Chapter 36
The wind first blows from the nooks and crannies of the city.
It carried a damp, gloating, and mischievous vibe.
"Have you heard? The 'Cloud Pavilion' on Zhuque Street is closing down!"
"Really? Not long ago, it was so crowded that carriages were practically blocking the road!"
"Hey, you don't know this. My cousin, who works as a shop assistant at the fruit market in the south of the city, said that in the entire capital, including dozens of surrounding villages, not a single fruit or drop of milk is being sold to them anymore!"
"Really? Who has such great abilities?"
"Shh... Don't you want to live? I heard that the higher-ups have given the order that anyone who dares to sell will be bankrupt! Look at those fruit farmers at the entrance of Yunjian Pavilion, aren't they crying and wailing over there?"
The sound spread rapidly through the streets and alleys of the capital, like a sticky spider web.
Cui Yunshu sat in the private room on the top floor of Yunjian Pavilion. The huge, transparent glass window, as clear as ice, faced the chaotic street scene below.
She can see.
I saw Aunt Wang, who used to always deliver the freshest milk to the shop, sitting on the ground, slapping her thigh, crying her eyes out. Her cow had been bought by a butcher from the west of the city for three times the price, who said he wanted to make it into braised beef. She refused to sell, and the butcher claimed her cow had contracted a plague and threatened to report her to the authorities.
She can still see.
The young man from the Li family, who had specially delivered strawberries from the outskirts of Beijing, had his truckload of bright red, juicy fruit, which was supposed to be delivered to the store, overturned and trampled to pieces by a group of thugs in the street. The thugs left with the words, "I'll take all the strawberries from this place," and swaggered away.
She could even smell it.
The sweet aroma of fresh fruit in the air was being slowly swallowed up by the dust and the stench of despair.
She did nothing.
Just watch quietly.
The tea in my hand had gone completely cold.
"Shu'er!"
The door to the private room was flung open, and Mother Song rushed in like a whirlwind. Her face was deathly pale, and her well-maintained hands trembled slightly from the force of her movements. In her hand, she clutched a "letter of severance" that had just been delivered from the sugar icing shop in the south of the city.
“Outside…it’s all out in a frenzy!” Song’s voice trembled with tears. “All the shops that supply us have stopped supplying us! Even the goods sent from our own estate were robbed on the way! What are we going to do, Shu’er? What are we going to do!”
She looked at her daughter.
She was still sitting there calmly, looking out the window, her face expressionless, as if she were watching a shadow play that had nothing to do with her.
Song's heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly by an icy hand, the pain making it hard for her to breathe.
"You... how come you're not worried at all!" she finally couldn't hold back and cried out in despair.
Cui Yunshu slowly, very slowly, turned her head.
Her gaze fell on her mother's face, which was filled with panic, and she calmly asked:
"Mother, do you believe me?"
Mrs. Song was taken aback.
"I……"
“Then you should go back to the manor and rest. These next two days, keep your father company, watch some plays, and listen to some music.” Cui Yunshu stood up, walked to her mother’s side, and gently tidied the stray strands of hair at her temples. “Leave the shop’s affairs to me.”
"But……"
“There’s no ‘buts’,” Cui Yunshu said softly, yet with an undeniable force. “It’s just that the wind was a bit strong and blew down a few trees. It’ll be fine once the wind stops.”
She half-pushed and half-persuaded her mother to leave the private room.
Then, she turned around and gave a series of orders to the shopkeeper who had been standing silently behind her, which baffled everyone.
"Pass on my message: starting tomorrow, all desserts at Yunjian Pavilion will be limited to ten servings per day."
"We told the outside world that we were facing a shortage of raw materials and that it was difficult to continue."
"The remaining branches in Beijing will be temporarily closed, and some employees will be laid off. They will be told that they can come back anytime after things calm down, and their wages will be doubled."
The shopkeeper's face instantly turned as pale as Song's.
It's over.
Is this... a sign of admitting defeat?
Too lazy to explain.
Cui Yunshu waved her hand, signaling him to do as she said.
The whole world seemed to be waiting to see her make a fool of herself.
...
The Second Prince's Residence.
After several rounds of drinks...
Zhang Ge, the Minister of Revenue who was the first to jump out in court to denounce Cui Wen, was now beaming, raising his wine cup and smiling obsequiously at Tang Jingming, who sat at the head of the table:
"Your Highness! Truly brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"
"That mere Cui family girl dared to cause trouble in the capital just because she had a little bit of cleverness! Now, she's been crushed to death by Your Highness with a flick of your finger!"
Another aide chimed in, "Yes, Your Highness! We've already stockpiled 80% of the fresh fruit, milk, and icing sugar from the area surrounding the capital. Even if Yunjian Pavilion has incredible skills, they can't produce anything now! I heard they've already started closing down and laying off staff! They'll surely go bankrupt within three days!"
Tang Jingming held his wine glass, a smug, cold smile on his face.
He liked this feeling.
This is the feeling of having your opponent's lifeline firmly in your grasp, watching them struggle in despair, yet being powerless to do anything about it.
"What do you plan to do with those stockpiled raw materials?" he asked casually.
“Your Highness,” Zhang Ge’s eyes darted around, a plan forming in his mind, “those fresh fruits and milk will just rot anyway. How about this, when Yunjian Pavilion is completely on its last legs, we’ll send someone to them, pretending we can sell to them at a high price. When they come begging, we’ll humiliate them thoroughly, and then dump those rotten fruits in front of their shop! Wouldn’t that be incredibly satisfying!”
"As for the icing flour, it won't spoil. Once they go out of business, only our people will be left doing this in the capital. At that point, won't we be able to set the prices?"
