অধ্যায় ১৩৯: অমর দেবতা

yue niang amusedly felt flattered, and hastily said, "my lord need not worry about this humble servant, this humble servant has a place to rest."

yang jiao niang, following li yuanqing as they walked outward, smiled and said, "yuanqing, you need not worry. this misty rain pavilion spans over a dozen mu of land, are you worried yue niang would have no place to sleep?"

li yuanqing could not help but be stunned, "a dozen mu?"

after a moment, li yuanqing also smiled, "indeed, very good. i truly underestimated you all."

following the winding paths of the backyard garden, soon, the group arrived at an even larger and more elegant small courtyard.

yang jiao niang whispered a few words into yue niang's ear; yue niang's face blushed slightly, and she hurriedly and hastily left.

with only yang jiao niang and li yuanqing remaining, yang jiao niang could no longer hold back, suddenly throwing herself into li yuanqing's embrace as tears fell patter-patter, "you heartless man. i heard long ago that you were entering the capital, why did you only come to see me now?"

li yuanqing smiled, "i only arrived at noon today, and tonight, i entered the palace. the moment i came out, didn't i come straight to see you? what? won't you invite me into the room to sit for a while?"

yang jiao niang suddenly smiled, "i just won't invite you. i'll let you freeze outside."

yet as she spoke, she clung tightly to li yuanqing, pulling him along as they walked toward the main room.

the main room was not large, but it was furnished with exquisite elegance. six or seven masterpieces of ink painting hung on the walls, featuring landscapes and calligraphy, which at a single glance were evidently the work of renowned masters.

the furniture was also crafted from the finest timber; rosewood was merely considered secondary, while the tables and chairs were made of huanghuali wood, and not the vietnamese variety, but rather the finest hainan huanghuali.

yang jiao niang helped li yuanqing to sit down in a chair and smiled, "you didn't eat well earlier, did you? i had the back kitchen stir-fry a few dishes, they should be ready immediately. i'll go urge them."

just as yang jiao niang was about to leave, li yuanqing reached out and grabbed her small hand, "jiao niang, after a few days apart, you are doing far better than i imagined."

back in guangning, even with li yuanqing's vigorous support, the silver in yang jiao niang's hands had never exceeded ten thousand taels.

ten thousand taels might have seemed a considerable sum in the liao region, but in the capital, it would scarcely cause a ripple, let alone afford establishing such a massive family enterprise.

yang jiao niang smiled, sitting upon li yuanqing's lap, "what is so strange about this? everything has merely just set onto the right track. wait another year or two, and you can come back and see."

seeing yang jiao niang's magnificent bearing, li yuanqing could not help but be startled, "jiao niang, is this trade truly so violently profitable?"

in later generations, due to business needs, li yuanqing had occasionally patronized certain houses of pleasure and knew some proprietors of this trade, but he lacked deep friendships with them; he only knew the industry was extremely lucrative, yet the exact profit margins remained others' commercial secrets. without a certain level of intimacy, it was difficult to inquire.

however, the advancement of the internet era allowed information to flow with extreme fluidity, and the most renowned proprietor in this industry was none other than that crown prince of dongguan.

unfortunately, the degree of media exposure was limited, and the specific figures were sensitive, making it difficult for people to probe into the details.

yet at this moment, yang jiao niang had entered the trade with a mere ten thousand taels of silver, and within a mere two or three months, she had achieved such a scale, this...

li yuanqing's expression inevitably turned solemn. turning yang jiao niang's face so she looked into his eyes, he said somewhat gravely, "jiao niang, that you do business is fine, i support you. but the waters in the capital are extremely deep, you must never act recklessly. should true trouble arise, i am too far away to offer rescue."

yang jiao niang could not help but smile, "yuanqing, you gave me quite a fright, i thought something major had happened. rest assured, i never dare to commit offenses against others. this money was earned by me with absolute integrity, it is all hard-earned coin gained through the toil of the sisters below."

yang jiao niang was about to say more, but yue niang had already returned with several maidservants carrying small dishes. she hurriedly leaned close to li yuanqing's ear, whispering softly, "i shall explain this matter to you later. let us eat first."

li yuanqing nodded.

soon, yue niang personally arranged several dishes on the table.

these dishes were noticeably more delicate than the previous ones; although primarily green dishes, there was also a large platter of braised mutton in thick sauce and several fried eggs, showing that yang jiao niang had put immense thought into it.

yue niang poured a cup of wine for li yuanqing, filled another cup for yang jiao niang, and then respectfully retreated to stand to the side.

yang jiao niang raised her wine cup, signaling to li yuanqing, "this humble servant toasts my lord a cup."

li yuanqing downed the wine in his cup in a single gulp, then smiled involuntarily, "when did you become so scholarly and refined? i am somewhat unaccustomed to it."

yang jiao niang smiled, "yuanqing, this is the capital, and these great lords of the capital all favor this style, so we simply follow their rules."

li yuanqing smiled, "very well."

after drinking a few cups of wine, li yuanqing began to feel some hunger in his stomach and started eating heartily.

yang jiao niang said to yue niang, "yue niang, see if wan'er has finished her tasks? call her over."

