The next day.
Guan Zhiyue, accompanied by Bilian, was the first to leave the palace when the gates opened, because she was going to collect river clams that day. These were her future livelihood, practically the key to her wealth.
“Your Highness, is it really necessary to go out so early just to get a clam? The palace gates have only just opened, and the master and the others have only just entered the palace for court.” Bilian looked at Guan Zhiyue, who was sitting in the carriage, dozing off.
Guan Zhiyue, who was sleepy, was nodding her head with her eyes closed. She was startled by Bilian's words and opened her eyes, yawning as she said, "Isn't it because I want to leave the palace sooner and stay outside a little longer? Besides, don't you miss the snacks on the street?"
When it came to food, Bilian's eyes widened and she swallowed hard. She really wanted to eat! The wontons at the east end of the street, and the pastry shop called Daohuaxiang—the pastries there looked beautiful and tasted delicious, making her mouth water.
Su Xu's carriage entering the palace and Guan Zhiyue's carriage leaving the palace met each other at the palace gate. Su Xu was wearing a bright red robe for court, with a wide black belt tied around his waist. A flawless white jade pendant adorned his waist. He wore a jet-black official hat, and his hair was neatly tied up high and hidden inside the hat.
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The bright red official robe made his fair skin appear even more radiant, giving him an ethereal, otherworldly look. His red beauty mark was strikingly beautiful, and his pale pink lips were incredibly alluring. Guan Zhiyue's first impression of him was, "This guy is damn handsome!"
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects," Su Xu said softly, clasping his hands in greeting.
Upon hearing that voice, Guan Zhiyue exclaimed, "Oh my god, it's so sweet and seductive! My ears are practically pregnant! It's the perfect wake-up call this morning!" She secretly lamented to herself, "Why didn't the original owner like this man? He's just too handsome to resist!"
"And you are?"
"Your subject is Su Xu."
Guan Zhiyue murmured, "Su Xu, what a beautiful name!"
"Lord Su, I am well. I have other matters to attend to, so I will not keep you from going to court." Guan Zhiyue said, then lowered the carriage curtain.
Su Xu clasped his hands in a salute to the departing carriage, a handsome smile curving his lips.
****
Zuixianlou Restaurant in the capital.
"Brother Lan, you've arrived!"
"Hey, Xiao Yue'er, you're here early today!" Lan Shanqi sat in the private room, sipping tea and fanning himself as he looked at Guan Zhiyue who had just entered, his face full of teasing.
"Of course, I came as soon as the palace gates opened."
Lan Shanqi looked at her. She was wearing a sandy yellow embroidered wide-sleeved gauze robe and a light green Shu brocade on her upper body, and a dark purple twill brocade skirt on her lower body. Her hair was tied up in a bun with agate Buddha hand-shaped gold hairpin in her delicate hair. She wore turquoise earrings. Her slender waist was tied with a brown silk tassel with a long tassel and a gold-embroidered lotus purse. She wore patterned cloud shoes.
Her skin was fair and radiant, like a fairy in a painting. Her dazzling beauty made people sigh that there was only one such beautiful woman in the world. She was truly a blessing to all people!
"Little Yue'er is getting more and more beautiful!"
Guan Zhiyue laughed after hearing Lan Shanqi's words: "Brother Lan, you really are becoming more and more handsome and dashing. Flowers bloom when you see you, and cars get flat tires when you see you."
"Hahahaha... Xiao Yue'er is getting better and better at talking!" Lan Shanqi was in a particularly good mood after hearing Guan Zhiyue's flattery.
"Since you've come to my restaurant, try my signature dishes." Lan Shanqi instructed the manager to bring out the restaurant's signature dishes, and then discussed in detail with Guan Zhiyue the methods of raising river mussels and the factors that prevent them from dying.
After a long while, Lan Shanqi couldn't help but burst into hearty laughter.
"Hahaha, Little Yue'er, it's been so many years since I last saw you, and you know so much! It's true that a single conversation with you is worth more than ten years of study!"
Guan Zhiyue awkwardly touched her nose. That was because she had traveled from the modern era and had accumulated thousands of years of cultural knowledge, so she naturally knew more. Therefore, when she shared some ideas for opening a shop, he, an ancient person, naturally found them strange.
"Hehe, you flatter me, you flatter me. It's good that it works, it's good that it works!"
"What you've got is so practical! 'Hunger marketing,' 'linked sales,' 'customized sales'—it's dazzling!" Lan Shanqi praised generously.
Guan Zhiyue dared not say anything more, and could only lower her head and chuckle awkwardly. After chatting for a while, Guan Zhiyue finally left Zuixianlou. She needed to go home to see her grandmother and grandfather, and also go for a stroll in the street to relax.
Guan Zhiyue and Bilian strolled aimlessly through the streets, mainly because they were too full and were walking to digest their food.
"Your Highness, are we going back to the Guan residence? Shall we go buy some things?" Bilian asked Guan Zhiyue, who was walking ahead with her head down.
Guan Zhiyue turned around and thought for a moment before saying, "Hmm, what should we buy? It seems like they have everything they need at home. I don't know what to buy for them."
"How about we wander around?"
So the two of them started wandering around the streets, and their aimless wandering actually led them to a place that looked rather strange.
"Secret Hall"
The master and servant looked up at the shop's name like complete idiots. The shop was closed, but there was a small window open and a sign that read "Open for Business" hanging on the door.
"What is this place? Why is it so strange? If it's open for business, why isn't it open?" Guan Zhiyue asked Bilian.
Bilian stared at the door and looked around. She didn't know what kind of shop this was, but it gave her a creepy feeling.
"Your Majesty, perhaps we should leave quickly; this is too terrifying."
Guan Zhiyue was very curious, so she went up and knocked on the door. Soon, a face that looked like a waiter appeared in the small window. He had a square face and a serious expression.
"Madam, please show me your pass."
"What, a pass? What kind of shop do you have? What kind of pass?" Guan Zhiyue glanced at Bilian, then at the waiter.
The waiter could tell immediately that this was a first-time customer, and his attitude instantly did a complete 180-degree turn.
"Madam, our shop is a high-end private shop, and we only accept guests with passes. Of course, if you would like to apply for a pass, you will need to pay a fee of one thousand taels of silver. This pass allows you to enter and exit our shop without any hindrance," the waiter explained solicitously.
When Guan Zhiyue heard that a thousand taels of silver was going to kill her, it was so expensive, and she hadn't even started her business yet!
What do you sell in your shop?
The waiter grinned slyly, opened the door a crack, peeked out, looked around, and said, "Our shop not only sells things, we also buy things. The prices are quite considerable. If you want to make money by taking on missions, the prices will be even higher."
Upon hearing this, Guan Zhiyue's eyes lit up as she asked, "What kind of mission is it? It's not murder and arson, is it?"
"Huh? How could that be? Our little shop caters to wealthy people, so hehe..."
Guan Zhiyue looked at the waiter's sly smile, but couldn't help being curious, "What is it?"
"Oh dear, it's a place that sells personal items. In the capital, it's mostly frequented by wealthy families. When people have a lot of money, they naturally like things that are different from others."
"For example, a young master's personal jade pendant, fan, hair, clothes he wore, and so on," the waiter explained.
Guan Zhiyue understood immediately. It was just like modern celebrities and their fans selling personal items or similar products from famous people.
"What kind of people's things do you have here? If I sell them, they'll belong to those people too?" Guan Zhiyue asked.
The waiter said directly, "Madam, if you want to know the details, you will need to pay for a pass."
Guan Zhiyue: "......"
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