"Good!" Tang Jingming slammed his hand on the table and burst into laughter. "That's how it'll be done! I'll show the Cui family and the Crown Prince what happens when they oppose me!"
The study was filled with the triumphant laughter of the victors.
They could almost see the Cloud Pavilion collapse, the Cui family lose face, and Cui Yunshu kneeling before them, begging for mercy.
They don't know.
Just as they were celebrating their victory.
A larger net has been silently and slowly unfolding above their heads.
...
It was the third watch of the night.
An inconspicuous black carriage silently drove out of the back gate of the Cui residence and headed towards the outskirts of the capital.
Inside the car, only Cui Yunshu and Madam Song were seated.
For the past two days, Mrs. Song has been unable to sleep. She doesn't understand why her daughter would give such an order; it wasn't a sign of weakness, it was surrender. Today, she followed her daughter out with her last glimmer of hope.
The carriage eventually stopped at the entrance of a seemingly ordinary manor.
This is a remote property that the Cui family acquired decades ago, and many of the clan elders have almost forgotten about its existence.
Cui Yunshu helped her mother out of the car.
Upon entering the manor, Madam Song was completely stunned.
It wasn't as desolate as I had imagined.
What came into view were rows of huge, orderly, strange houses built of wood and glazed tiles. Inside the houses, lights were on.
"This is... a greenhouse?" Mrs. Song asked in shock.
"yes."
Cui Yunshu pushed open one of the doors.
A wave of heat, a mixture of earthy fragrance and rich fruit aroma, swept over us.
Song's eyes widened instantly.
Inside the enormous greenhouse, rows of shelves were filled with all sorts of fruits: bright red strawberries, purple grapes, and even a few trees she had never seen before, laden with golden fruit.
While the autumn night outside is cold and chilly, here it is warm as spring and full of life.
"These……"
“My daughter started preparing this a year ago.” Cui Yunshu’s voice was particularly clear in the quiet greenhouse. “From the moment we decided to open Yunjian Pavilion, I knew that raw materials would be our biggest weakness. So I have never really relied on those external suppliers.”
She led her mother, who was no longer able to speak, out of the greenhouse and towards the other side of the manor.
There, rows of clean and tidy cowsheds and sheepfolds stood, where hundreds of plump and healthy dairy cows and goats were leisurely grazing. Next to them, there was a separate workshop specifically for processing the fresh milk produced daily.
“We have our own milk source, our own orchards. And even…” Cui Yunshu pointed to a workshop not far away that was working overnight, “we also have our own sugar mill.”
Following the direction she was pointing, Madam Song saw that the place was brightly lit, as if something was being cooked. A very special, slightly bitter-sweet aroma wafted over on the night breeze.
What does that taste like?
“Chocolate.” Cui Yunshu’s lips finally curved into a smile. “Something that is more delicious and rarer than icing.”
She turned her head, looked at her mother's face, which was filled with shock, and said, word by word:
"Mother, do you still think we will lose?"
Song's eyes instantly reddened.
Those weren't tears of sadness; they were tears of excitement, pride, and relief.
She shook her head vigorously.
...
the next day.
Just as the Second Prince's cronies were waiting to see the Yunjian Pavilion close down,
Just when the whole of Beijing thought this commercial war had come to an end.
Yunjian Pavilion has reopened.
Not only did they open for business, but they also hung a huge sign at the entrance with the words written in beautiful regular script:
"To celebrate the launch of the 'Winter Limited Edition' collection, all cardholders will enjoy a 50% discount on all purchases today!"
The crowd erupted instantly.
When the door, which had been closed for several days, slowly opened, a fragrance more intense and alluring than ever before wafted out.
It's not just a simple fruity and milky aroma.
Instead, it has a completely new flavor, with a hint of mysterious bitterness and a richer, sweeter taste.
People flocked in.
Then they saw the brand-new desserts on the counter that they would never forget.
The cake is entirely black, adorned with gold leaf.
The "dried fruit tart" is decorated with various colored dried fruits and candied fruits, resembling a jewel box.
There's also the steaming hot "hot chocolate drink," served in delicate little bowls, with a silky smooth texture.
That's insane.
The guests went completely mad.
These things are more delicious, more novel, and more... expensive than any dessert before.
However, no one hesitated due to the huge temptation of "half price".
In just one morning, all the "new products" were sold out.
The entrance to Yunjian Pavilion was once again completely blocked.
Meanwhile, at the Second Prince's residence, Zhang Ge was frantically reporting to Tang Jingming.
"Your Highness... It's terrible! The fresh fruit we stockpiled has started to rot! If we don't act soon, it'll all be ruined!"
Tang Jingming's face turned ashen, and he kicked over the table in front of him.
"Sell! Lower the price and sell it to me! I'll get back as much as I can!" he roared.
However, it was too late.
Just as they were frantically lowering prices to sell off their stock, the manager of Yunjian Pavilion, with a compassionate smile, approached them.
"I've heard that some owners have a batch of icing flour they're eager to sell? My humble shop is willing to... buy it all at half the market price."
Looking at the pile of goods in their hands that were almost moldy, and then at the long line at the entrance of Yunjian Pavilion, Zhang Ge and the others almost spat out a mouthful of blood on the spot.
They lost.
They suffered a crushing defeat, utterly humiliated.
In the private room on the top floor.
Cui Yunshu looked down at the commotion below and listened to the shopkeeper report the terrifying turnover of the day and the good news that he had bought up all of the competitor's inventory at a bargain price.
Her face remained expressionless.
She simply picked up a freshly brewed cup of hot tea and took a small sip.
The aroma of the tea is rich, mellow, and lingering.
This small war is over.
But she knew that the real power struggle was in the imperial court, in the still-unfinalized "Company Articles of Association".
This is just an appetizer.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
