"There are always solutions, and we can try some things out first." Qiao Qiu left the window, walked to the table, took out paper and pen, wrote a sentence, and then took out the seal she always carried with her to stamp it.
Qiao Qiu handed the note to Liu Yibu, "Pass on my order: collect as much saltpeter as possible."
"Yes." Liu Yibu took the note, then froze. "Young Master, what is saltpeter?"
"Saltpeter is the same as ground frost." Qiao Qiu then realized that there was no such name as saltpeter here.
"Oh, I understand."
"Pass this note on to Hong Yan, the genius of the Ministry of Works."
"yes."
After resting for a day, Qiao Qiu went to the Wei residence the next day to deliver her invitation.
According to the Emperor, Wei Chao is very arrogant and conceited. Today, she will test just how arrogant Wei Chao really is.
On the wide steps, Qiao Qiu stood with her hands behind her back, her half-face mask radiating a warm glow in the sunlight.
Almost everyone who passed by on the street would glance at Qiao Qiu, then look away and hurry on their way, as if they were somewhat afraid of her.
Qiao Qiu only brought Liu Yibu with her, which shows her great sincerity.
Liu Yibu paced back and forth behind her, looking at the large red wooden gate of the Wei residence again and again.
About half an hour later, a servant came out and said in a tone that was neither good nor bad, "My master is not here. Young master, please come another day."
Qiao Qiu turned her head and keenly noticed the disdain in the servant's eyes. When she looked at him, the servant was startled by her penetrating gaze, lowered his head, and broke out in a cold sweat.
"What? I've inquired, your master is clearly..." Liu Yibu immediately exploded, grabbing the servant's collar, about to unleash his anger.
Qiao Qiu stopped her in time, saying, "Let's take one step at a time."
Liu pushed the servant aside, straightened his clothes, glared at the servant, and said, "Yes."
Qiao Qiu walked with great poise, unhurried and unhurried, as if she were admiring the scenery, not at all like someone who had been turned away.
Liu Yibu chased after him, "Young Master, are we just going to leave it at that?"
Qiao Qiu said calmly, "This result is within my expectations."
"So you had already foreseen this, young master. If you knew the outcome all along, why did you wait there for so long? Wasn't it torture to be out in the scorching sun?" Liu Yibu asked, puzzled.
"I did this to find out if Wei Chao, consumed by jealousy, still has any sense of reason," Qiao Qiu explained.
"He's jealous?" Liu Yibu's eyes widened, then he tilted his head and thought for a moment before laughing, "Haha, that's true. Who told you to be so outstanding, young master, and more than ten years younger than him? Your future is limitless."
"That's not it."
"W-what? Not this?"
“Wei Chao is arrogant and conceited. The Emperor has visited him before. He did nothing wrong. Why did the Emperor choose me as the imperial merchant instead of him?”
Liu Yibu thought for a moment and replied, "Because you are smarter than him."
Qiao Qiu smiled, her dark eyes like stars. "A very confident person will not easily admit that others are smarter than him."
Liu Yibu realized what was going on. "I understand now. Wei Chao is unwilling to believe it, so he's not convinced by you."
Qiao Qiu nodded. "Yes, he dares to treat me like this openly because the Emperor admires him. However, he doesn't dare to go too far with me for fear of damaging the Emperor's reputation. He would be in deep trouble if he did. That's why I say he still has some sense."
Liu Yibu nodded, then turned to Qiao Qiu and asked, "Young Master, what should we do next?"
"Go buy me a piano, and also get me a yard. We'll move in later." Qiao Qiu strode towards the bustling area.
Liu quickly followed, "Yes."
...
Liu Yibu was very efficient. Not long after Qiao Qiu returned to the inn, he brought the zither with him.
Although it was a temporary purchase, it is still an excellent and high-quality instrument.
In the afternoon, Qiao Qiu rested for a while. Hearing the streets getting more and more lively, she knew the time was right, so she sat up and prepared to play the zither.
Qiao Qiu first wrote Li Bai's poem "Toasting Wine" on a piece of paper, then placed it in front of the zither and silently recited it. She then began to play the zither.
The music is like a rushing river, or the majestic grandeur of mountains and rivers; a piece that opens up the world, then returns with the gentle flow of a stream. Continuing on, it returns from nature to the human world, experiencing the full spectrum of human emotions—warmth, coldness, sweetness, bitterness, and everything in between. In the end, a long, drawn-out song cannot compare to a single, satisfying drink. A heart full of heroic passion is no match for a glass of strong liquor.
The musician was completely absorbed in the music. The listener, on the other hand, was as if they had drunk strong liquor, intoxicated even before taking a sip.
When the music ended, all things fell silent.
Qiao Qiu's cheeks were slightly flushed, and when she opened her eyes, they were still bright. She looked towards the window; the sounds outside had ceased. Did this prove that her piano playing was truly captivating?
Soon, enthusiastic applause erupted outside, and many people shouted for an encore.
Qiao Qiu was in high spirits today, so she responded to them with music.
Qiao Qiu played like that all afternoon until Liu Yibu called her to have dinner, at which point she stopped.
Liu Yibu chuckled to himself, "Young master, it's a good thing they can't hear me calling you to dinner, otherwise they would have picked up their weapons and beaten me up."
Qiao Qiu glanced at him. "It's not that serious."
“Is it that serious? If I wasn’t worried about the young master going hungry, I wouldn’t have interrupted him.” Liu Yibu felt that his young master’s zither skills were the best he had ever heard, but his young master didn’t play the zither often.
Qiao Qiu pursues beauty. She is completely absorbed in playing the zither, which is such a wonderful thing. She has never bothered to evaluate how it sounds to others. She smiled and said casually, "Maybe one day your young master will go bankrupt and you can make money from this."
“Young master, I might believe it if someone else said they were bankrupt, but you? You should probably forget about it.” Liu Yibu buried his head in his food.
The news that Qiao Qiu had been playing the piano all afternoon had already reached Wei Chao's ears. When he heard that passersby were completely captivated by her playing, Wei Chao smashed everything in his path.
The next day, Qiao Qiu returned to the Wei residence feeling refreshed, this time presenting her gift.
While Liu Yibu waited with her, he asked, "Young Master, what do you think will happen this time?"
"Hmm, you'll find out soon enough." Qiao Qiu revealed a mysterious smile.
Liu Yibu seemed to see a big tail behind his young master and gave a sympathetic look to the back door.
This time, Liu Yibu didn't have to wait long. A moment later, the steward came out with a livid face, slammed the broken zither on the ground, and said, "You surnamed Chen, don't think you're so great just because you're a royal merchant. How dare you humiliate our master like this? I'm telling you, get out of Baicao City right now."
"Hey, if I don't teach you a lesson, you won't know how powerful your Uncle Liu is." Liu rushed forward step by step, punching the steward to the ground, and then with a spinning kick, he kicked down one by one the servants who were rushing towards him in a semi-circle.
Qiao Qiu didn't stop her. She waited until Liu Yibu had vented his anger before coldly saying, "Yibu, take the zither, let's go." (For the latest chapters, please visit Tangkexing on your mobile phone.)
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