"yes." yue niang hurried away.

li yuanqing was stunned, "jiao niang, what is the meaning of this?"

yang jiao niang smiled, "yuanqing, here, you follow my arrangements."

li yuanqing was somewhat speechless, squeezing yang jiao niang's small hand tightly, "jiao niang, these past days, you have suffered hardships."

yang jiao niang smiled, "yuanqing, it is i who should thank you. thank you for bringing me to the capital. otherwise, i would be like a small house sparrow, never knowing how high the sky truly is."

li yuanqing remained silent for a long time, "jiao niang, between you and me, is it necessary to be so formal?"

yang jiao niang let out a silvery, delicate laugh, "yuanqing, are you afraid?"

li yuanqing cast a sideways glance at yang jiao niang, "afraid? of what. you are living better than i imagined now; even if you do not stay with me, as long as you can live well, i can rest at ease."

yang jiao niang's eye rims reddened slightly. she picked up her wine cup and took a sip, "yuanqing, although i, yang jiao niang, hail from a brothel, i still know that a loyal official does not serve two masters, and a virtuous woman does not marry a second husband. without you, there would be no today for me. you are not my first man, but you shall be my last. in this lifetime, you need not ever think of casting me aside."

li yuanqing smiled and clasped yang jiao niang's small hand, "why speak with such sentimentality? we are no longer children. right, jiao niang, hurry and tell me, how on earth did you manage all this?"

yang jiao niang smiled, her pretty face blushing slightly, "yuanqing, as for that... we shall discuss it tonight. it will depend on whether you are satisfied with my service."

li yuanqing could not help being speechless, too lazy to argue with her, and drank a cup of wine on his own, "i've eaten enough, your lord is tired today and needs to rest."

yang jiao niang gave a silvery laugh, "you heartless man, what's the rush? wait just a moment."

at this moment, a light sound of footsteps echoed from outside, and shortly after, yue niang led several young women into the chamber.

yue niang spoke cautiously, "proprietor, miss wan'er has arrived."

li yuanqing's alcohol buzz cleared quite a bit, and only then did he notice that behind yue niang stood a young maiden of about sixteen or seventeen, dressed in a simple yet elegant green long dress and possessing peerless beauty. her eyes, in particular, were large and sparkling, resembling stars in the sky that seemed capable of speech.

she stepped half a step forward and bowed gracefully toward yang jiao niang, "mother, wan'er pays her respects to you."

yang jiao niang hastily stood up, carefully supporting wan'er's arm, "wan'er, you've worked hard today, haven't you? come, sit, let us eat something together. yue niang, go tell them to stir-fry a few more small dishes. right, make a plate of minced pork with scrambled eggs, my daughter loves that."

"yes." yue niang hurried off hastily once more.

miss wan'er glanced at li yuanqing with a trace of displeasure, but nevertheless carefully seated herself beside yang jiao niang.

yang jiao niang hurriedly went personally to fetch a bowl and chopsticks for miss wan'er, smiling, "the warm dishes will arrive shortly, wan'er, eat a little something first to warm your body."

"mm. thank you, mother." miss wan'er stood on no ceremony; she picked up her chopsticks, curled her fingers into an orchid-like gesture, and began eating the food with extreme elegance.

li yuanqing could not help but inwardly click his tongue in astonishment. not only was miss wan'er breathtakingly beautiful, but judging by her posture and demeanor, even he was subdued by her presence.

no wonder yang jiao niang's business was flourishing. so she possessed such a 'cash cow' of a figure.

after miss wan'er had eaten a few bites of food, yang jiao niang smilingly poured a cup of wine for wan'er and another for li yuanqing, saying, "wan'er, this is master li, an old acquaintance of mother's and also mother's benefactor."

miss wan'er's cool and aloof expression shifted instantly, revealing a trace of indescribable, warm a smile, "greetings, master li. since you are mother's benefactor, you are also wan'er's benefactor. wan'er toasts you a cup."

as she spoke, she gracefully raised her wine cup, stood up, and walked over to li yuanqing, instantly bringing with her a wave of intoxicating, fragrant breeze.

li yuanqing hurriedly bit the tip of his tongue to force his nerves to calm down, avoiding looking into her eyes as he smiled, "proprietor yang flatters me. we are fellow townsmen after all; helping one another is only right. miss wan'er, this humble person shall drain his cup first."

with that, li yuanqing took the lead and downed the wine in his cup.

to li yuanqing's surprise, miss wan'er actually finished the wine in her cup as well, smiling in praise, "master li is truly bold and spirited, wan'er admires you."

li yuanqing was somewhat at a loss. although the person before him was merely a maiden of sixteen or seventeen, her posture and bearing were akin to a princess—no, more like an empress—making one feel instantly diminished to the point of utter shame.

yang jiao niang perceived li yuanqing's awkwardness and hastily smiled, "wan'er, come, sit and eat some food first. master li, come to think of it, wan'er is also our fellow townsman. she is likewise from guangning."

"oh?" li yuanqing was startled. could a place like guangning actually produce such a peerless beauty?

the crucial point was her bearing; this was truly...

at this moment, yue niang entered again carrying several small dishes, smiling, "miss wan'er, your favorite minced pork with scrambled eggs."

only then did a pure smile fitting her age blossom upon miss wan'er's pretty face, "thank you, aunt yue."

yue niang smiled and retreated to stand to the side.

yet even though a peerless beauty was right before his eyes, li yuanqing felt entirely ill at ease. for no other reason than that he constantly felt his own aura, compared to miss wan'er's, was lacking by too vast a margin; they were simply not on the same level.

if she were compared to a high-ranking official of the first rank, li yuanqing could only be considered a minor, unranked clerk. this...

fortunately, yang jiao niang also saw that li yuanqing was uncomfortable. after they had eaten for a short while, she had yue niang take miss wan'er away to rest.

only then did li yuanqing breathe a slight sigh of relief, "jiao niang, this... this otherworldly figure, how, how on earth did you manage it?"