha was doing it on purpose. He had her sit beside him from beginning to end so that people would know that her status in the Huo family was definitely higher than that of the other concubines.
The entire birthday banquet lasted only two hours, yet it allowed her to witness Huo Jingsha's formidable ability to manage people. Moreover, those who came to him for favors weren't simply granted their requests after receiving gifts; he maintained firm principles, refusing to agree to anything he couldn't do, and could explain his reasoning clearly in a few words, leaving the other party convinced and satisfied. It seemed this man was not only cunning and treacherous, but also possessed considerable wisdom and intelligence.
Huo Jingsha turned to her and instructed, "After today's birthday banquet, tomorrow you and the head steward will make a list of gifts and put it in the storeroom. The head steward will tell you where each category goes."
You Shuyao was surprised and pointed to herself, asking, "Me?"
"Who else could it be? There will be many more things like this in the future. You should learn them so you can get up to speed as soon as possible. Otherwise, how will you manage the affairs of the mansion in the future? And it's not just this one thing; you also need to learn about the affairs of the inner courtyard."
You Shuyao was stunned and stared at him blankly.
Is he... handing over the management of the backyard and the treasury to her? Does he mean he wants her to take charge of the household?
She was shocked, unsure whether to respond or not, but he didn't give her any time to think. He chuckled and planted a kiss on her cheek before turning back to talk to the person who came forward to offer a toast. Shu Yao inwardly groaned; she hadn't immediately objected, missing her chance, and now the decision was final.
Looking at the wine glass on the table, she wanted to try it herself, to see if it could extinguish the hundred emotions churning within her. The longer she spent with this person, the more she understood his other side. Therefore, judging a person requires far more than a short period of interaction.
In her previous lives, this man's only impression on her was that he was ruthless, cruel, and heartless, making her hate him to the bone; but once he wanted to be good to someone, he could spoil her rotten, as if he wanted to give her everything good, and still felt it wasn't enough.
The day after the birthday banquet, Huo Jingsha kept his promise and took a bath with her. Then, without wasting a moment, he dragged her to the bed and began teaching her until she "knew". She pushed him away in protest, "I helped you count the gifts today and put them into the storeroom one by one. I'm exhausted. You should let me rest properly."
She had already thought of this reason before returning to her room. Wasn't this man always fair in rewarding and punishing? She had done a good job, so he should reward her. That's why she deliberately brought it up to ask for a reward.
But the devil is always one step ahead; he turned the tables and found fault with her every time!
"You went to great lengths to have the maid remind you to prepare my birthday gift, but all you did was come up with a peace charm to fob me off. You have time to read those idle books all day long. Am I really that unworthy of your attention? You should be punished."
Without a word, he ripped off her clothes in a few quick movements, then pounced on her, twisting her into various positions as if he were torturing her.
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